M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1861-02-07


lnTation, coming as it did, from one
who had seen more OF war than any
other man then living, is more sugges
tive Gt the horrors OF isucha strife than
The most elaborate aud eloquent des.
cription could portray.
II, then, Mr. President, the Union
can no. be preserved by arms under
circumstances like the present, what,
I ask, in the name oil reason aud hu.
maniIy,is the use olresorting to aimsi
limo good can come from the shed.
ding Of blood, why shall it be shed 2
lfthere are traitors at the South who
deserve to be punished, are there not
also, millions who have ever been 10y
al to the Constitution aud the Union!
And are all, friends as well as foes, to
be subjected to common ruin! How
can you discriminate how punish the
guilty ard protect the innocent, when
the flames ofcivil war are raging with
the fury Of madness, and even "Des,
tructiOn covers, to mark what deeds
arc done i' And is no distinction to
be made between the Secessonists,
whose sole object is to gratiIy person.
al ambition, and him who honestly
believe in the right and Propricty Of
secessionl-between bad men seeking
personal advantage in the anarchy of
strife, and the vast mass OF people
whom they inhame and mislead |
stand not here, Sir, TO justify the Sc
cCsson ofa single State, nor TO pN!i
ate acts Of mere ambition, but | make
distinction, as wide as tLe poles are
asunder, between the deceiverS and
the deceived. No man believes more
firmly then do that the seeding
States are running counter to their
true interests; no man is more anX'
ions to convince them how much they
misapprehend the people ofthe North;
no man will work harder than
will 10 keep them in the Union, if the
means to be employed are suited to
the end.
Bu. war is not snch q means. Nay,
sir, it is utterly destructive ofall pro.
per means. Once ipirly begun, the
Union is iorevcrdissolved. Whoever
loves the Republic. and desires its
p9rpetulty; whoever would preserve
instead Of destroying the means oi its
preservation, should set his face stead.
lily against all propositions of war
He must not be deceived by the spe-
eious cry OF 'enfjree the laws; he must
not fear to do righl aud propriety Of
mis- understood or abused; he must not
be deferred by the cpithcts that snor
Rnce, passion or malice may heap up.
on hiM; but, conscious Of his ownl,c.
titulo, he must stand aS q rock The
first thin. tor the p2op'r to 10 Is 10
avoid the shedding O; blood; the n.N'
is by Cancellation and comrrmI.", to
strengthen the hands Of Tie u olon
men Of the South. Do tais. and the
border slave states and North CarJli.
NJ and Tennessee may be saved from
secession, aud they in time, anything
can, will bring back their rrcu5ant
sisters into the common fold.
Aud where is tho dishonor where
the want Of manliness, in con cession
and compromised When did It Jc.
come base, when cowarlly, when a
dere!ictiOn from principle, to save
ones country by the only means by
which it could he saved! low was
the Union founded! By concession
and compromise. How is every gov.
oinment on the earth, even to the
most despotio, maintained3 BY con.
cession and compromise.
And yet there are men who ought
to know better-some Of whom dc
know better-cryiug out don't com.
promise, don't concede, stick to vodr
principles. What the founders OF tn,
Constitution could do without dishun
or 10 too base for these virtuOus edhe
rents TO principle; what Washington
and Wellington, and Clay, and Scott
could do without shame, (give up
their opinions for their country s good, ),
is too cowardly for these brave men
The Chicago Platform must be pre-
served, though the Union go to des
truction. The abstractions Of "rC
slavery in the Tclrilorics"-T Terrific
ries in which permanent Slavery is t
manifest impossibility-iS more i'm.
portant than the Salvation OF the
whole land. A party catch. word, al
"opon sesame" to the public honor:
and the public crib, is more to be val
ned than the integrity ofthe Republic
Mr.. President, Of all the people OF the
North, those who have most reasons
to complain Of the Republican leaders
are the Republicans themselves.
For years and years have the De
mocracy warned their countrymeI
that the anti slavery agitation mus
cease or the Union would fall; that t
educate the people Of one section t.
hate the institutions of another mus