Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1861-06-27
A Letter that stirs the Blood.

A Letter that Stirs the Blood.
| Hon. Joseph Holt-Postmaster Gener
al under Mr.. Buchanan-and who is cit
i-en of Kentucky, has lately written let
ter TO friend in Kentucky, which is pub
lished the Louisville Journal, in which
the question of the Great Rebellion i
baHdled with the pen of a statesman ant
patriot. Mr.. Holt is totally opposed t
the folly of neutrality" that now bind
Kentucky Union men hand and foot, ant
to which miserable policy will Kentucky
owe her ruin in case she is cast into tn,
vortex of secession. We make extract.
from Hollis letter: san 3a4 o'ief27gs
-. MR.. HOLT CONDEMNS NEUTRALITY.
must say, in all frankness and without
desiring to reflect upon the cause or senti
ments of any, that, in this struggle for the
existence of our Government, can neither
practice nor profess nor feel neutrality. J
would as soon think of neutrality 10 con-
test between an officer of justice and an
incendiary arrested in an attemptto fire q
dwelling over my head; for the Govern
ment whose overthrow is sought is for me
the shelter not only of home, kindred ard
friends, but of e.ery earthly blessing which
can hope 10 enjoy on this side of the
grave. If, however, from a natural horror
Of fratricidal strife or from her intimate So
cial and business relations with the South,
Kentucky shall determine 10 maintain the
neutral attitude assumed for her by her
Legislature, her position will be an honor
able one, though falling far short of that
full measure of loyalty which her history
has so constantly illustrated. Her execu
tive ignoring, as ] am happy to believe, alike
the popular and Legislative sentiment of
the State, has, by proclamation, forbidden
the Government of the United States from
marching troops across her territory. This
is, in no sense, neutral step, but one of
aggressive hostility. The troops of the
Federal Government have as clear con-
stitutional right to pass over the soil of
Kentucky as they have to march along the
streets of Washington, and could this pro-
hibition be effective, it would not only be
a violation of the fundamental law, but
would, in all its tendencies, be directly in
advancement of the revolution, and might
in an emergency easily imagined, compro
mise the highest national interests.
MR.. LINCoLN's POLICY.
For more than month after the inau-
guration OF President Lincoln, the nantes
lations seemed unequivocal that. his Ad-
ministration would seek a peaceful solu
ton of our unhappy political troubles, and
would look TO time and amendments to
the Federal Constitution, adopted in &C
cordauce with its provisions, to bring back
the revolted States TO their allegiance. So
marked was the effect of these manifesto
tions in trauquilizing the Border States
and in reassuriug their loyalty, that the
conspirators who had set this revolution
on foot took the alarm. While affecting
to despise these States as not sufficiently
intensified in their devotion to African SER
vitna!cc, they knew they could never sue
ceed in their reasonable enterprise with
out their support. Hence it was resolved
to precipitate collision of arms with the
Federal authorities, in the hope that, un-
der the panic and exaspera.io incident to
the commencement of civil war: the Bor-
der States, following the natural bent Of
their sympathies, would array themselves
against the Government.
After summing the overt acts ofrevolu-
ton, commencing with the bombardment
of Fort Sumter and ending with threats
to take Washington, Mr.. Holt notices:
THE CALL TO ARMS AND THE RESPONSE.
In view of these events and threaten
ings, what was the duty of the Chief Mag
istrate of the Republic? He might have
taken council of the revolutionists and
trembled under their menaces; he might
upon the fall of Sur,pter, have directed
that Fort Pickens should lie surrendered
without firing gun in its defense, and pro-
ceeded yet further, and meeting fully the
requirements of the 'let-us alone" policy
insisted on in the South, be might have
ordered that the stars and stripes should
be laid in the dust in the presence of eve-
ry bit of rebel bunting that might appear.
But he did none of these things, nor could
he have done. them without forgetting his
oath and betraying the most sublime trust
that has ever been confided to the hands
of man. With. heroic fidelity to his
obligations, feeling justly
that these obligations charged him with
the protection of the Republic and its
Cap;;..al against the assaults alike of for
eign and domestic enemies, he threw him
self on the loyalty OF the country for sup
port in the struggle upon Which he was
about to enter, and nobly has that appeal
been responded TO. States containing an
aggregate population of nineteen millions
have answered to the appeal as with the
voice of one man, offering soldiers without
number, and treasure without Limitation,
for the service of the Government. In
these States fifteen hundred thousand free
men cast their votes in favor of candidates
supporting the rights of the South, at the
last Presidential election, and yet every
where, alike in popular assemblies and up
on the tented field, this million and half
of voters are found yielding to none in
the zeal with which they rally to their
country's flag.
THE MISSION OF NoRTHEN TROOPS.
They are not less the friends of the South
than before; but they realize that the
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