The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1857-04-16
WHO ARE THE DISTINGUISHES |,

WHO ARE THE DIsUNIONIsTs!
There was no plea which our political OPP
poncnts relied on so strenunuslY and effective
~ during the Presidential canvass as that of
disunion. II was their universal plea, and
constituted the burden OF all their stump
speeches and newspaper articles With this
we have no fault to find. We love the Uaon
as fervently az the best Of the sham Demo-
Gratis, and do not yield to any one in the earn
estness aud sincerity with which we desire
the promotion of the welfare OF our common
country And we care not how often or how
eloq iently they set forth the value and impor-
lance OF the American Union, we shall always
respond to /; heartily and sincerely. But to
one thing we do demur, and that is to the at
tempts made by universal Buchanandom to
.ttach to itself the credit OF being alone de
voted to the Union, and to charge all others
with entertaining reasonable sentiments to-
wards it, and with pursuing policy incon-
sistent with its continued existence. We de-
muir to this charge, and in turn we charge the
party in power with being the worst enemies
Of the Union there is in it /; with having done
more in the last year to weaken the ties which
bind the North and South together, than has
ever before been done since the government
was established. And there is not candid
man among our readers whom we cannot con-
vince Of the truthfulness of this charge, If be
will but for moment give us his attention.
We were told by the Democracy last fall,
that we advocated measures whic h were UNI
just to the South--that If we succeeded we
would inaugdrate policy which would be
oppressive to the South, and that the South
would not and ought not to submit to it, and
hence they derived the charge that the Repub-
lican party was party Of disunion. por-
ton of this argument we admit Is correct, and
that il, that it is not consistent with good faith
and attachment to the Union for one section
to desire and advocate a policy which would
be oppressive to another section, and we be-
lieve that 1t would be no more than brave
aud independent people should do, If there
were no other means by which to resist and
cast off oppression, to resist it by rebellion or
revolution, or any other forcible means. Re-
sistance to tyranny is obedience to God. But
the policy of the Republican party is no tyr
any to the South. The Republican princi-
pies are no new principles. They are prinei-
pies which have been long entertained, and
that, too, by nine-tenths of all the people Of
this country. And they have not only been
universally entertained. but they have uni
formly been acted upon. The power OF Con-
gress to prohibit slavery in the Territories,
has always, until these modern newlight days,
been conceded and exercised. The founders Of
the republic acknowledged it. Those who
framed the Constitution and with consummate
wisdom administered it, enacted statutes ex-
Guiding slavery from the Territories. And
the Republican party arose only when this
right was trampled upon. 1t is simply pro-
test against new and dangerous policy and
because the people of the North dared to ut
ter this protest against the distraction Of this
ancient and venerated principle, the sham De-
mocraey Sc! up the cry that they are oppres.-
ing the South--that they are sectional and
disunionists.
Let US change the parties and circumstances
somewhat, and see how this rule will apply
which our Democratic brethren have set down
for determining man's devotion to the Union
There are certain venerated maxims of law,
and principles Of liberty which were long ago
established, and have been handed down to
us through many successive generations.-
They were established by race Of men who
had suffered much In behalf Of freedom, and
through countless doubtful conflicts with tyr
amy and power, had derived for themselves
the proud distinction of being the freest peo-
pie on earth. And among the laws which
they have enacted in the name of freedom
were these: that all soil is naturally free that
i: requires an express enactment of the SOW
creign power to legalize slavery anywhere,
and that the moment slave touches free soil
his shzckles fall from him. As a people, we
Americans had inherited these principles
and fondly cherished them, and did verify be-
lieve that we never would resign them but
with our lives. And there were other doc
stitu.ional policy Of the republic while il was
in its infancy, doctrines which originated in
the minds and hearts of such men a. Jefferson,
Madison, Hamilton, Washington and Mar
shall. Those doctrines were, that slavery
was great moral and political evil, and ought
not to be- permitted to extend, and that Con-
gress had the power to prohibit this institu-
.tion, whose existence all united in deprecs-
ting. from extending itself into any part of the
public domain, and that Congress ought to ex.
srcise that power. These principles, too,
were fondiy cherished, and not even suspi-
zion was entertained that any hand wonld be
ruthless enough to attempt their overthrow
Welis al ourt, majority Of the members oil
which are from The Southern section OF the
Union, travels out Of the regular line OF Il,
official duties, and FOR political effect decides
that all these principles which have been 50
long, 70 fondly cherished by the people OF the
North, and the Sonth, too, until the newlight
days, that all end every one Of them are incor.
rect, and that they shall no longer be consid-
cred binding upon the American people; and
we are told that the decisions Of this Cour,
are FINAL, and that we can do no other than
submit to them. The millions Of freemen OF
the North are interested in the principles
which that Court have overthrown. while q
few hundred thousand slave holders are inter-
ested In favor Of their overthrow. Aud may