Vicksburg Is The Nail Head That Holds

Sir, It Is True That Republics Have Often Been Cradled In War, But More Often They Have Met With A Grave In That Cradle. Peace Is The Interest, The Policy, The Nature Of A Popular Government. War May Bring Benefits To A Few, But Privation And Loss Are The Lot Of The Many. An Appeal To Arms Should Be The Last Resort, And Only By National Rights Or National Honor Can It Be Justified.

A Government, To Afford The Needful Protection And Exercise Proper Care For The Welfare Of A People, Must Have Homogeneity In Its Constituents. It Is This Necessity Which Has Divided The Human Race Into Separate Nations, And Finally Has Defeated The Grandest Efforts Which Conquerors Have Made To Give Unlimited Extent To Their Domain.

Lay Aside All Rancor, All Bitter Sectional Feeling, And To Make Your Places In The Ranks Of Those Who Will Bring About A Consummation Devoutly To Be Wished—a Reunited Country.

The Withdrawal Of A State From A League Has No Revolutionary Or Insurrectionary Characteristic. The Government Of The State Remains Unchanged As To All Internal Affairs. It Is Only Its External Or Confederate Relations That Are Altered. To Term This Action Of A Sovereign A 'rebellion' Is A Gross Abuse Of Language.

Slavery Existed Before The Formation Of This Union. It Derived From The Constitution That Recognition Which It Would Not Have Enjoyed Without The Confederation. If The States Had Not United Together, There Would Have Been No Obligation On Adjoining States To Regard Any Species Of Property Unknown To Themselves.