The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1860-1863, 1861-01-24
LANCASTER, OHIO, THURSDAY, JAN. g4 1861


ish crown. When tina. allegiance ceased
no one was 80 presumptuous as to sup
pose political existence compatible will
disuniou, aDd, therefore, on the same day
that they declared themselves independ
ent, they declared themselves also confed
Grated States. Experience 10 war and il
Feace, from i776 uatil 1887. only con
vinced them of the necessity of converting
thai loose confederacy into more perfect
and perpetual Union.
Moderation Of our Ancsstors.
They acted with a GOODNESS very diff
lerent from the Incorporate conduct o
those who now on one side threaten, anC
those u, on the other rashly defy disunion
They considered the continuance Of N,
Union as subject comprehending moth
ing less than the safety and welfare of al
parts OF which the country was composed
and the fate of an empire the most inter
esting in the world.
Dissolution Suicidal.
Ienter upon this subject of CONTINUING
tho Union now. deeply impressed will
the same generous and loyal conviction
How could it be otherwise, when instead
OF only 49, the country is now composed Of
thirty-three parts, and the empire EN-.
braces, Instead Of only four millions, NO
less than thirty millions of inhabi,ans
The founders of the constitution, more
over, regarded the Union as no mere us.
tlOnal or American interest. On the con.
tTary. they confessed with deep sensibili-
ty that it seemed to them to have been re.
served for the people Of this country to
decide whether societies of men are real.
ly capable Of establishing good govern
ments upon reflection and choice. or
whether they are forever destined 20 de-
pend for their political constitution on
accident and force.
They feared. therefore, that their fail
ure to continue and perfect the Union
would be a misfortune to the nations.
How much more, sir, would its overthrow
now be calamity to mankind?
Some form Of Government is indispen.
sable here as elsewhere, Whatever form
we have, every Individual citizen and ey.
cry State must cede to it some natural
right. TO invest the Government with the
requisite power. The simple question,
therefore, is for us now to decide, while
laying aside all pique, passion and preju-
dces, whether it conduces more 70 the
interests of the people of this country, for
the general purposes of peace and war,
commerce, inland and foreign, postal
communications at homo and abroad, the
care and disposition of the public domain
colonization, the organization and admis-
sion OF new States. and generally the en-
larsement of empire, to continue one ma
ton under our present Constitution, than
it would be to divide themselves into
separate COnfedcracies or States. Our
country remains now as it was in 1887,
composed not of detached and distant ter
ritories, but of one whole well connected
and fertile region, lying within the tempo
rate zone, with climates and soils hardly
more various than those of France, or Of
Italy. This slight diversity quickons and
amplifes manufactures and commerce.
Our rivers and valleys, as improved by
art, furnish us system Of highways un-
equalled in the world.
40 ErepresSiJis Conflict Jeiveen Free and
Slave Labor
The different forms oflabor, if slavery
were not perverted to purposes OF political
ambition, need not constitute an element OF
strife 10 the Confederacy. Notwithstanding
recent vehement expressions & manifesto
tions OF intolerance in some quarters pro :
duced by intense partisan excitement, we
are in fact,a homogeneous people, chiefly of
one stock, with accessions well assimilated
We have practically only one, language,
one religion. one system Of Government.
and manners and customs common to all
Why, then, shall we not remain hence
forth, as hitherto, one people?
Security the Grstoyect Of Society.
The frs. object of every human soce-
ty is safety Oh security, for which, if need
be, lEey will and they must sacrifice ev-
ely other. This security is of two kinds:
one exemption from foreign aggressons
and influence, the other, exemption from
domestic tyranny and sedilion. Foreign
wars come from either violation OF trea
les or domestic violence.
Il X 4
DiSahion aOootld Gre.ty, increase tile dan
gers Of foreign a0ar.
If The Union should be divided into
only two CoDtederacies, each of them
would need to make aS many treaties as
we have now, and, of course, would be
liable to give as many causes for war as
VIC now do. But we know, from the sad
experience of other nations, that disin.
tcgra.ion, once begun, 'ineviiabl le contin-
ues until even the greatest empire crum-
bles into many parts. Each CoDfedera-
ton, that shall ultimately arise out of the
ruin Of the Union, will have necessity for
as many treaties as we now have, and
will incur liabilities for war as often as we
now do by breaking them. 1t is the mul-
tiplication Of treaties and the want of con.
federation that makes war the normal con-
dition of society in Western Europe and
in Spanish American.
Il 81 X 4,
Tile safety Of each Of the States tic safety
of GW.
Mr.. President. no one will dispute our
forefathers' maxim that the common safe
ty of all is the safety Of each of the States.
While :hey remain united, the Federal