18 Orleans, —the Secretary of State keeping us at peace with the other nations of the Earth,—the Secretaries of the Treasury, the Navy, and the Army, workins; nic^lit and day to supply the means, —the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives giving their best thoughts to the legislation of the country, —the bankers and banking-houses loaning millions upon millions of money to the Government, —the Sanitary and Christian Commissions that have sprung up, as if by magic,—the people that have pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to this cause, —the women whose handy needlework has known no weariness when devoted to the comfort of the soldier, —the wounded and the war-worn veterans that have suffered, and are willing to suffer : —these persons and these agencies are no failure. The men and women who have given themselves to this service, have not failed ; and they will not. The Stars and the Stripes, the emblem of a nation's life and honor, are, and will be, safe in their keeping. The flag floats, and float it will, till not a traitor shall be left to question its supremacy ; and then, I trust, it will continue to float over a peaceful land, the symbol of a happy and a strong people, till the trump of Gabriel sounds the knell of time, and brings Earth's mighty drama to its flnal pause. THE QUESTION OF PEACE. Turning now to the question of peace, I take it for granted, that every man in this audience and all just persons throughout the country desire peace. In this general sense we are all Peacemen. What then is the surest and safest road to this end ? Two plans are proposed for the consideration of the American people, —the one consisting in a continuous and vigorous prosecution of the war till the Rebels lay down their arms, —the other, in a suspension of hostilities on the part of the Government and a convention of the States. Which of these plans shall we adopt? I am in favor of the first, and entirely opposed to the second, and for the following reasons : In the FIRST PLACB, I SAY FEANKLY THAT I DO NOT WANT ANY PEACE WITH THIS REBELLION 80 LONG AS IT MAINTAINS THE ATTITUDE
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