The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1861-07-11

liuh1 wv Aht pOlltiClduS are ITOIOU1u III
the rights of minorities They are not par
tial to that power which made the Constiu-
tior and speaks from the preamble, calling
itself ave, the people,"
1t may well be questioned whether there
is to-day majority of the legally qualified
voter of any State, except, perhaps, South
! Carolina, in favor of disunion. There ia
much reason to believe that the Union men
arc in the majority in many If not all of the
seeded States. Tho contrary has not been
| demonstrated in any one of them. 1t is ven
turcd to affirm this of those Of Virginia and
| Tennessee, for tue result OF an election held
| IN military camps where The bayonets were
all on ono side of the question voted upon.
can scarcely be considered as demonstrate
ing popular sentiment. At such an election
! all that large class who are at once for the
Union and against coercion, would be coerc-
ed TO vote against the Union.
1t may be affirmed. without extravaganza.
that the free institutions which we enjoy,
have developed the powers and improved
the condition of our whole people beyond
Iany example in the world Of this we now
have striking and impressive illustration.
SO large an army as the government has
now on foot, was never before known with
out a soldier in it who has not taken his
place there of his own free choice. But
more than this, there are many single rcgi-
Imcnts whose mombcrs. one and another
possess full practical knowledge of all the
arts and sciences professions and whatever
else whether useful or elegant, is known.
to the whole world, and there IL scarcely
one from which there could not be selected
Il President Il Cabinet a Congressman. and
perhaps a Court, abundantly competent to
Adm n stcr the Government. Nor do say
this is not true also in the army of our late
friends, row advcrsariCs, in this contest.
but it is so much the better reason why the
government which has conferred such bcnc-
tits on both them and us, should not be bro
ken 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 docs it. whether the substitute
will give or be intended to give so much
good TO the people. There is some foresha-
downing on this subject. Our advcrsaries
have adopted some dcclarat,o ,ons of indepen-
iencc, in which, unlike the good old one
pcnncd by Jefferson, they omit the words
"aro created equal Why they have adop-
tel a temporary National Constitution the
preamble Of which unlike our good oil orc
signed by Washington, they omit 1--WE TIE
people" and substitute eve the deputies Of
the sovereign and independent States"
Why this deliberate pressing out of view
the rights Of men and authority of the peo-
pic?
This is essentially a peoples contest on
the side of the Union. 1t is Il struggle for
maintaining in the world that form and sub
stance Of government whose leading object
is to elevate the condition of men. to lift
artificial wrongs from all shoulders. to clear
The path of laudablc pursuit, and to afford
all an unicttcrcd start and fair chance in
the race of life, yielding TO partial and tenn
porary departures from necessity. This is
The leading object of the government for
whose cNistancc we contend. | am most
happy to believe that the plain people un-
lcrstands and appreciate this.
1t is worthy ofnote, that in this, the Gov
ernmcnt's hour of trial, largo numbers of
these in the army and navy who have been
favored with the Offices. have resigned and
proved false to the hand that pamre ed
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
trCachCrous associates. But the greatest
honor and most emphatic fact Of ALL is the
unanimous irmness of the common sailors
successfully resisted the efforts of those in
command who an hour before they obeyed
as absolute law. This is patriotic instinct
of plain men. They understand without an
argument that the destroying of the Govern
mcnt which was made by Washington,
means no good for them.
Our popular government has often been
called an experiment. Two points IN it our
people have Scttcd-thc successful cstab-
fishing and the successful administering of
H. There still remains its successful main
tcnancc against the formjablc attempt to
overthrow ii. 1t is now for them to demon
Stratc to the world that those who can fairly
carry an election, can also suppress a rebel
Hon; that ballots are the ri"htful and peaceful
means OF government, and that, when ballots
have fairly and coustjtutiomally decided
there can he no successful appeal hack to
bullets; that there can be no successful ap-
peal, except back to ballots themselves at
Il succeeding election. Such will be a great
lesson Of peace, teaching men that what
they cannot take 10y election, neither can
they take it by war; teaching all the folly
OF being the beginners of war.
Lest there be some mCasincss 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 hy the Constitution
and the laws, and that he probably viii
have no different understanding of the pow
ers and duty of the Federal Government
relatively to the rights of the States and
the people under the Constitution than that
expressed in the Inaugural Address. lie
desires to preserve the Government, that ii
may be administered for all as it was ad-
ministered by the man who made it.
Loyal citizens everywhere have the right
to claim this Of their government. The
government has no right to withhold or
neglect il, and il is not perceived that III
giving it there is any coercion, any conquest
or any suhjuSation, in any just sense Of
these terms.
The Constitution provided, and all The
States accepted its provision. that the United
states shall guarantee 10 every State in this
Union, Il Republican from of governments;
but if q State may lawfully so out of the
Union having done so il may also discard
the Republican form Of government; so that
to prevent its going out is am Indispensable
means of obtaining the guarantee mention
eel, and when an end is lawful and obligatory,
the Indispensable means TO ii are also law
fUl and obligatory.
Ii was with the deepest regret that the
Executive assumed the duty of employing
the war power in defense of the Government.
Forced upon him, he could but perform this
duty or surrender the existence of the Gov
crnmeut No compromise by public SER
wants could in this be cure. Not that