Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1861-08-29
The Union Men in the south.

There existed last winter, in the South
ern States, a large party opposed to i'm
mediate sece ssion, because its adherents
believed that the rights the South claimed
could be better secured by remaining in
the Union than by going out OF it. They
were in favor of exhausting every other
remedy for a redress Of real or supposed
grievances, before resorting to the extreme
one of secession.
Had this Union party, as it was called
in the South, been enabled to maintain
its position, by the passage in Congress
of the Crlttenden or similar propositions,
the secession movement would have been
paralyzed; the formation of the Southern
Confederacy, at least in its present large
proportions, would have been prevented;
the country would have been saved from
the horrors of a civil war; and the rebell
ion, if any had continued to exist, would
have been reduced to mere petty insur-
rection.
But the Crittenden proposition and all
others of similar nature were rejected
by Congress. The Union men, in what
are now called the seeded States, became
disheartened; their numbers dwindled
away and many Of them were compelled,
as they thought, to accept secession as
the only remedy left for the security of
their rights in future. They doubtless in
this committed a grave mistake; but the
sacrifices they then made, and are now
making, attest at least their sincerity.
This Union sentiment, in comparison
with what it was six or eight months ago,
is now smothe:ed and kept in the back
ground in the seeded States. But it still
exists there, latent in thousands of hearts,
and ready to spring into active exercise
upon the very slightest encouragement.
The people are not all rebels, even in what
some Of our Northern politicians are in
the habit of calling the 'Rebel States"
A large proportion of their citizens would
at this moment infinitely prefer the old
Union to any new Confederacy the most
sanguil.e secessionists have dreamed of.
This Union party is still strong in the
non seeded slaveholdiny States. 1t has
recently, in the elections in Kentucky.
obtained a decided triumph. But this
victory is that of party which, while
opposed to secession, is in favor OF main
tanning the peace and neutrality of Ken
tucky, until some reasonable and honor
able settlement Of the great controversy
( between the North and South can be had.
Similar to this is, in the main, the posi-
ton of the Union men in the other non
seeded slave States But if the war
should be protrnctcd, and all prospect of
a peaceable adjustment should vanish,
many these Union men may be driven,
a, many OF their former co.laborers further
South have been, to unite their fortunes
for veal or woe with the seceSsonists.
II it be desirable to retain the Southern
States in the Union, and thus save 1t from
, final dissolotion, it is manifest that the
Union men in those States must receive
harty encourasem mt and cooperation OF
the Union men in the Northern States.
/ They must all, while opposing secession
and striving to disperse the seoel' IN arms
against the Government, unite their eiorlS
to common end--the settlement OF our
great national dispute by such mutual
Concessions and adjustments, as shall be
constitutional, honorable and just, and
TINS restore eace to the country and safe
~ 10 the Statesman.
| Tn Won regret ANYTHING, regret you