Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1861-02-01
Compromise Dishonorable and Suicidal.

meant yleldng more or less, to the de-
mand Of the seceders and this we believe
to be dishonorable to the last degree
More explanations should be made, and all
matters of form, or of etiquette, complied
with. Such mat ers can be readily accom-
nodated without sacrifice Of principle,
the violation Of conscience, or the loss Of
honor But having once taken posi-
ton and declared unwavering aud solemn
conviction Of the sacredness and inviola-
biIity Of the human rights involved therein,
and the nation having voted to sustain that
position, can any true man or can the
North ever bulge jot, merely to accom-
modate any one? If it is right ard honor
able to yield one degree, then all truth,
and principle, and moral obligation may be
violated or given up, according to the same
rule. No man, no aggregate of men, have
she right to compromise principle in any
case. Bodies Of men, or sections of coun-
try, as the North and the South, the East
and the West, are in this respect precisely
like nations. Would the United States
yield moral principle, and abandon what
thoy consider a clear right, to procure
peace or any other favor? Certainly not
Ito do this would dishonor and disgrace
Us in the eyes Of the world, and before
submission to any such demand we should
go to war with any nation on earth. An
individual or section Of country ought to
do the same thing in the same circumstan-
ces that the nation ought to do,
What good would it do to compromise
at the sacrifice Of principle and Of honor?
We regard the plcadings and arguments of
all such men as Thurlow Weed, when he
intimates that the Union may be saved
by compromise, precisely as we do the
most foolish parleyings Of sirens who would
tempt men to sin, by asserting that I'M
principled compliances to obtain promised
enjoyments will prove beneficial, It has
long since passed into an axiom, that sin
is always harmful-'.its wages are death. "
However plausible the argument in its IA
vor may be, only the simple ones will be
convinced by it and led astray in any case.
But relating to the sin Of making a COM
promise with the sccessionists, nothing is
palmer than that only evil can result from
it, Shareholders have always secured one
advantage only to Immediately demand an
other, and all past history proves that such
will be the result in the present case, if
they succeed. They may we'll conclude
that, if the North will dishonor itself and
yield 50 far as to grant what they now ask
under the existing circumstances, it Will
never stop at any degree afterwards, and
nothing of honor or Of principle will be left
to us; but thenceforth to be banded as
slaves. Even to treat with the secession
lists is dishonorable just as it would be
to treat with thieves or robbers, who set
the laws at defiance. Shame on the men
who have so far forgotten what is due to
themselves, to the country and the Govern
ment, as to bow before the traitors and
yebels who have been guilty of treason be-
cause they are about to be deprived of
place, emolament, and power. Could
shese men see themselves as the world sees
them-making their obeisanees to set of
men who boldly refuse to obey the Consti-
tuition and tn ! laws, basely endeavoring to
pacify and dPnciliate them, we have no
doubt they {ould put on sack cloth, and
repent, that heir great sin might be blot
ted out Never did men more loudly defy
the laws, or more recklessly and persistent
emily violate all existing civil compacts than
these traitors, and certainly none ever act
ed with baser motives. On what grounds
then, can compromise be justified? IF we
submit now, we may hereafter expect to
see the Judge come down from the bench,
the jury leave the box and the District At
lorney his place, to make obeisance and
compromises TO criminals at the bar of the
court.
We certainly do not err in representing
the true character of the men to whom we
are asked TO make concession, and their
character once admitted, the gross impro-
priety of yielding to their wishes is too
plain to need argument, Of their charac-
ter Senator Crittenden, of Kentucky, in a
speech in Congress few days since, is
thus reported;
ITO the charge of Wigfall and Benia-
min that Holt was a coereionist, Critten-
den said it was true, and for that very
reason he supported him. A government
that would not employ coercion to main
tain its authority was utterly worthless
1t was no government at all Why sit
here in Congress TO make laws if the gov
ernment will not enforce them? Why es-
tablsh a Constitution as a supreme law of
the land, if insurgents shall be permitted
to nullify it and set It's provisions at def
anee? Where is any mans security for
life or property or liberty, if the govern
ment abdicate its power and avoid its du-
ty to put down rebellion and enforce the