Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1861-07-13

pressing out Of view the rights Of men and
the authority Of the people This is essen.
tiOlly q peoples contest on the side of the
Union. 1t is a struggle for maintaining in
the world that form and substance Of
Government whose leading object is to ele.
vate the condition Of men, to lift artificial
weights from all shoulders, to clear the
paths to laudable pur suits, and to afford all
OH unfettered start and fair chance iu the
race Of life, yielded to partial and temporary
departures from necessity. This is the lead.
ing object Of the government for whose ex.
isteHce 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 gov.
ernments hour Of trial, large numbers OF
those in The army and navy who have been
favored with Offices, have resigned and prov
! ed false to the band that pampered them,
not one common soldier or common sailor is
known to have deserted bis flag Great
honor is due to those officers who remain
true despite the example of their treacher-
Gus associates. But the greatest honor and
most emphatic part Of all is the unanimous
hrmness OF the common soldiers and com
mon sailors, the last man, so far as known,
they successfully resisted the traitorous et'
forts Of those whose commands within 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 government 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 hive settled. The
successful esta blishment and the successful
administering of it. One still remains. It's
OucceSsful maintenance against the formida-
! BILE interal attempt to overthrow it. 1t is
now for them to demonstrate to the world
that those who can fairly carry an election
can also suppress rebellion That bal
lots are the rightful and peaceful successors
Of bullets and that when ballots are fairly
and constitutional decided, there can be no
successful appeal back to bullets that
there can be no successful appeal except
back TO ballots themSelves-at seeding
election.
Such will be great lesson Of peace, teach.
ing men that what they cannot take by an
election, neither can they take lby a war;
teaching all the folly Of being the begin
ners of war, lest there be some uneasi
ness in the minds Of candid men, as to what
is to be the course of the government to.
wards the southern states after the rebel |
lion shall have been suppressed. The Exc.
cutive deems it proper to say it shall be
his purpose, then, ever to be guided by the
constitution and the laws, aud that he will
probably have no different understanding
of the powers aud duty of the Federal
Government relative to the rights of the
states and the people under the conslitu-
tion than that expressed in the Inaugural
Address. He desires to preserve the gov.
that it may be administered for all
as it was administered by the men who
made it Loyal citizens everywhere have |
the right to claim this of their governments. |
This government has no right 10 withhold |
or neglect it, Tha. there is any coercion,
any conquest, or any suLjnga'ion in any
just sense of these terms the constitution
provided, and all the states accepted its
provisions that the United States shall I
to every state in this union re
publican form Of government. If state
may lawfully go ont Of the union. Having
done so it may discard the republican form
out is an indispensable means to obtaining
the guarantee mentioned, and when an end
is lawful aud obligatory, the Indispensable
means to it are also lawful and obliging
1t was with the deepest regret that the
Executive assumed the duty of employing
the war power in defence of the govern
ment forced upon him. He could but per-
form this duty or surrender the existence of
the government. No compromise by pub.
lie servants could in this be a cure.
Not that compromises are not often
proper, but that no popular government
can long survive a marked precedent that
those who carry an election can only save
the government from immediate destruction
by giving up the main point upon which
the people gave the election The people
themselves, and not their servants, can
safely reverse their own deliberate deci
sion.
As private citizen the Executive conld
not have consented that these institutions
shall perish, much less could be in BETRAYAL
of so vast and so sacred u trust as these
free people had con6ded TO him. He felt
that he had no moral right to shrink or
even count the chances of bis own life in
what may follow. In full view of his great
responsibility, be has SO far done what he
has deemed bis duty. VIII you not, &C.
cording to your own judgment, perform
yours
He sincerely hopes that your views and
your actions may SO accord with his as to |
assure all faithful citizens who have been
disturbed 10 their rights, of certain and |
speedy restoration to them under the con.
stitution and the laws, and having on this
chosen our course without guilt, and with
pure purpose let us renew our trust 10 God,
and go forward without fear and with man.
ly hearts.
Signed, ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
July 4th. 1861.
A company Of the Garbaldi Guards, 10
IN number, mutinied on Monday night, on
account OF dissatisfaction with the muskets
furnished them. They came from AlexaD.
ira 10 Washington, and encamped near the
SmihsG2lan Institution. Capt Chamb-