Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-02-04
che Ohio 5tatesnra,t
TIE B ms
Republican Policy.

fore the mouth OF cannon and supposing ii
was only primed, "Touch IL off gently, and III
catch the ball in this basket" Il was touched
off as gently as possible, but Pat and the basket
were never seen again. Thus do many of the
Republican leaders of the present day blunder
along as they approach the terrible crisis of our
country's destiny. They seem to think that they
can manage the explosive forces of human
passion and civil war, and pocket net profit
upon the whole Operation. Notwithstanding
the repeated declarations OF Congressman from
Southern States, Notwithstanding the emphatic
declarations Of dozen Gubernatorial messa-
ges and the solemn acts and resolutions of q
majority Of Southern Legislatures, notwith.
standing thousand uhmistakable indications
of deep, strong, and unchangeable feeling In
the Southern States, portion Of the leaders
of the Republican party have gone on steadily
| ignoring all these p0rtentous signs of the times
In a policy which they must have known, il
| they had capacity to understand the plainess
Indications, would imperil the Union. They
cody rejected all propositions to unite upon
| any recognized conservative national candi-
date, and, while the bonds that hold our
Union together we're swapping under the strain,
they labored with zeal and power worthy Of a
better cause to break asunder all the remain
ing links of Union by instilliDg into their fol-
lowers the bitterest prejudice and hatre ed
against the slaveholding States. That infa.
nous and vindictive libel written by the rene
gade Helper was circulated by the hundred
thousand as campaign document of the Re.
publican party, endorsed by some Of its leading
men.
After oil this-alter deriding and depreciating
the power, the character, and the resources oi
the Southern States, we should not perhaps, be
surprised at the votes cast by their dupes, but
we have o right to expect from the leaders OF
the party higher order Of intelligence, which
should rise above the tricks aud deceptions OF an
electioneering campaign and realize the true
condition Of the country, since even their fol-
lowers by hundreds Of thousands have manifest.
| ed their eager desire for an amicable and pat
riotic settlement of our national contest. We
are sorry to say, that, II such intelligence ex-
lets, It is very slow in coming forth to meet the
crisis, if we are TO Judge from leading Republi'
can newspapers. The paltry humbugs OF the
late campaign are still kept up, until we are led
to doubt whether the language Of much OF the
Republican press does not arise from such mar.
roWness of mind and ignorance Of the people
Of the United States as utterly disqualfy the
writer's for the responsibilities Of political jour-
| naliam. We are tempted 10 believe that not q
very large portion Of the Republican Journalists
have sufficient knowledge Of human nature or o.
| the resources and character of the Southern
States to make their opinions worth anything il
| the present crisis. ss., ......-..
Just before the Presidential election we wer,
grsvely assured by Mr.. Greely of the Tribune
that the election of Lincoln would have a won
derlully quieting effect upon the country; that il
would be IKE oil poured Upon The ,oaters, anC
would promptly remove all sectional excite
ment. Not believing Greeley altogether afool
1--WE were Compelled TO suppose that he haC
reconciled his conscience to the necessity o
winning an election by transparently fals'
pretences. n he would now claim credit fol
sincerity in that prediction, he would prove Q
degree ofignorance or imbecility which would
excuse his present transcendeDt follies. The
Tribune, the Times, and other leading Republi
can papers are gravely urging thecoercion Of all
the seeded States by an embargo or blockade
which, they maintain. would gently switch
them back into the Union without involving
the calamiies Of war or inflicting any injury
upon the North Nay, they are even caleu.
ting that all the commerce of the country
would be driven to Northern ports; that South
ern cotton would be sent North by land, and
that the Northern cities would make hand
come speculation by thus playing gracefully
and daintily OF the great game Of war. To
such stuff as this, we would reply emphatically
gentlemen, unless you are resolu.ely bent on
realizing all the horrors of war, you need not
deceive your readers any longer by such delus-
i've assurances. IL you know no better your
selves, II you really believe chat your nice and
comfortable calculations will be verified, and,
that the Southern States will succomb like mis-.
chievous children to little fagelation, we are
amazed al your folly and can scarcely conceive
how men of respectable intelligence on other
subjects could be SO utterly deluded in refer
ence to this great question. 81. ,....
| Can you for moment doubt that the block
ade Of the Southern States would be resisted by
all their warlike energies7 Surely your parti-
zan prejudices have not wrought such self-de-
ception. Can you anticipate any other conse-
quence than the annihilation of all American
commerce by privateers, except SO far as il
may be protected BY the presence of men,of
war2 -, ,ltt.i s..
Dou you not plainly see that Northern manu-
facturers would lose not only for time bul
perhaps forever their Southern market-that
emigration to the North would be arrested BY
the want of employment and by burdensome
taxes, and that the calamities OF war would be
terribly realized by every inhabitant of the
Northern States2 s,-.- { ~ ,.7srtf Yo .et
Ifthe policy Of deluded party should drive
| the South into consolidated Union in defence oi
its demanded rights, do you suppose that clever
millions Of as warlike population as the world
contains, familiar with the use of arms and
occupying country full Of finnumerable strong
holds furnishedby Nature, would shrink from q
war Of invasion however desolate2 That suct
war must produce immense suffering and de
vastation on both sides Ia self-evident; but tC
anticipate the conquest Of such q people as tht
men Of the South or to suppose that their proud
bearing and lofty spirit could be lowered by any
such attempt OF military coercion 10 but the de
lusion of fanatic or the dream OF a comfortabl,
scribler who speculates at ease In his arm chair
but knows nothing of the sternrealities of war
You count upon the black population as OIL
element of danger and weakness only, foTk ct
ting, that, as agricultural laborers, they coun
az efficiently in war as if they were in the field
Perhaps you count upon the horrid policy of in
surrection--if this enters largely into your es
Inmates you are incapable Of profitiug by th,
lesson which you might have learned from th,
failure of John Brown. t...,sg, ~ 3,b..J
Do not, We pray you, trlae any, longer; al
armed rebellion, converted into unconquerabl,
reyolut. on, proves that you were mistaken II
all your calculations during the late campaign
II your editorial language expresses your rea
: convictions, we assure you most solemnly tha
: YOU are still more mistaken now. You know
that we have labored with zeal and earnest
ness greater than your own for the preservation
of our glorious Union from perils which 20,
have been so slow and so reluctant torecognize
We speak to you now plainly--we cannot pol
ish our language and diminish its force. w
: entreat you by your regard for our phole eoun
fyv, In all of which every citizen h,ss o common
interest, to trias no longer with this crisis
and to delude your readers no longer with th
vain hope that any alternative remains bu