The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1861-07-13

1t is worthy Of noie that while in this
the Governments hour @: trial large mum.
bors oi those in tho army aid navy who
have been favored VIII the offices have re-
signed and proved false to the hand that
panipeird them, not one common soldier
o: coi!!...il sailor is known to have desert.
co Ills nay. Gleat honor is due to those
Gers who remained true despite the
example OF their treacherous assoclates-
but the greatest honor and most emphatic
TACT Oh al! Is the unanimous hrmness of
lhe common soldiers and common sailors.
10 ihe last man, so far as known, they
successfully resisted the traitorous effects
OF those whose command within An hour
before they obeysd as absolute law. This
Is a patriotic instinct OF plain men. They
understand without All argument that the
destroying of the Government which was
made ty a.lIlngton means no good for
them. Ourpopular gosci nInent has often
been called au experiment. Two points
IN IT, however, our people have settled,
VIZ: The successful establishing and the
successful administering Of it. One still
remains; Its successful! maintenance against
ne formidable internal attempt to over
throw Il IL Is now Tor them 10 demon.
strate to the world that those who can
iairiy carry an election can also suppress
rebellion; that ballots are the ri.htful
and peaceful SUCCESSORS OF bullets, and
that when ballots are fairly and constitu-
tonally decided there can be 10 success
iul appeal except back to ballots them
selves al a succeeding election. Such will
be a great lesson of peace, teaching mon
that what they cannot take y an election
neither can they take it by war-teaching
all the folly of being the beginnefs of q
war
Lest there be soma upsa>ness in the
m'ucs of candid men as - what IS to be
the course Of the Government towards the
Southern States after the rebellion shall
have been suppressed. the Executive deems
ii proper 10 say it shall be his purpose then,
As ever. to be guided by the Constitution
and the laws, aGl ihat lie probably will
have 10 different una tarding Of tho
powers and duty Of the Federal Govern
lueut relatively to the II ghts Of the States
and The people Lnder the Constitution
than that expressed in the Inaugural Ad-
dress. He desires TO preserve the Govern
ment, that il may be administered for all
as il was administered 10y the men who
made it. Loyal citizens everywhere have
the right 10 claim this of their Govern
ment The Government has not the right
TO Withhold or NEGLECT il, and It is not per
, ceirc! in Z wing !. tina; there is any cosr-
cion. an; conquest, or any subjugation, in
any Just sense Of tes>e terms. The Con-
stitution provided. add all the States &C.
certed It's provision, that the United States
.fal. guarantee to every state III this Union
republican form of government: but If a
Stale may lawfully 20 Oh. OF the Union,
havln@ done 40 II may also discard the
republican form Of government: 50 that to
prevent IT. gong out i an indispensable
means 10 attain it are also lawful and OBJ
ligatory. IT was with the deepest regret
that the Executive assumed the duty of
cinploy.n- the war LCwer in defense of
the Cove nnent. Forced upon him, he
could hut perform this q ~ or surrender
the eXi,tcace OF tic Government. No
comp omise by public servants could in
t.I!S be cu:e-I1ot that compromises are
not often proper, bat that no popular Gov
,runeut can long survive marked prese-
dent that those who carry an election can
ouiv save the Government by giving up
the tnein point upon which the people
gave the election The peopl- themselves
and not their servants, can safely reverse
their own del berate decision. As pri-
vate citizen the Executive could not have
consented that these institutions shall per-
i-h much lrss could he, in BETRAYAL of so
vast and 20 sacred a trust as these free
people had contided TO him. He felt that
he had 10 mora! right to shrink or even
count the chances of his own life in what
may follow IN full view OF thi. grea. re-
-ponsibility be has SO Far doac what he
has deemed his duty. VIII you Eot. &C.
cording TO your own judgment, perform
yours lie sincerely hopes that your
views and actions may so accord with his
40 10 assure all faithful citizens who have
been disturbed OF their rights, of certain
and speedy restoration TO them under the
Constitution aud laws. And having in
, this Chosen our course without guilt and
with pure purpose, let u, renew our trus,
in God and 20 forward without fear and
with manly hearts.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
Jaiy I'll, lSGl.