The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1861-09-27
Senator Wilkinson on the Crisis, and
the Duty of Loyal Citizens.

We copy from the Press, OF the 24th, an
article which contains card from Senator
WILKINSON, with reference to report that
he was in favor of the Union State ticket,
headed by Major Dixie, and that be was
about to take the stump in its behalf.
Senator WILKINSON denies that he had
expressed himself in favor of the specific
movement, with which he was reported to
be in alliance; while, at the same time, he
emphatically deprecates party warfare
at this time, with all the party bitterness
and acrimony which such contests are very
apt to engender, or so long as we are en-
gagged in this terrible war, which rebellion
and treason have brought upon the coun-
try" The Senator was not in favor of the
movement initiated, simply and only be-
cause he " feared that, if that ticket had
been kept in the field, it would have tended
to ALLEVIATE the feelings of our people, rather
than to have united them" In short, while
he thinks partyism entirelyout ofplace in the
present crisis OF affairs, and would be glad
to see all the Union men of our State unit
ed this fall in the support of ticket so
formed as to unite the entire loyal sentiment
of the State" yet the circumstances sur
rounding the canvass clearly prevented
this, and rendered the objects sought to be
accomplished through the Uuion movement,
utterly impracticable.
Between Senator WILKINSON and those
who sought to foster and make effective a
Union organization in this State this fall,
there is perfect agreement, both as to the
point of duty and of policy. They attempt.
ed, what he approves as right, " to unite
the entire loyal sentiment of the State"
When that was found impossible, through
the unpatriotic action of selfish politicians
and it became evident that the continuance
of the Union ticket in the field would tend
to distract rather than to unite the loyal
sentiment of the State" they withdrew it
from pubic consideration, unwilling that
any part of the wrong of diverting from the
Government the universal support of the
masses, should be laid at their doors as a
charge against their patriotism.
We are glad to notice, and to give pub
licity to, this card from Senator WILKINSON
The Senator's course in Congress- and out
of it, since the commencement of "this
terrible war, which rebellion and treason
have brought upon the country" has been
fully up to the measure of the patriotic
statesman. His action has accorded with
the spirit of his speech at the FoRNEY
serenade, where he said" We have no
politics now; we have no parties any more.
There is but one watchword, one faith, with
the lovers of our country" And it will be
seen from his card that, while he considers
the Union movement here failure as to
results, be pointedly refrains from endorsing
tie programme OF the sordid State House
politicians in forcing party ticket upon the
people OF Minnesota. His action in this
is the more significant, as it is known that
he stands high in the confidence of the
Administration and the paragraph quoted
below may be taken as the sentiment and
desire of the President and bis advisers, as
we'll as bis own:
This rebellion must be put down. no matter
what the cost but that we may the more eff
fectually crush it out. We should be united. 1t
| was for this reason wished the Union men of
our State might act in concert.
That this union of the loyal men of the
North in one political organization, and to
the disregard of old party names and ASSOC
Citations, was The wish and policy of the
President and his Cabinet, is evidenced
from the course of the Republican politio
clans in the great representative States of
New York and Ohio. 1t is no longer a
secret that the formal abandonment of the
Republican party organization in those
States was done at the request of the Ad
ministration, who considered that step ne.
cessary to insure the complete support which