Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1860-11-29

eht cOniullOn Ol he alialls Oi our coHn-
ty" has just been placed in my hands
An invitation 50 numerously signed Ly
the most eminent business men Of this
great commercia! city implies compii-
mcnt which | duly appreciate, and am
eXccedingl y reluctant to decline.
These are not the times Tor patriotic
men to affect in,liA-lcncc, OF to dcgcner-
ate into dependency, or to rush ma lly
into violent Ond extreme measures. just
IN proportion as on. common country =
environed with peril, it becomes the inn
pclativc duty o: every patriot in the land
to increase his efforts and exert his ut
most powers and energies to rescue the
EepnLIic from tie disasters which threat
en- its integrity.
No man i'll America regrets The clcc.
! tion Of Mr. Lincoln more th1n / do;none
made more strenuous cNcriiOns To defeat
him; none differ with linn more radically
and iireconciaOly upon all the great IS
sues involved in the contest. No man
living is prepared to resist. by all the
legitimate mean, sanctioned by the Con
stuution and laws Of our country, the az
grcs>ivc policy which hc and his party are
understood to represent. Bat while | say
this, ana bound, as a good ci zen aul
law abiding man, to declare my conSci-
entious conviction that the mere election
of any man to the Presidency by the Am
crican people, in accordance with the
Constitution and laws, docs not, OF itself,
furnish any Just cause or reasonable
ground for di,solving the Federal Unior
1t Is not pretended. aS far as | am in
= formed, that any provision Of the Con
st,tntion has been violated in the rcten
election. No act has been done whici
impairs or destroys the constitutions
, rights OF any State or citizen. Nothing
ha, yet occurred to release any citizcl
from hi, oath of fidelity to the Con,tiio
tiun Of the United States, which is lh.
supreme lar Of every State AMI Of every
ritiZcn. Bat while it is conceded tha
. no act has yet been dome which impair,
h, right or en- 'angerS the peace am
safety OF any portion Of our country. it j.
opprehended that the election Of Mr.. Lin.
cola carries with it the a>snran ,e that The
policy and principles of the iaIty 10y
which he was elected will prevail, and b,
carried into practical effect in every de-
partmclh Of llle Federal Government, an
thereby wW endanger thepcace and safe
ty of the slareholhing Slater Is the ap,
prchcnNion wclI-founlel? DO the result,
: OF the recent election Justify this appre
hcnsion? The President can do nothin.
o except VIVA; the law authorizes. His du
" is to see the laws faithfully executed
G Ii he fails to perform his duty he will sool
| find himself prisoner before the lfigl
Court of Impeachment. FortunatcI
that tribunal is so constituted as To com
. mand the confidence Of the people Of til
/ entire South ", well Us OF the CONSERVATIVE
- men of the North We have this sccur
y. itS that the existing laws will be faith
= fully executed.
have yet to learn that the people o
= the South complain OF the acts of Con
gress now on the statute book, upon tn
subject OF slavery, rs applicable to tn
Is States or the Territories, or to the Dis
g trirt ol Columbia These laws were en-
=. acted, mainly, il not entirely, by the join
J. action af the conservative members Of til
u North aud South, in opposition to tn
u Abolilioni>ts and Free->oiIerS, and hay
'e been arquie,ced in by the SoHthcrn pee
pie as we'll rs by their Senators and Rel
u reSentatives, under the present and pr,
'e ccdug administrations of the FEEDER,
Government. Consequently, it is fair I
presume that the South SO far from It,
{, manding the repeal of the eXi ting law
:" upon the subject OF slavcryaS c>Sen,ia t
&c lnr safety AMI equality inthe Union, wi
> insist upon their being retained upon IL
y statute book and faithfully eXecnlcl. No
'' are we permitted to infer that the Souther
'S people require amy additional lcgi,latio
: by Congress on this >nhject; for the res
son that the Southern Senators and Rel
resentativcs have not introduced and Il,
II vOcated any changes in the existing lie:
y i>lationS upon the slavery question md
} the present Administration or that
Mr.. Pierce, when tie Abolilioni>ts al
'c Free solers were in the minority in bot
Houses Of Congress.
;, Assuming, therefore, that the Southcl
~ people and their Senators and Rcprcsel
'e lalives deem their rights aud institution
;" eulirely sale under the CoH~titution al
IL laws aS they now stand, and only desi
to bc let alone. without any interlcren
by Congress with their domestic conceI
Ut the question arises whether Mr. Linco
AT and his party will have the power, ev(
~ il they have the disposition, to disturb
~ impair the rights aud institutions OF Il
n South, either in the States or Tcrrtorie
or in the District Of Coluabia? They ce
on tainly can not do it under the eXislil
laws. Will they have the power to 4
he peal or change these laws, or to ena
od Others? 1t is well known that they W
ne be in o minority in both Houses OF Co
gress, with the Supreme Court again
OF them. In the Northern States they ha
re been elected alleady sufficient nua4ber
ell Democrats members Of Congress, bo
'r!' and true national men, pledged to t
Is Cincinnati platform and the doctrines
non-intervenlion by Congress with t
lie question of slavery in the States and II
IS ritories, AMI the District Of Columh
no who, addel to the Southern Represent
;or tives. will give at least twea'y majori
against Mr., Lincoln aud his party on