East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1861-10-29

with the full prestige OF the State one
unquestionably owes oil this to "the neu-
trality doctrine" But for "the neutrality
doctrine" Kentucky would have been
carried OFF in whirlwind Of passion be-
fore the loyalty of her people could have
asserted OF collected itself, and the raw
Usher, in place Of assailing her as at pres
emit in acknowledged and open defiance of
her will and Of her free energies, might
now be in possession Of her with the show
of her consent. II not, she at any rate
would be struggling in his polluting grasp
with an agony and desperation to which
even her poor broken-hearted sister, Mis-
souri, would furnish but faint parallel
The best that could have befallen Ken
lucky, if she had not seized hold Of "ths
neutrality doctrine" would have been q
partisan war as bloody and exterminatory
as the fercest vendetta. Such q result
has been averted by those successive de-
clarations of the people in behalf of the
Union and by that formal and defnitive
aud authoritative action Of the Legisla-
ture and of the Executive in the same
behalf which the neutrality doctrine"
brought to pass, and which nothing else
could have occasioned. The consequence
of "the neutrality doctrine is that Ken
lucky when she can no longer keep out
of the war goes into it as a political unit,
with the sanction and prestige of every
/ department of her government,-goes
into it under all the solemnities of author
ity full and unshorn. Before this unmis-
taxable and ma estic demonstration of the
will of Kentucky, faction covers and
j sinks away; however willingly it might
take up arms against party, it has no
e stomoch for contest with the State
, the fact that il is undeniably the State
and not mere party which speaks in this
crisis operates like spell upon the mass
of our disloyal population, fortifying, as
it does, their natural aversion to domestic
!, strife by the very principles and watch
I words on which the rebellion itself affects
4 to proceed. This fact removes the dan
= ger of partisan war; but il was the
n neutrality doctrine" that rendered this
fact possible.
The journals we have quoted above
r apparently deem the permanent exemp
:, ton of Kentucky from the war the great
h object of "the neutrality doctrine" This
j. is not so. The great object of "the neu
n trality doctrine" was to secure harmony
t amongst ourselves in whatever course o.
i action the State might feel at liberty OIL
g might feel constrained TO adopt We do
t sired, indeed, that by the consent of both
i the rebel authorities and our own, Ken
n lucky should be allowed to maintain the
n attitude of neutrality until the end Of
# the war; but, whilst coniding in the con
o sent of our own authorities, we could not
d be 80 blind as not to see that the armed
i refusal of the rebels was mere question
of time. We, accordingly, did not de-
y ceive ourselves with the dream that we
: should be allowed to remain neutral
3 throughout the conflict. We were pain
d fully conscious that we should not be-
) The character and exigencies Of the re
- bellion proclaimed our peril in language
not to be mistaken. The "loysl Ken
- tuokians" forcsaw at the outset the yer,
issue that has come, and the great objec
y of "thc neutrality doctrine" and of GU
~ own resolute and faithful adherence Il
: the position unto the last, was, not t.
:" avert what we believed to be unavoidable
. by any means in our power, but SO to or
der events that Kentucky might encounte
' the inevitable issue as a governments
unit, in the full panoply Of her constitu
tional sovereignty. And this great Object
y has been attained. They who at the dis
D. lance Of thousand miles talk Target!
l. about the "folly" or the "error" of q pol
r. 10y which has produced this net result
70 might surely be engaged on some othe
ID topic without serious loss of their reputa
70 tion for either sagacity or intelligence
IL Kentucky, as we said at first, has, in he
Is own judgment, committed no error, ant
d has repented none. The policy of neu
J. trslity, which she adopted and adhered Il
a in good faith, subserved its chief end; tn
y policy was not failure but success
~ Whether or not, indeed, her people mad
u in every respect as much Of the policy .
D. they might have made and ought to hav'
m made, we shall not inquire, but Of on,
y !. thing we are certain ;--wha: they die
make was . clear and stupendous gain q