Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1861-05-30
Interesting Letter from mr. VAL
lauhighaf NJ.
DAYTON, o., May 18th, 1861.

GENTLEMEN Yours Of the 10Th inst, =
my opinion upon certain
points connected with what you Justly :
style the present cling glorious, and it may
De, bloody war;" has been received.-
That opinion was long since formed, and
was repeatedly set forth through the press,
or by speech aud vote in the House OF
last winter, and re.ailirm-
ed in a card dated on the 18th OF last
month, few days after the commence
ment of the war. But inasmuch as new
er had occasion to discuss this particular
at length, | beg leave to adopt
the following admirable summary OF the
case, in an extract from a carefully pre-
pared and exceedingly able speech OF the
Hon. Stephen a Douglas, in the Senate
Of the United States, March 10Th, 1861
,I prefer such an amicablc settlement to
peaceable disunion; and prefer it Thousand
times to civil war. II we can adopt such
amendments as will be satisfactory to Virgin
ia, North Carolina, Tennessee and the other
border States, the same plan of pacihcation
which will satisfy them will create Union
party in the Cotton States which VIII soon
embrace a large maj ority of the people IN
those States, and bring them all back oftheir
own will and accord; and thus restore strenth-
en- and perpctuate the old Union forever. l
repeat. whatever guarantees will satisfy Mary
land and the border States (the States now in
in the Unon) will create Union party in the
Seeded States that will bring them back by
the voluntary action Of their own people,.
You can restore and preserve the government
in that mode. You can do it in no other.
War is disunion War is final, eternal sep
aratiUn. Hence, disguise it as you may, ev-
cry Union man in America must advocate
such amendments to the Constitution as Will
preserve peace and restore the Union; while
every lisunionist, whether openly or secretly
plotting its destruction, is the advocate of
peaceful secession, or of war, as the surest
means of rendering reunion and reconstruc-
ton impossible. HAVE TOO MUCH RESPECT
FOR HIS INTELLIGENCE TO BELIEVE, FOR ONE MO-
MENr, THAT THERE IS A MAN FOR WAR WHO IS
NOT pIsrYIoNIsr PER Sc. Hence | do not
mean, il can prevent it, that the enemies OF
the Unon--nen plotting to destroy it-shali
drag this country into war, under the PRETExT
OF protecting the public property, and en-
forcing the laws, and collecting revenue, when
their object is disunion, and war tho means
| OF accomplishing cherished purpose.
The disnuionis,s, therefore, are divided in
to two classes: the one open, the other Sc
cret disunionists The one is favor o { peace
iul secession and recognition of ndepend-
ence the other is in favor OF war, as the sur
est means of accomplishing the object, and
Of making the separation final and ctcrnal.-
| am Union man; and hence against war |;
but if the Union must be temporarily broken
by revolution, and the establishment of a
de tacto government by some Of the States,
let no act be done that will prevent rPstora-
ton and future preservation Peace is the
only poll cy that can lead to that result.
But we are told, and VIC hear it repeated
everywhere, that we must find out whether
we have got II government. "llaNe we a
government :" is the question, and we are
told we must test that question by using the
military power to put down all discontented
spirits. Sir, this question ''have we Gov
ernmcnt % has been prOpounded by every
tyrant who has tried to- keep his feet on the
nccks of the people since the world began
When the Barons demanded Magma Chart q
from King John at Runneymede, he eXclaim-
cd, shave we government ~ and called for
his army to put down the discontcnted bar
ons. When Charles I. attempted to collect
the ships money in violation of the constitu-
tion OF England, and in disregard Of the rights
of the people, and was resisted by them, he
exclaimed, shave we a government We
cannot treat with rebels put down the trait
ors; we must show them that we have gov
, crnment" When James III. was driven fro N
the throne of England for trampling on tn,
liberties OF the people, he called for his army
and exclaimed, 'let us show that we have q
government When George III called up
| on his army to put down the rebellion II
! America; Lord North cried Justify, 'no com
. promise with traitors; let MS demonstrate
that we have government" When, in l5i
: the people rose upon their tyrants all owe
G Europe and demanded guarantees for thei
q rights, every crowned head exclaimed "hav'
we a government ~ and appealed to the arm,
= to vindicatc their authority and enforce thu
u laws.
Sir, the history of tho world does not fai
' to condemn the folly, weakness and wicked
v ness of that Government which drew its swo +,
, upon its own people when they demanded
, guarantees for their rights, This cry, tha
= we must have government, is merely FOL
lowing the example OF the besotted Bourbon
whenever learned anything by misfortune
] never forgave an injury, never forgot an M
q front Must we demonstrate that we hav'
got Il Governments aud coerce disobedienc
" without reference to the justice or injustice o
the complaints Sir, whenever ten mllliol
D people proclaim to you with one unanimous
q voice, that they apprehcnd their rights, thei
, firesides, and their family affairs arc in dan
! ger, it becomes wise gov rnment to lister
! to the appeal, and to remove the appreheD
Q sion; History does not record an example
$ where any human government has beef
q strong enough to crush ten millions of peo
, Pile into subsection when they believed thei
rights and liberties impcriled without frs
converting the government itself into des
potism, and destroying the last vestige o
e irocdOm."
= These were the sentiments of the Dem
ocratc party, of the Constitutional Un
ion party, and of a large majority of tn
Rcpu blican presses and party, only 81
, weeks ago. They were mine; vote'
them repeatedly along with every Demo
t crat and Union man in the House.
have seen nothing to change, much t'
confirm, them since especially in tn
secession, within the last thirty days, o
2 Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, AM
7 Tennessee taking with them four mil
( lions and half of people, immens
G wealth, incxhaustible resources, five hun
= dred thousand fighting men, and III
h graUes Of Washington and Jackson.
e shall vote them again.
e Waving tho question of doubtful le
u gality of the first proclamation, of Apr
n 10Th, caliong out the militia for "thre
= months. under the act of 1913, | will yo
vote to pay them, because they had n
motive but supposed duty. and patriot
ism, to move them and. moreover, the
'f will have rendered almost the entire sci
is vice required of them, before Congres
ID shall meet. Bat the audacious usurps