The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1861-08-24
No Party.

of this county have issued their
,kase calling a convention to make party
nominations, new impetus has been
given to the movement that threatens to
crush the politicians before 1t. We are
disposed to look upon the business with
much favor, but are not willing to be COM
lnitted to it entirely until we know the
direction it is likely to take.
We may talk no party as much as we
like, vet there are in the loyal States two
distinct partes-yea three-that in the
nature of things never can amalgamate.
We have, in the first place, in the North,
quite a squad of men whom we call seces-
sionists They are not, perhaps, men who .
would really aid the South with men and
money or convey to them reasonable in
formation; yet they give them little less
effective aid by railing out against the war
at the street corners, magniiying its bur
dens, justliying the course OF the South,
and doing all they can to fill our loyal
men with dependency and fear OF the
ultimate result.
We have among us another party, and
this we take it includes full half If not
more OF the republican party III this re-
glon who instead Of making this war to
restore the Constitution and Union to their
former status and vigor, insist on making
it a war to break down the present consti
tuition with It's compromises, and TO revo-
lutionize this government 10y crushing out
slavery and erecting its ruins an anti
slavery constitution and Union.
Then we have a third party in which
are included probably half of the republi-
can party OF the North with lew eXcep-
tions, the entire Douglas democracy of
the North, and the Bell Everett and Doug
las men of the Border and probably all
the Southern States, who are striving to
restore the ContitutIon and Union as they
were, with all the rights of the States and
individuals in the States intact.
Now shall we in our no party party
include the first Of these parties We have
named? Can oil and water mix? Shall
vote and act with US, on the ground that
all party lines are obliterated among US?
Secondly, the President told US in his
message, and Secretary Cameron repeated
" The war now prosecuted on the part OF
the Federal Government is war for the
Unlon-ior the preservation of all the
constitutional rights OF States, and the
citizens OF the States in the Uiiion. This
describes exactly the object for which the
third party we have named above suppose
tue war TO be prosecuted, and with which
understanding they support II. Now tee
lieying as this party do that to pervert
the war from the high aim thus officially
announced, aud to force the government
into making il "a war for the destruction OF
the rights OF the States and individuals
IL the States by arrogatIng o the national
government the power which under tie
constitution ii does not possess of destroy
ing the domestic Institutions OF the States
would lead 10 endless bIoodshed and GER
all hope OF 4 reconstruction of the Union,
shall we, the members OF this mo party,
Invite into our communion the secoI Il
party we have described and give them
signs?
Let US rather, in stead of "no party,
say new party and into the communion
Of this new party let Us invite all who are
IN favor of prosecuting this war with the
utmost vigor for its legitimate purposes;
but let us II gidly exclude from its countc-
nance and favor all the sece.sioniSts OF alb
clifton extremists. Let us take for IN
was adopted 10y 50 large d majority IN Con-
gress for our platform. hat this war was
unjustiy forced upon the country by the
disunionIsts Of the south; that TIN, war
should not DC waged to lessen or interfere
with any OF the rights Of the states. but 10
put down the rebellion and restore the
union, and when this object is accomplished
the war should cease.
our belief Is that OF President Lincoln
expressed III his message, that there j. in
all the southern states union paI,y-Sup
pressed in most Of them, but not extinct
When the rebel armies are crushed, tlils
union party will spring into life and assume
the rcins of government in those states
As our reliance Is Oh these, so should 1t be
our object to strengthen and encourage
them II we drop all party distinction III
the north, and call ourselves one great
party, with LoveJoy, Chambers, and Trum-
bull, in the lead, what will be the inference
in Kentucky, Missouri, &c? Not that the
entire north IS for the restoration OF Il con
stitutional union, but that it has been alb
olitionized. \ secession army OF 100000
men hurled upon Kentucky to day would
not be more fatal to the union cause in
that state that the enforcement of such a
conviction upon them.
/ We are not tenacious about names, but
Union Democratic Party" would be as
good a one as we should want. We are as
willing to vote for former republicans I'M
der this name as democrats, provided they
will cast off and repudiate their association
with the Observation-Disclosures faction.
Let the mo party or a new party" move
ment take this direction, and we are in for
it neck and heels. But we decline abso
lutely and unqualiiedy, to go to bed with
Horace Greedy, Owen Lovejoy, Benz. f.
Wade, Henry Wilson, Lyman Trumbull
Zachariah Chandler, Charles Sumner and
all the other Abolition republican leaders,
for any pIrpose Whatever or to be caught