Daily national Democrat., 1861-05-14
Gov. Downey and his New Position.

taking of Fort Sumter, and the issuance Of
President Lincoln's first proclamation calling
out troops with which to cocrcc JEFF. Davis
and has rebel followers, satisfied Us that he
was stauuch supporter Of the Government.
We said in the Democrat Of April 28th, in
an article headed "Goy. Downcy' position in
the Crisis:
lie will stand shoulder TO shoulder with the
Union men Of California in the coming con-
test that is to decide whether mouth friends
of the Union can impose themselyes uyon the
masses Of the people, only to betray them
when they have obtained power.
1t is our duty 10 say, now, that we believe
we were mistaken, when we pcnned the
above language, and it is our present inten-
ton to correct that mistake. 1t is proper to
say here that Gov. Downey's attention was
directed to the article alluded TO- and that he
has never, to our knowledge, signiicd that it
did him injustice. He permitted the state
mcnt, together with similar ones in other
papers, to stand On Saturday last, at tho
grand Union demonstration at San Francisco,
a letter from the Governor was partially
read, when the whole might have been easily
and slowly read in three minu cs. The latter
portion ofths document reads as follows;
believed then that is, when he wrote his
annual messagcl as do now, that the only
means Of preserving the American Union was
honorable compromise and respect for the
constitutional rights of every section. be-
licye in the Government using all its consti-
tutional powers to pr serve Itself and resist
aggression. did not then believe, nor do |
now, that an aggressive war should be waged
upon any section Of the Conlederacy. nor do
| believe that this Union can be preserved
by coercion policy. The future will reveal
the soundness Of this position.
! desire that the whole people Of the State
should know my position on this subject, as
have nothing to conceal, nor should deceive
The humblcst citizen in this state in this
respect.
We are unwilling TO believe that the Gov
crnor is ignorant of the English language
The belief he expresses, that the Union ean-
not be preserved by coercion policy" is
but an enforcement of the test prescribed 10y
the Lindley Committee for the Disunion pri-
mary elections-an approval of the battle cry
which is to rally the Sccession-PaciGc-Re
public party Of California in the coming cam
pai4n. The word "coerciou" is defined by
Webster to mean "reStrai,,t, chcck, PARrtcU-
LARLT BY LAW OR AUTHORITY compulson,
force" The Governor has taken his stand
against all efforts hy the Government to pre-
serve the Union, by the use of the strong arm
to restrain, check, compel or force by law or
authority, the mad career Of the abandoned
creatures who follow the standard Of jeff.
DAVIS. lie has adopted the contemplate
sophistry of Collector Washington, Judge
Bolts and others, Chat rebellion must be per-
mitted to exhaust itself lest restraint should
give it new impetus. He even goes fur
ther. and, by inucndo, charges the Govern
ment with having exhibited an aggressive
spirit. lie talk Of ''an aggrcs i've war upon
any section Of the conlcdcracy' as though
such war had been or was about to be
waged. Webster defines aggression to be
"He first attach, or actQf hoStliy,' etc, and
every boy in America knows that the Gov
ernmcnt patiently endured attacks from the
rebels untii, as Senator Latham truly says
"its magnanimity was construed into pusil-
lauimity.' When the Government was re-
duced to the alternative Of either fighting, or
in the language of Senator Douglas, being
"blottcd out from the map of Christcnlom,
and not till then, the loyal people were ap-
pealcl to, to arm for the combat. low the
people (and they own this Government have
responded is well known. What, then, does
the Governor mean by announcing, at this
late day, his opposition to a coercion policy
"A policy of"restraint, check, particularly
by LAW OR AuruoRIrY' If he means any
thing, besides desire to please all sides, he
means that the Government cannot restrain
or check rebellion, and that only 20 much Of
the Union can be preserved as is agreeable to
the wishes and projects of those in rebellion
against it. Peace can mean nothing now,
but dessting from all attempts at forcibly or
cocrciyely thwarting the intentions of the
master-spirit Of the revolution which is con-
vulsing us. The rebel leaders demand a
aniou of all tie S2a0eholding States, and seek
to compel it. The Federal Capital is within
the limits claimed for the Southern Confed-
cracy', by the most moderate advocates and
defenders of the latter. To "restrain" or
"checl1" this monstrous scheme, is "coercion'
in literal sense. And does the Governor
say that submission to such a rendin9 in twain
of this Republic, the National Capital to be
portion of the rebel share,-is preferable to
WARP is this the "honorable compromise
and respect for the constitutional rights Of
every section" which is TO "preserve the
"Amcrican Union ?" Shall the Nation suffer
its heart TO be gouged out in order to save its
life? Snch folly was never before pushed
into the faces of honest men. The horrors of
civil war are n stumbling block to his Excel
lency. And is Il war in which both sides
contend for the mastery, more fearful for Us
to contemplate than n war in which an army
Of dcaLroyers march forward without inter-
ruption until they are satiated with plunder,
gorgcd with blood, and pacifed with having
accomplished the destruction of nation
Would the country be in state Of "peace
while hordcs of armed runians were putting
youth, manhood and old age to the sword,
and plundering our cities without other re-
sistance than that of cowarly verbal rcmon-
strance? Is Lloodshcd avoided because