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The Democracy And The War

The Democracy And The War image
Parent Issue
Day
17
Month
April
Year
1863
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Ottawa, Peb, 4, 18G3. Bon, Jolin T. Stnart : Dia a Sm- On the diy I left Springfield, you weru ploused to express your apptoval of my paper to (iovernor 8eyniour. I last niglit reoeivod a íetter from a mutual fnend of Uoverr.or Seyitfottr aud myself, iu New York, stating that the Goveruor had sent him the pipr witL the rt'utst to soe it put in print, nd desiring my pennission to do 80. liefore deciding the matter, I wish to tuku your opinión ou the subject. Goveruor SeyuiouV request, togather with thü message, tl whieli hu lias takeu subtantially the samo grounds as to the courso proper to be pufsued by the Democratie party, but without at.tempting to diseuss the ruasons why, as I have done, indícate to me that in his judgfnent it is important that tho party should adopt that courso as its principie of aetion. Such is the tenor of the advice of Mr. Crittundeu to tho Kentucky Legislature, and of the voto of thanks of that body co Goveruor Scymour for his measaga. To me it ia so olear that wo must support tho war, wlule we condemn the proclamation, if we would maintain and in crease our asccadcncy, that I cannot seo how any aro so bliud aa to think and act otherwise. In this part of the State, at least, any othr coure will utterly prostrate the party. Let this course be optod aud acted upon by p.ublie bodies, ! our speakers and p.ipers everywhere, and our accesiioos cauuot bo coinputed, and we shall soon be able to save the guveromout aud restore the Union, in spite oi the radical eleiaeut that has nowgotcoutrol of the governmcut. This can only bu done by the Democratie party, and it can only do it y augineiitiug itsstretwth aud becoming all poweiful everywhere. No party, whatever its priueiplos may be, can effect any gooi without numbers, whieh coüs.itute its i,tringth. To abandon tho war aud refuse it support, is to abandon the Union, and those who sup pose the people are prepared for this, uo. imitter what ou trages the government muy oommit, grossly deceiye tliemselves. Tbis is the peoplü's governmeut, atid they will distinguid!) them from Mr. Liucoln and will not suffer bim to dcstroy thom ariy moro than the seeessionists. ' Whut though Mr. Lincoln, or those who control IjÍiu üü-.v, uiay Lave an incidental objoct iu view, in suppoTtiug the war and oarrying it on ; that cauuot justify us iu abaudouing it altogetlier, Fór to abandon it is to abandon the country and all hope of the Union ; for no party could now ni.ike a peace wiili the south vvith a restoration of tho Union. Thcre must bü war and victories first, and those who thiuk otherwise greatly mistake the southern temper as representad from every quarter, without exceptiou. ïwo things are to be accouiplished to save the Union. One is for our leaders to pursue such a courss as to secure for our party ao overwlielaiing strengt!) over our oppouents, and the other is to prosecute the war with such results as to predispone the south to make peacc with us on the old basis, with further guáranteos for their legitímate rights, if necessarv - Lincoln and his advisers are doing" all tbat can be doue by their fanatical course to accomplisli the first of theso objects, and will surely tsucceed in doing so unless we are guilty of att equal folly, and defeat the iccon)uishnient of that object by abaudoiiiug the principies we profess ed during the last canvass. Then we claimed to support tbe war, but opposcd the radicultsm ot the administraron, and wesueeeeded on théië professioDS. Suppose wc abandon tbis, and oppose the war as our euemies said we would, and thus verify ttieir assertiorn. Cau any sane man mistake the result? If Lincoln does uot succeed n accomplishiug the second object, then we must do it ourselves whon we have become so troug as to enable us to assume control f pubiic affairg. But peuce will be asier aocomplished by us if the necossary victories are won by them, than if wo re iustruiueuts of the necessary successes in the field. The road to the end desired may semu long and a painful one, but that end is certain if we act wisolv - and at least, one, two, or even five yeaïs, is a short peviod in the history of nationg, and will certainly appear so in history. Let ut thtvn act as statesmen, and be govern ed bp the dictates of true wisdom. Let us risc above potty considerations whieli inay be indulged in ordimiry timus. Let us embrace this subject in view of its vast proportions, and of the momentous conseijiionces dependent upon the course we shall pursue. I tirmly beheve that it is the purpose of the radical abolitionists wlio now have the oar of tha President, though he inay not nppreciate it, to acknoivledgo ihe (Joufederacy just so soon as tlioy can find pretext tbr so doing and avoid the reeponsibility, and this would bo most effoctuaüy done by the Deraocracy refusing longer to support the war. Kverybody can seo that the war cou'd not be prosecuted a moritb should the Democratie pirty really and earnostly opposc it. - ïhen would Mr. Lincoln be abeolutely forced to a p-ace, and tbat, too, by admitting the separation ; for ao other peaoe could lie obtain under suob circiimstane8, and then tho rcsponsibility of ■uch a peuce is iucvitably thrown upon UB. _ We ooull not avnid it, for it would be literal Ij and praetieaily true tbat we forcnd Lincoln into such a peaee, and we hould have to boar the cruliin fespon■ibility of the final dismembermént of our oimntry. This would literally ainii hilate U8 as a party, and leave those wild, bad raen, tbe leaders and controllers of a party, forever dominant and triamphant in every nortbern state to work tbcir will. Undcr no other hypothesis ean tbeir present acts be explaiucd. Every provocation wbien ingenuity can devise to array ua in bostility to tbe war ; every iinpediment to a restoration of the Union is enacted ; even the eonduet of the war ecuis to. be desigued for tbe sueoes.s of the enemy, and now (hall we fall into the wicked but artfully dcvised trap ? If we aot prud3iitly and wisly, and patriotically, we aball dofyat tb ia deviee, nd it will reooil upon the heads of i:s authors, utterly CTiwbiug in its effacts, - If we allow provocativos to tlirow us off from the truo and only course wliicb can avo our country, wc actually beconio their tools and instrumonts by wbicb j tbojr wül Jedtroy it. Tboj are ji'aj ing a ' desperate game, wliicli wiil crush them and save the country, by mak ing tho Democratie fmrty tlie most powerful party tliut ever existed - numbering iti ita rauks every true patriot iu the land ; or t will crush out the Democratie party and destroy the governmenl, and by their own contriranoe, the reault is left entirety iu our hands. Sliall we so act as to acoomplish their purpose, or defeat them? Shal! we take the responsibility of destroying the govemmeut or the glory of saving it ? ïüo east may live nd prosper, t may bo, without the Union ; but the West, au isolated agricultural community, depending entirely upon her neighbors for traiisporution and a market, is almpit equally rninud, iu the event of a separation, go which way sho will. Her interest can ouly be subservnd and her prosperity secured, by a mainteuance of the Union of the whole country, by I tho restoratiou of tho prosperity of the cotton and sugar plantationsof the south, as well as holding on to the transporta tion and markets of the east. I am not authorized to say that tho views I have presented as to tho true coursa for the Democratie partv to pursuo, are those of Governor öeymour and oüior prominent Deuiocrsts east, but I may say be is a sigacious statesman, who desires the welfare of the country, and the restoration of the Uuion above all things, and bis late message and his publie acts siucij show that he is steadily and firmly pursuing the course which I have iudicated; and now shall we in the west, who are much more iuterested in the preservation of the Union thau eveu New York can be, pursue a different course. and act at cross purposes with onr friends at. the east, who cliiarly oomprehend tho full hearing of this momentous crisis? - Imagine suoh a course pursued and then coutemplate the result! A divided Dsmocraoy as well as a divided country. Let us act iu hannonv with our friends east, rather. Let us uuitodly dtand upon tho san.e platform, aud haud in hand pursuu the sutao courae and attaiu a coiuuion end. Kiitucl;y is saiisfied with Seymour's course, and thanks him for his message. [ have a3 vet met with no Dumocriit who disapproves of thai message, and yet he plbdges himsetf uureservedlv to support the governraent in the proseoution of the war, whtle he condemns iu a bold and manly tone, all its illegal acts, and, as I have befare reinarked, this s Orittenden's advice. I hope our frieuds will give no couiitenanee, by word or act, to show tuat the slanders of abolitiouists before election, that we are opposed to the war, were true. Let them boldly proclaim that neilher Mr. Lincoln nor Lis abolition advisera, can drive us to abandon the war and our country, while we will fearlessly and to tha end oppse aud denouuco all their illogal acts. Very truly Tour.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus