The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1861-02-14
Cas- County Democracy.

The Democracy of Cass County held
a County Convention at Cassapolis, on
the I'd inst. They passed series of
resolutions as follows:
Resoloed, LIST, That in our opinion,
no. sacrifice of personal or political
character, consistent with honor can
be too great which will bring peace and
quiet to our distracted county-restore
those true fraternal relations which
formerly animated our people--repnite
the States Of this confederacy and'bind
them together in the bonds of perpctu-
al union. ssss7.sss- sazss
I'd, That if need be, party, party
platforms, and crseds should be lost
sight of in honest and patriotic en-
deavors to reconcile those differences,
which seem to be surely and swiftly
drifting our country on to dissolution
and ruin. - i se,.s tss t.sf y
Sd, That theipeople of the free States
owe to themselves, and to posterity,
to come forward in the present crisis,
and say to the Union loving people of
the South, eve will meet you not with
sabres and bayonets, but in the spirit of
reconciliation and compromise as.
brother should meet brother-we will
on our part remove every just cause of
complaint that you urge against us-we
will assist you in devising ways and
means by which we shall strengthen the
bonds of our former union, and render
it impregnable to the assaults of enc
mics from without, and traitors from
within" -,s.,.~
4th, That as citizens of Michigan,
we do not hesitate to declare it to be
our belief that the "personal liberty
laws" ESQ called) of this State, conflict
with the Constitution and laws of the
United States, and ought to be repealed;
not SO much Because they have resulted
in any direct injury to citizens of other
States of this Union but because they
are unconstitutional, and are viewed by
honorable men of all sections of the
country, in the light of "a standing men,
ace to our brethren of the slave. States
5th, In order to bring the People of
the free States together in the present
crisis, as one man, we are of opinion
that the dominant party North should
purge, their statute books of all. laws
which conflict with the constitutional
rights Of the South, and should offer,
or accept, terms Of reconciliation and
peace, such as would secure the ap-
prevail of conservative men i'm both
sections of the country, South as well
as North.
9Th, That if the dominant party in
the free States fail to accept, or refuse
to make these reasonablel advances
toward an adjustment of the difficulties
which threaten to break in pieces and
utterly destroy this government, 1.-THE
greatest and the best the world ever
knew,) than we, as American citizens,
will never give our consent, by word
or by deed, to coerce fifteen slave-hold-
ing States to remain in the confederacy.
7th, That Sny attempt on the part of
the Government at Washington to CO.
cree the fifteen slaveholding States OF
this Union, into compliance with the
peculiar views of the dominant party in
the free States, upon the Slavery ques-
ton, would be productive of no good,
but on the contrary would draw meal
culable evils upon our people, and
would bring about final and irrevoca-
bic dissolution of the Union. Then
would be iinaugurated a bloody, re-
morseless, desolating war, prostratin 9
the energies flour people, running then
trade and commerce-disgracing them
in the eyes of the. civilized world, and
ending finally in national death. Such
would be our condition-such the lega
cy we would leave our children
! sth, That the agitation of the Slavery
question in Congress, has been mainly
instrumental in bringing about The
present alarming condition of the coun
try; we do therefore believe, that M
4 settlement of the differences can be
permanent, which does not forever ban
fish that question from the halls of Con
I gress-from the arena Of Federal an6
State politics. eEois.Df-s wo45f ziii
9th. That the plan embodied in thu
resolutions of Senator Crittenden, o.
Kentucky, for an adjustment of our diff
ficulties, or the substitute for that plan
offered by Senator Douglas, of Illinois
would, (either of them, in our opinion
be acceptable to Unionloving men o.
all parties in every State of this Union
So; believing, we do therefore recon
mend our delegates to the State Con
vention to use their influence to procure
a similar expression from that body.
1t will be seen that these resolution.
declare that no sacrifice will be toe
great to preserve the Union, but thai
itmust be preserved by amendments
to the Constitution, and they specify
what these constitutional amendments
must be. They are the ultimatum O
those Union men who say that, if slave
lryis guaranteed and protected, they are
for the Union, otherwise they will Sc
cede. That is the attitude of many
Southern men; and these resolutions
endorse that kind of Unionism. True
loyalty is for the Union pure and simple
and not for the Union upon conditions
These resolutions declare that the De.
mocracv will mite mon the Crittenden