Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1861-01-26
WHOLE NUMBER 579.

NV PRESS rec buufaE6 the fteeuOm OF
every subject to vote on every law. and for
or against every agent who expounds, ad-
ministers or executes. Unstable and Jealous
confederacies. constantly apprehending as
saints without and treason within, f0rmida-
ble only TO each other and contemplate to
all beside how long win Il be- before, on
the plea of public safety, they win surrend.
er all this inestimable and unequalled hbet-
ty, end accept the hateful aud ihsoleFabls
espionage OF military despotismg
And now, Mr.. President, what is the
cause for this sudden aud eternal sacrifice
OIL SO much safety, greatness, happiness and
treedomf Have foreign nations combined,
and are they coming in rage upon Us I No.
so tar from their being enemies, there Is
not nation on earth that IS not en inter
ested, admiring friend. Even the London
It"s'. by no means partial TO Us, saysi
Il is quite possible that the problem Of
Democratic Republic may be solved by its og-
erthrow in few days 10 spirit Of folly, selHsA-
ness and shortsghtsduess" $500
Has the federal government become ~.
rsnnical or oppressive, or even rigoFoas or
unsound ? Has the consItution lest lis
spirit, and all at once collapsed into life.
less letter 7 No; the federal government
smiles more beHignantly, and works to-day
more benefcently than ever. The eonstitn-
ton is even the chosen model for the organ
ization of the newly rising confederacies..
The occasion is the election Of a Presi-
dent of the Uniied States who Is unaccept-
able to portion Of the people l state
the case accurately. There was nc move
ment Of disuniou before the ballots which
expressed that choice were cast. Disnnioa
began as soon as the result was announced.
The Justification it assigned was that Abrsr
ham Lincoln had been elected, while the
success of either one Of three other candl.
dates would have been scquiesced in Was
the election illegal Noj it Is unimpeacb-
able. Is the candidate personally odsnsigsg
No he is a mau Of unblemished virtue and
amiable manners. Is an election of Presi-
dent an unfrequeut or extraordinary trans-
action? No /; we never had a Chief Magis-
trate otherwise designated Than by snch
election, and that form OF choice is renew.
ed every four years. Does any one even
propose to change the mode of appointing
the Chief Magistrate No; election By
universal suffrage, as modified by the con-
stitution, is the one crowning franchise OF
the American people. To save II they
would defy the world. Is it apprehended
that the new President will usurp despotio
powersl No; while he is Of all men the
most unambitions, he is, by the partial suc-
cess of those who opposed his election, sub
jected to such restraints that he cannot,
without their consent, appoint minister.
or even police agent, negotiate o treaty.
or procure the passage OF law, aud cao
hardly draw musket from the public ar
senals to defend bis own person,
What, then, is the ground OF discomfort
| 1t is that the diSunionists did not accept as
conclusive, the arguments which were urg~
ed in behalf of the successful candidate In
the canvass. This is ALL Were their own
arguments against him more satisfactory
10 bis supporters OF course they were
not they could not be. Does the Consti-
tuition, in letter or spirit, require or imply
that the arguments Of one party should be
satisfactory to the otherS No; that is i'm
possible. What is the Constitutional re-
| medy for this inevitable dissatisfaction. Be-
uewed debate aud ultimate rehearing In a
subsequent election. Haye the now sue
csssful majority perverted power to purpos.
es of oppressiou2 No; they have never
before held power. Alas how proae we
are to undervalue privileges and blessings.
How gladly, how proudly, would the peo-
ple of any nation in Europe accept, on such
terms as we enjoy it, the boon OF electlng
Chief Magistrate every four years by free,
equal and universal suffrage How thsnk-
| fully would they cast aside all their own
systems of government, and accept this re-
public of ours, with all its short-comlngs
and its disappointments. maintain 1t with
their arms. aud cherish It in their hearts
Is it not the very boon for which they
supplcate God without ceasing, aud even
wage war, with intermission ouly resulting
from exhaustion How strange are the
times in which we live The coming spring
season, on one side Of the Atlantie, will op-
en- on a general conflict, wsged !. to obtain.
through whatever ihdirection, Just such .
system as ours; and on this side Of the AT.
lantic, within the same parallels OF latitude,
it will open on fraternal war, waged In 6
moment Of frenEied discomfort, to overthrow
and annihilate the same institutions. Do
men, indeed, live only for themselves, 70 re-
venge their own wrongs or to crafty their
own ambition Have the American peo-
pie, then, become all OF sudden uonaturat
as we'll as uupatriotic and win they dlsin.
herit their children Of the precious estate
held only in trust for them, and deprive the
world of the best hopes it has enjoyed since
the human race began It's, slow. aud pain-
full. vet. needful and wisely appointed pro-
Here I might close my plea for the Ame.
riean Union but 1t is necessary, II not to
exhaust the argument, at least to exhibit
the case. The disunionists, consciously un-
able to stand on their mere disappointment
10 the recent election, have attempted 70
enlarge their ground More than thirty
wears there has existed considerable
though not heretofore formidable--mas
of citizens 10 certain states situate near or
around the delta Of Mississippi. who believe
that the Union is less conducive TO the vel
fare and greatness Of those states than .
smaller confederaey, embracing only slave
states. would be. This class hHs avalIed
itself of the discontents resulting from the
election to put into operation the dlssolu-
ton long ago prepared and waiting only
for occasion. In other states there ts ,