The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1861-02-01
to make this civil war, but, anyhow, moth
ing is gained by not calling it by its right

name. It is War for the reconquest of the
revol,a,onized South, and nothing else.
All governments not only recognize ac-
complished revolutions, which become right
full and legitimateIby the mere fact Of their
existence; but when rebellion has risen into
formidable proportions, even though not yet
finally recognized as accomplished, they en-
deavor to pacifythem By concessions. When
the object Of the hostility of the aroused
people is an obnoxious Ministry, embodying
an obnoxious policy>of administration, the
haughtiest Of governments profers the
olive-branch of a change of the Ministry.
Even Austria is now striving to reconcile
Hungary ION the eve of secession) by con.
ceding reform, which is the aband onment
of all that Austria fought for in l848, and
has maintained by force of arms ever since.
You are now in an analogous position in
regard to the south, excepting that the claim
upon you for concession, for pacifcation and
reconciliation, is infinitely stronger, when you
consider:T -a a..teo gro7.e1.-. -
/ l. That this is a Confederation of States,
not consolidated and centralized govern
ment. rr- l-t.--.4 -'rE CHI
2. That our whole system of government
rests on the idea of the willing consent of
the people governed. do w. ns- ss
3. That the South is at least nine millions
strong, united and exasperated, and on their
oson soil; while you at the North have at
least a very large portion of your own
people Il think you will find US large
majority before you get through utterly
opposed to such o war. f+-p 7s..-s.
4. That all that makes the Union worth
preserving, or having, would be certainly
jeoparded, and probably ruined, and all
hopes of future reunion lost by such war.
1 take it, therefore, for granted you will
not, and after little calm reflection, elect
the last, and infinitely the worst, of your
three alternatives.
Let me only add an allusion to two his
torical precedents:
A large proportion of the Roman people
once withdrew out of Rome to the "Mons
Sacer" lit is called the secession,) the domi-
nant party remaining in possession of the
city and capital. The latter had the wis
dom to send ambassadors of peace, and
reconciliation was affected by an acceptable
compromise. Rome thereby remained
united, and went on for many centuries COW
ering the whole known world with the
growth of her greatness, and with the
brightness of her glory.
2. After the death of Solomon, whose
splendid reign had been hard upon the tax
paying tribes more remote from the capital,
where the taxes were spent, those tribes
seeded from the Government of Jerusalem,
to which latter succeeded the son of Solo
mon, Rehoboam. Before doing so, however,
and when assembled at Shechem for the
Inauguration of the new King president, l
had almost said) they demanded redress of
grievances which constituted their motive,
Offering to remain if it should be granted,
and giving Rehoboam three days for his
decision. The naughty and ill-advised young
Prince being determined to enforce the laaOs
for the collection of the federal revenue and
no doubt to protect the public property in the
aUay of forts and Grsenals, and custom houses,
refused to yield an inch from his platform !;
and went so far as to say, that bis little
finger should be thicker to them than had
been his fathers thigh, and his fathers
scourge of whips should be in his hands a
scourge of scorpions. Rehoboam had thus
the satisfaction of standing very firm and
consistent upon the platform on which he
had succeeded to power; but the dissatis-
fed tribes seeded, and set up and maintained
an independent government.
There was then great deal of talk of
coercion at Jerusalem, and even mastering
of "an hundred and four score chosen men
which were warriors" to "bring the king
dom again to Rehoboam," Il had almost
said Abraham.) But
The word of God came unto Shemaiah, the
man of God. saying,
"Speak unto Re6oboam, the son of Solomon
King OF Judah, and unto all the house of Judah
and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the peo-
pie, saying,
"Thus saith the Lord, ye shall not go up nor
fight against your brethren, the children of
Israel; return every man to his house; for the
thing is from me-"
They hearkened, therefore, to the word of
the Lord. and returned to depart, according to
the word of the Lord.
repeat that take it for granted, now
that you are opening your eyes to the great
fact of this great revolution of the South,
you will not think seriously of undertaking
to fight it down, or to fight the South back
into the Union. If any of the "three thou
sand ministers" of the Gospel who have
done so much to bring our politics to their
present pass, shall want you to do SO, and
shall preach sermons to raise "Sharps,
rifles" from their congregations for your
"chosen men which are warriors" I hope
they will select the 22d of February next
for the purpose, and they will preach from
the text of l Kings, cbaper xii, verse "a.
Your choice Of alternatives is, therefore,
narrowed down to two-reconciliation by
acceptable compromise or peaceable separa>J
ton. Which of the two shall it be? The
decision is in your hands, If it is unpleas-
ant for your leading men to make the sacri-
fee of pride and consistency that may be
involved in such compromise, or if their
consciences, in regard to the Territorial
question will not really allow them to do
it, are you willing to submit the question,
clean and square to the votes of the same
northern states which have just elected Mr..
Lincoln? 1 appeal to every Republican
paper in the state to answer this question.