The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1861-07-10

the government ltSel1. NOr 90 say THIS /
is not trae also in the doings Of our late I
friends, now adversaries, in this contest
But if it is, so much the better the reason |
why the government, which has conferred |
such benefits on both them and US, should (
not be broken up. Whoever, in any section, |
proposes to abandon such a government, |
would do well to consider in Difference to |
what principle it is that he does it what !
better he is likely to get in its stead wheth- |
er the substitute will give, or be intended |
to give, so much of good to the people |
There are some fore-shadowings on this sub
ject Our adversaries have adopted some
declarations of independence, in which, un-
like the good old one penned by Jefferson, |
they omit the words, "All men are created |
equal" Why? They have adopted tenn
porary national constitution, in the pream J
BILE of which, unlike our good old one, sign !
ed by Washington, they omit eve, the peo- |
ple," and substitute 1--WE, the deputies of |
the sovereign and independent States"
Why? Why this deliberate pressing out of
view the rights of men and the authority Of
the people?
This is essentially q peoples contest. On
the side of the Union it is q struggle for
maintaining in the world that form and
substance of government whose leading OBJ
ject is to elevate the condition of men; to
lift artificial weights from all shoulders; to
clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all
to afford all an unfettered start, and fair
chance in the race of life. Yielding to par
tial and temporary departures from neces-
sity, this is the leading object of the gov
ernment for whose existence we contend.--
| am most happy to believe that the plain
people understand and appreciate this. 1t
Is worthy of note that while, in this the
governments hour of trial, large numbers
of those in the army and navy who have
been favored with the Offices have resigned
and proved false to the hand which had
pampered them, not one common soldier or
common sailor is known to have deserted
his flag. Great honor is due to those officers
who remained true, despite the example of
their treacherous associates. But the great
est honor, and most important fact of all,
| is the unanimous frmness of the common
| soldiers and common sailors. To the last
man, so far as known, they have successful
| ly resisted the traitorous efforts of those
whose commands but an hour before they
| obeYed as absolute law. They understand,
without any argument, that the destroying
of the government which was made by
Washington means no good to them.
| Our popular government has often been
called an experiment. Two points in it our
people have already settled-the successful
! establishing, and the successful administer
! ing of it. One still remains. Its success
| ful maintenance against formidable inter
nal attempt to overthrow it. 1t is for them
to demonstrate to the world that those who
can fairly carry an election can also sup
press rebellion; that ballots are the right
| full and peaceful successors Of bullets, and
that when ballots have fairly and constitu-
| tionally decided there can be no successful
appeal back to bullets; that there can be no
| successful appeal except to ballots them
| selves at succeeding elections. Such will
be great lesson of peace, teaching men
that what they cannot take by an election
neither can they take by war, teaching all
the folly of being the beginners of war.
Lest there be some uneasiness in the
minds OF candid men as to what is to be the
course of the government towards the
southern States after the rebellion shall have
been suppressed, the Executive deems it
proper to say it will be his purpose then,
as ever, to be guided by the Constitution
and the laws, and that he probably will
have no different understanding of the pow
ers and duties Of the Federal government
| relatively to the rights of the States and
people under the Constitution than express
ed in the inaugural address.
lie desires to preserve the government
that it may be administered to all as it was
administered by the men who made it.
claim this of their government, and the
government has 20 right to withhold or
neglect it. 1t is not perceived that in Civ
ing it there is any coercion, any conquest
or subJugation IN any just sense OF those
terms.
The Constitution provides, and all the
States have accepted the provision, that the
United States shall guarantee to every State
in this Union Republican form of govern
ment. But if state may lawfully 60 out
of the Union, having done so, it may also
discard the republican form of government /;
so that, to prevent its going out, it is all
indispensable to use every means to the end
oe maintaining the guaranty When an
end is lawful and obligatory the indispen.
sable means to obtain it are also lawful and
obligatory.
1t was with the deepest regret that the
Executive found the duty of employing the
war power in defence of the government,
forced upon him. He could but perform
this duty or surrender the existence of the
government. No compromise by public
servants could in this case be a cure. Not
that compromises are not often proper, but
. that no popular government can long sur
vive fatal precedent, that those who carry
an election can only save the government
from immediate destruction by giving uI
the main point upon Whlcn tAe people gave
the election. The people themselves, and
not their servants, can safely reverse theil
r own oelibarate decisions.
} As a private citizen the Executive could
not have consented that these institutions
| shall perish; much less could he, in betray
al of so vast and so sacred trust as thes
free people had confded to him. He fel
J., that he had no moral right to shrink, no
. even to count the chances of his own life IL
: what might follow. In full view Of hi
a great responsibility, he has so far done wha
e be has deemed his duty. You will now
9 according to your own Judgment, perform
0 yours. lie sincerely hopes that your view
and your actions may so accord with his a
| {. L. hn hnni