Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1861-05-17
Voters /! TO the Polls

TIE issue of war or nc war, hangs upon
the decision which the people of Virginia
shall make upon the great question which
has been submitted to ;hem by the State
Convention That body has adopted al
ordinance By a majority approaching unan-
unity, declaring that the honor and the in
tercsts of the State require an immediate
and absolute dissolution of the league which
bound Virginia to the old Federal Union.
and that ordinance has been referred to the
people for their ratification OF reieciions--
How will yon decide it Ii the ordinance
of secession shall be sustained by unit
vote of the people, that is to say, if all Fir-
ginia shall ratify the action of their Con
venfion, it is morally, if not absolutely Ger
tain. tina. tire bred minions of despotic
power which Lincoln has gathered around
him, uader the false pretezt of defending
the Federal Capital, will never dare to in
wade the soil of Virginia. IF, on the other
hand, any considerable number of our PEG
pie shall prove false to their country, and
vote for the rejection Of the ordinance, aye,
if but handful of Virginians shall by such
"a vote, declare their willingness still to live
under the rule Of the abolition deSpotism at
Washington, it will b. regarded there as
an invitation to .4incoln to march his Fede-
raj army into our midst, and thus lnaagu-
rate war on our SOIL the ferocity Of which
will have 40 parallel in ancient or modern
tis,ory and which no grown up man will
ever live to see tie end. It is for this de-
cision that Lincoln is now pausing on the
confines Of our State. Now he sees that
vigorous efforts are being made by traitors
in our midst to seduce the honest bat unin
formed portion of our people to take sides
with the despotism at Washington, and if
you desire to hear his order Of s. forward
march," you have bat to lend willing ears
to the traitors amongs. you, and grve but a
few hundred votes against the ordinance OF
secession, and you will be speedily grati-
fed. Then indeed you will have war to your
hearts content, and whether willing or not;
whether you are for or against secession,
YOU will be forced to take sides in the bat
tie, either for or against your native State.
There can be DO neutrals in this wal Of an
righteous aggression, aud if voters are ems
couraged to hope that they can play the
part of Indifferent spectators of the deadly
strife that will be raging around them, eth
er by voting against the ordinance of seces-
sion, or by refusing to vote at all, they Will
be sadly deceived in their calculations -
The very professed U % on-lo vim men
amongst YOU, who would counsel such q
course, by appealing to your old Onton at
tachments. know that the Union is now If
retrevablv broken, and that whether you
vote for or against secession, you can bel
Their escape participation in the conflict or
do aught, thereby, towards the reconstruc
ton Of the Government which has been su-
perseded by the military despotism at Wash
ington 1t is for you now to say whether
you will be found in the ranks of your enc
mics, and doing all in your power to estab-
lish in Virginia the CALLING tyranny to which
our sister State of Maryland has been sub
jected, OF Ike men, resolve to die or to be
frae