. Pictorial history of the Civil War in the United States of America . restedupon it, and which he now professed soardently to love and admire ! He did,indeed, seem to try hard to resist thestorm for several weeks; and, duringthat time, told his countrymen some sobertruths concerning the control of the Na-tional Government by the Slave interestfrom its beginning, which should havemade the cheeks of every conspirator crimson with shame, because of hismean defiance of every principle of honor and true manhood—his wicked-ness without excuse. In the State Convention of Georgia, early in January, 1
. Pictorial history of the Civil War in the United States of America . restedupon it, and which he now professed soardently to love and admire ! He did,indeed, seem to try hard to resist thestorm for several weeks; and, duringthat time, told his countrymen some sobertruths concerning the control of the Na-tional Government by the Slave interestfrom its beginning, which should havemade the cheeks of every conspirator crimson with shame, because of hismean defiance of every principle of honor and true manhood—his wicked-ness without excuse. In the State Convention of Georgia, early in January, 1861, Mr. Stephenssaid:— I must declare here, as I have often done before, and which has beenrepeated by the greatest and wisest of statesmen and patriots in this andother lands, that it is the best and freest Government, the most equal in itsrights, the most just in its decisions, the most lenient in its measures, and themost inspiring in its principles to elevate the race of men, that the sun ofheaven ever shone upon. Now, for you to attempt to overthrow such a. ALEXANDER H. STEPJIENS. 1 In a private letter, written eleven days after this speech (dated Crawfordsville, Ga., Nov. 25,1860 ), revealed the fact that in him the patriot was yet subservient to the politician—that his aspirationswere really more sectional than national. He avowed that his attachment to Georgia was supreme, ami thatthe chief object of his speech at Milledgeville, on the 14th, was not so much for the preservation of the Unionas the security of unity of action in bis State. The great and leading object aimed at by me, in Milledgeville,be said, was to produce harmony on a right line of policy. If the worst comes to the worst, as it may, andour State has to quit the Union, it is of the utmost importance that all our people should be united cordially inthis course. After expressing a desire that the rights of Georgia might be secured in the Union, he said :— If, after making an effort, we
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