The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1861-01-24

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Iall beside. how long will it be tefore, on the
plea of public safety, they will surrender all
this inestimable and unequaled liberty. and
accept the hateful and intolerable espionage
of military despotisms
And now. Mr.. President, what is the
cause for this sudden and eternal sacrifice
OF so much safety, greatness. aFpiness, and
freedoms Have foreign nations combined
and are they coming in rage upon usl No.
so far from being enemies. there is not ma
ton on earth that is no, an interested. ad
mir,ng friend. Even the London Times
by no means partial to us, says:
"lt is quite possible that the problem of
Democratic republic may be solved by its
overthrow in a few days in spirit of Jolly.
seltishness and short ST. htedness.''
Has the Federal Government become ty-
ranical or oppressive, or even rigorous or
unsound? Has the Constitution lost its spir-
it, and all at once collapsed into a lifeless
letter? No; the Federal Government smiles
more benignantly. and works to-day more
benefcently than ever. The Constitution
is even the chosen model for the organza-
tion of the newly rising confederacies.
The occasion is the election of Presi-
dent of the United States, who is unaccep-
table to portion of the people l state
the case accurately. There WAS no move
ment Of disunion before the ballots which
expressed that choice were cast. Disunion
began as soon as the result was announced
The justification it assigned was that Abra-
ham Lincoln had been elected. while the
success Of either one OF ,hre other can
didates would have been acquiesced in
Was the election illegal? No; it was unm-
peachable. Is the candidate personally of
fensive? No; he is man of unblemished
virtue and amiable manners. l. an cleo
ton of President an unfrequent or extraor-
binary transaction! No; We never had 3
Chief Magistrate otherwise designated than
by such election. and that form Of choice is
renewed every four years. Does any one
even propose to char ge the mode of apoin-
ting the Chief Magistrate? No: election
by universal suffrage. AS modified by the
Constitution. is the one crosning franchise
Of the American people. To ave it they
would DEFY the world. Is it apprehended
that the new President will usurp despotic
powers? No; while he is OF all men the
most unambitious, he is. by the partial sue
cess Of those who opposed his election. sub
jected to such restraints tn t ne cannot.
without their consent. appoint minister or
even police agent. negotiate treaty. OF
procure the passage of law. and can hard
ly draw musket from the public arsenals
10 defend his own person.
What. then. is the ground of discomfort?
1t is that the disunionlsts did not accept as
conclusive the arguments which were urged
In behalf OF the successful candidate in the
canvass. This is all. Were their own ar
guments against him more satisfactory to
his supporters? OF course they were not;
they could not be. Does the Constitution
in letter or spirit. require or imply that the
argum ents OF one party shall be satisfactory
to the other? No; that is impossible
What is the constitutional enedy for this
inevitable dissatisfaction? Renewed debate
and ultimate rehearing in a subsequent cleo
ton. Have the now successful majority
perverted power TO purposes of oppression?
No; they have never before held power
Alas! how prone we are to undervalue priv.
ileges. aud blessings. How gladly, how
proudly. would the people OF any nation in
Europe accept. on such terms as We accept
it, the boon of electing a Chief Magistrate
every four years by free. equal, and univer
sal suffrage! How thankfully would they
cast aside all their own systems Of govern
men., and accept this Republic of ours. with
all its shortcomings and its disappointments,
maintain it with their arms. and cherish it
which they supplicate God without ceasing.
and even wage war. with intermissions only
resulting from exhaustion? How strange
are the times in which we live! The com
ing spring season. on one side of the Allan
tic, will open on general conflict, wased
to obtain, through whatever indrection.
Just such system as ours: and on this side
of the Atlantic, within the same parallels
of latitude. it will open on fraternal war,
waged In a moment of frenzied discomfort
to overthrow and annihilate the same insti-
tutions Do men, in Iced, live only for
themselves, 10 revenge their own wrongs,
or to crafty their own ambition? Rather
do not men live least of all for themselves,
and chiefly for pos,erity and for their fellow
men? Have the American people, then.
become all of sudden unnatural, as we'll
as uupatriotic? and will they dlsinhert then
children OF the precious estate held only in
trust for them, and deprive the world Of
the best hopes it has enjoyed since the hu-
man race began its slow aud painful, yet
needful and wisely appointed progress?
Here might close my plea for the Amer
lean Union, but ii is unnecessary, il not to
exhaust the argument. at least to exhibit the
whole case. The disuniouists, consciously
unable to stand OF their mere disappoint
ment in the recent election. have attempted
to enlarge their ground. More than thirty
years there has existed a considerable-tho'
not heretofore formidable-mass of citi-
zeus in certain States situated near or around
the delta of the Mississippi, who believe
that the Union is less conducive to the wei
F.. fare and greatness of those States than a
smaller confederacy. embracing only slave
States, would be- This class has availed il
self of the disconten,s resulting from the
election to put into operation the machinery
Of dissolution long ago prepared. and wal
ling only for occasion In other States
there is q soreness because Of the want of
sympathy 10 the free States with the efforts
OF siaveholders for the reeapture OF fugitive
slaves from service. In all the slave States
there is . restiveness resulting from the re-
sistance which has been SO determinedIy
made within the last few years in the free
States, to the extension of slavery in the
common territories of the United States -
Tia Papuhlirap narfv ~h,ch i,s vota-