Page:Speeches, correspondence and political papers of Carl Schurz, Volume 1.djvu/212

178 all signs deceive me, the end of the political slave-power is close at hand. The Republican party has only to understand its strength, in order to accomplish at a blow one of the greatest reforms of our day. Why cannot I be in Congress now? I could say things there that would make our timid brothers heads swim. However, I am not as far removed from Congress as people think. I am at this moment busy with a speech which is to be delivered in Congress by one of the Representatives. Is that not amusing? Even though I cannot be there myself my speeches are making themselves heard there. I have already discovered traces of the effects of the letters which I have sent to Washington.

&emsp; The secessionists are attempting to draw Virginia and Maryland into the movement. If they succeed, their next step will be to take possession of the city of Washington, which lies wedged in between Virginia and Maryland. As this will be done while Buchanan is still in office, or on the fourth of March, if the step is taken at all, military measures will have to be resorted to, not only that the policy of the next Administration may be carried out, but also, meantime, in order to make sure of Lincoln's coming into office at all. In my opinion, the whole disturbance can be prevented if the Northern States will arm themselves as soon as possible and show their readiness to fight for the preservation of the Union.

Such preparations and a demonstration of such a determination seem to me to be the only way in which the Southern desperadoes can be frightened out of their scheme. They assume that the Northerners will not fight. In this they are mistaken. The fighting spirit of the people is growing with the increasing boldness of our Representatives at Washington. In whatever way the struggle may