The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1861-05-31

pleasure to say, not only do justice to the
Republicans in Congress last winter, but
stand on the ground Of no compromise. We
ask the attention Of our readers to the APP
pended manly and patriotic article from the
Augusta Age, conducted by one Of the most
able and talented Democrats in the State
The Democrat may talk OF compromises, but
the Ages Democracy is OF different kind,
TOO LATE TO TALK OF COMPROMISES.
A correspondent writes us deprecating the
present war, and insisting that our sectional
differences should have been peacefully ad'
justei by compromise. :.
We were in favor OF compromise until II
became apparent that the Cotton States
wanted no compromise and would listen to
none. We even went 80 lar as to favor
settlement on the basis Of the Crittenden
amendment. But while Congress and the
country were proposing and discussing prop
ositions for paciiicatiOn, the Cotton States
were steadily organizing hostile coniedera-
cy-were raising troops and arming them
were capturing tho federal forts, arsenals,
and dock yards-were seizing the U, 3. Gus
tom Houses and Mints-were robbing the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS stealing the
money and munitions of war provided Tor
the troops sent South to defend the inhabit-
ants against Indian incursions-were COM
hitting every species of Outrage upon North
ern men in tho South, and cOnfscating their
property-were firing into U. 5. steamers
and doing every thing in their power to rem
der a peaceful adjustment impossible, and to
plunge the country into the horrors OF civil
war. The attack upon Fort Sumter-tbe
browning outrage upon the federal haS-put
an end to all hope Of reconciliation ana
raised the issue whether the Constitution and
Union should be oyerthrown by violence and
treason, or sustained by the strong arm oil
the Government. The attitude OF the Dor
der Slave States, from first to last, has been
inconsistent with the preservation OF the In
tecrity of the Republic. They knew the
extreme South could not be coaxed back and
they planted themselves on the ground that
they should not be forced back. And while
parleying with the Government, there is rea-
son to believe they were but gaining time to
prepare for joining the Cotton States in their
disunion movement. Pacifcation or recon-
struction, with the fatal hereSy Of the right
of peaceful secession, was cheat and de-
lusion for Government resting on such a
basis would not be deserving the name.
The Lincoln administration, although it
may not have gone so far in the pathway OF
compromise as many think it ought to have
done, still IL has done nothing to provoke
hostilities, and has, on the whole, exhibited
q pacific policy, us expressed in the tone OF
Seward and Lincoln's unofficial speeches, and
in the Inaugural of the latter-as manifested
in the abandonment of the doctrine OF sla-
very inhibition in the bills organizing three
territorial governments at the late session oil
Congresses eyinced in the vote OF Congress
adopting the Corwin proposition Tor an
amendment to the Constitution giving fresh
guarantees for the security of slavery in the
Statcs-and us shown in the willingness OF
the administration to foreSo the reinforce
ment OF Fort Sumter, provided the Conled-
crate Government would consent to supply
of the garrison with provisions to keep our
brave men from starvation.
But all these advances were met by the
insurgents with renewed audacity and yio-
lencc eliminating in the assault upon and
reduction of Fort Sumter-Aleaying no alter
native to the Government but to abdicate in
favor Of the revolutionists, or to exert itself
to yindicate the supremacy Of the Constitu-
ton and the laws by force. The Govern
ment chose the alternative dictated by duty
and patriotism-and now calls upon the
American people to stand by the Republic in
this hour Of trial, and defend the stars and
stripes. Most nobly have the people respond
cd to this call. They will uphold constito-
tional liberty and free government on this
continent, or perish in the attempt.
The momentous issue, therefore, now he
fore the American people is, Shall the Con-
stltution and the Union be upheld by the
patriotism of the country, or shall they be
oyerthrown and miserably perish at the
hands Of insurgents and traitors? One side
or the other must triumph, If it DO through
rivers of blood. Which shall it be? 1t is
idle now to talk of compromise. Shall the
stars and stripes trail in the dust and be
forever blotted out-or shall they be borne
aloft by at least eighteen millions Of free
men, until they shall again float from every
iortication and over every inch of territory
within the limits Of tho Union-with "not
a star obscurcd nor stripe erascd?"