Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1861-05-16
the valleys Of the Ohio, Mississippi, and
Missouri. to tell me whether he Is ever will

! .~~ Va sSO Ouioe &AASShSiPRt ohN
Missouri, to tell me whether be is ever viii
ling to sanction a line of policy that may
Isolate US from the markets of the world
and makes us dependent provinces upon
powers that thus choose to isolate us?-
Many voices, '.No," and "Never."1
l warn you, my countrymen, whenever
you permit this to be done in the South.
ern States, New York will very soon fol
low their example. New York-the great
port where two-thirds of all our revenue is
collected, and whence two-thirds of all our
goods are exported, will not long be able
to resist the temptation of taxing fifteen
millions of people in the West, when she
can monopolize the resources and relase
her own people thereby from any taxation
whatsoever; hence 1 say to you, my coun-
trymen, from the best consideration have
been able to give this subject, after the
most mature reflection and thoroug inves-
tigation, l have arrived at the conclusion
that, come what may-war, if it must be,
although depIore it as great calamity,
yet, come what may, they people of the
Mississippi Valley can never consent to be
excluded from free access to the ports of
the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Gulf of
Mexico. Applause.
Hence repeat that 1 am not prepared
to take up arms, or to sanction policy of
our Government to take up arms to make
any war upon the rights of the Southern
States; upon their domestic institutions;
upon their rights of person or property, but,
while that is the case, will never cease
TO urge my countrymen to rake up arms
to fight to the death in defense of our in
defeasible rights. Long and continued
applause. Hence, if war does come, it
is war of self-defence on our own part
1t is war in defence of our own just rights;
in defense of the Government which we
have inherited as precious legacy and
from our patriotic fathers; in defense of
those great rights of the freedom of trade,
commerce, transit and intercourse from the
circumference of our great continent
These are rights we must struggle for and
and never surrender.
l have struggled almost againt hope to
avert the calamities of war to effect re-
union and reconciliation with our brethren
of the South. yet hope it may be done,
but l am not able to point out to you how
it may be. Nothing short of Providence
can reveal to us the issue of this great
struggle. Bloody-calamitous-I fear it
will be. May we so conduct it, if coils
ion must come, that We shall stand justi-
fed in the eyes of Him who knows our
hearts and who will judge our every act
We must not yield the resentments nor TO
the spirit of vengeance, much less 10 the
desire for conquest and ambition.
I see no path Of ambition open in
bloedy struggle for triumph over my own
countrymen. There is no path for ambi
tion open for me in divided country, after
having served SO long in united glorious
country. Hence, whatever we may do must
be the result of duty, Of conviction of pat
riotic duty-the duty that we owe to our
selves, to our posterity, and to the friends
of constitutional liberty and selfgovern-
ment throughout the world. Loud ap-
plause.
My friends, I can say no more. To dis
cuss these duties is the most painful duty
of my life. II is with sad heart-that 1
have to contemplate this fearful struggle;
but l believed in my conscience that it is
duty we owe to ourselves, and our children
and our God, to protect this Government
and that flag from every assailant, be he
who he may. Tremendous and prolong-
ed applause: : - ,L..
Tr0Ops.
Gov. Dennison, of Ohio, has appointed
Captain George W. McClelland, Major
General and Commander-in- Chief of the
forces to be raised by Ohio in the present
contest. This appointment is the best that
could possibly have been made. The only
regret which the citizens of his native State
will feel in connection with it is, that he
has not received responsible and leading
position in our own army. 1t is due TO
Gov. Curtin, however to state that be off
cred 10 Captain McClelland high COM
mand quite recently, but through some
misunderstanding as to the proper point at
which he could be reached, his dispatch
was not received until the fattering but
well deserved, merited and highly appro-
priale tender of Gov. Dennison had been
made and finally accepted. 1t is scarcely
necessary to inform our readers that Capt.
is Pennsylvania by birth, a
son of that distinguished surgeon, the late
DR.. Geo. McClelland, whose name is as
familiar as household word in this city,
and in many other portions of the country
and that he was formerly one of the most
eminent and skillful officers iu the United
States army. Graduating with much dis
tinction at West Point some years ago, be
served with great credit in the Mexican
and in some of the frontier wars.
He was afterwards appointed one of the
three commissioners to visit Europe during
the struggle between the Allied Powers
and Russia. Enjoying ample facilities for
inspecting all the operations in both the
hostile camps, he was enabled to render
himself perfectly familiar with all the de.
tails and every possible aspect of modern
war on gigantic scale. His report to the
Government of the results of his observa-
tions forms one of our most reliable anJ in
terestiDg military works. For several years
past he has been actively engaged in su-
perintending extensive Railroad operations
in the Western States, TO which pursuit he
eneroetically devoted himself after his res