Object Of The War

The subjoined letter, (the ïmfcial number of a brief series), from tlie pen of a public man well known to the whole country, and wlio in tho present crisis has pignalized bis devotion to tho causo of the Union, was originally sent to us fur insertion without the sigm'ture of the writer. Tbough desiring, frora considerations of modesty, to write anonymously, lie was iuduced, at our request, to attach bis name to these letters, and thus give to them the weiglit of bis mtbority . LKTTKlt NO. I. To Aoriibam Lincoln, Presiden); oftlieUni ted Siales: Eespected Sir - I do not address you f'or the purpose of censure or advice. - Frora boyhood to oíd age I have belonged to tLe democratie party of the country. My political creed, in cominon with that of niv party througbout the North, bas ■ boen, and now is, devotion to the constitution as it came l'rom tlie bands of Wasliington and bis compatriots, and to the rights of the States reserved by tbein on the adoption of that kstrumeut. We look upon the structure couipoBed of the States aiul the Union as the temple of liberty, of which the States ere the pillara and the Union the roof. llomove the pillara aud the roof will fall ; remove the roof and the pillars will be overthrown by the atorras of anarchy and war, and the country will be strewed with ruins more melancholy than thoge whieb lie prostrate or stand shatteröd on the sites of ancient cities. ■ Eutbless hands have seized upon and I are atteinpting to remove a portion of the pilliirs of our templo, at the hazard of cruBbiïïg jthemsetveS and us in tho fall, and in the irisafië hope of building a new temple for theniselves out of the ruins Tlioujrh the dnnoerntic party of the North were nlwajs willing to make all rcasonable or even tolerable coneessions to'satfsfy their aliics ia the South, yct, as a body, 110 party is more dovoted to tho constitution and the Union. It was devotioi) to the Union which indueed thein to make eonOGgsion after eonoession to quiet the apparent ipprehension of tho.ir Southern friends. So vital in their 'viow was the pivservation of tbo Union and the constitution to the intcrests and BS'fety of the Southern States iu particular, that many of them could not, until tho apsiiulton Fort Sumptpr,be convineed that the leaders of Southern agitation had arnthing io view bevond further uarantees for tkeir loeil iüstitutions - Jndcr tbis delusion soiue of tlicm raised eir voiccs against coerción, and thereby nwittingly rcndered material service to ie cause of rebullion. But wlien coninccd, by the tlmndor of rebel camión ud the flamea of Fort Sumpter, that, evolution, and ' uot redress or security ithin the Union, was' the object of the feoutheru leaders, they did all that honest ïen could do to retrievo their error, and, otwithstanding theirpolitical autagonism o minor poiuts, the democratie party of he Nbrth rallied around jour ration as the only ine;vns ot saving tneir ountry. Yüurarmies abound witli them; uone are moro ready to sacrifico all that s dear, even life itself, for the preservaon of the Union and the constitutiön, aud to them it is cheeiing, though bot ust, that, you have reoeutly giveu them i representativo in your Cahinet. Bc assured, sir, that the democratie party of the North, with the exeeption )f a few semi traitors whoin they repudíate, cordially approve the objects ol the war agaiust rebelliou as deolared by you in all your public avowals. They rally aryund you with a devotiou to the cause not exceeded by any elass of youi origiual supporters, and they will spart no sacrifice to save the Uuion and the cunstitution. In tuis great object tnoy are already cousolidated with the great masa of the repubiioau party, and will bc amongthe last to despair. Indeed, these two parüee for all present purposes constitute but oue, which may be appropriately called the Constitutional Unica Party. The object of this party in the pending war is to preserve the Union and tlio ootistitutiou. as 't is. It is the constitution, and that onhj, whioh makes us a nation; destroy it, and the nation will cease to exist, being resolved into tbirty-four independent States. In fighting fur the ooustitution, therefore, wo fig'at for the life of the nation, for all that can give us peaco and security at home and all tbat oan make us honored or respected abroad. The fnidamental principie of our govermneot, that principie whicli has enabled the Republie to extend itaelf from the Atlantic to the Pacific and endowed it with a capacity to embrace continents and clitues within its dominion, is that everythmg wbieh relates exclusively or mainly to local affairs shall bo left to be regulated by local governments, wbile the powers of the general govermneiit shall be only such as are requisita to promote the peace, happiness and prosperity of the people, whatever may be their peculair customs, laws or doinestic institutions. Au attack upon this principie is an assault upoa the constitution ; it is undermining the foundations ot the llepubiie; it is divesting it of that ittri bute, almoít divine, w'aich, like the gov erntnent of heaven, protects alike rror and trutli, allowing man to work out bis own happiiiess in peaco, by the freo exer cise of' his own powers. But we Lave a elass of metí among us who are not content with suoh a govern ment. Thty are not content with the privilege of shaping the laws and institu tions of tbe States in which they live, aceordiug to their owi) sense of right and expeuieney ; but wish to compel othcr men and other conimunitics, over whose local affairs they have no rightful control, to adopt their notions, and utterly regardiess of essentinl differenees in cireumstances, re-model all local institutions by their proerustean standard - And by a conecried effort, these men are attemptinff to divert tlte military power of the country trom its legitímate oDject, the preservation of the constitution iu its ntegriiy, and direct it to the subversión of the fundamental principie on which it is based. Sucb a süheine is virtually a couspiracy against the coustitu tion and the Union in tbc North, giviug eütctive aid to the rebellion in the iioutu. It would present the loyal States to othc-;nations, not, as at. defentlinr; an established govennnent against tebellicrn, but as themselvos rebels against t'-e very íovcrnment thcy prefess tobe defer It would cast the North also on the storniy ocean of revolutiou, not fighting for auy existiug government, but tor sucl) an one as may rise out of the waves - it may be many warring States or contederacies, or a military despotism based on conquest, and swallowing up the wliole. In another letter I shall endavor more fully to exposé the danger and folly of all such sobemos.