, 1861-12-25
SHALL WE HAVE 4 POLICY

IL Is III cStaul1SEcu TILE LII a1 JuuCia1 ;
tribunals that no litigation can be had
and determined by court Or jury until an
issue, so called, is fair1y made up. There
must be not only 4 complaint OF cause Of
action set forth by the plaintiff on the one
side, but the defendant or opposite party
must answer it, and in answering meet the
very points presented, before trial can be
had. It Will not do to dodge or avoid the
question, if properly and faifly presented |
on the other side; hut at some period or
other earlier OF later in The history Of the
particular case, the while controversy be-
tween the parties is reduced to single is
s.le, aud then and not before, is the case
ready for q hearing On the merits. How is
it in the present great contest between the
rebels and the Government?
We assert that the issue rendered by the
South has not been met. On the part of the
rebels, the war is waged in defence ofan in
stitution- It IS carried Oh for the purpose Of
making The Institution Of slavery dominant
in the nation, both IS financial power
and a political agency. Weknow that this
is denied by some pro slavery men among
Us But look at the facts. Has the South
ever complained Of our form Of govern
ment? On the contrary, she has modelled
her OWL rebel government on the same
pattern They have their Presidents and
Secretaries, their Senate and House Of Rep
resentatives, their Governors and State
Legislatures, ill the same as before the re-
bellion- limo important particular is there
with them any distinction between the new
and the old, except in relation to the insti-
tuition Of slavery. The paramount object
with them is not, then, 10 change the gov
ernmentif itwere, they would not fashion
another exactly like it-but it is to make
the great, controlling, overshadowing into
rest under The government, the institution
Of slavery. They say boldly that we shall
no longer have s: united nation un.
less slavery is made national. Here
at the North We obstinatcly refuse
to meet The. question they presented
We raise armies and equip fleets to fghi
them, but protest all the time that upor
tile great question Of slavery we are ready
to accedc to all their demands. The South
ern man fights for his divine institution
The Northern man fights for government
il which that institution is to be the chic
corner stone. The conservatism Of tn
South is effective only in supporter slavery
The conservatism Of the North seeks t.
embrace both slaTcry and the Union. I
ignores the experience Of the. past and th
stern reality Of the present by those seeHn!
10 harmonic most discordant principle:
The conservatism Of the South has plunge
the country into war. That Of the Mort!
insists upon p1olcnging the war, to sui
serve The. very interest that brought it upo
Us In either sectinn, conservatism is bi
synonym for treason. II We prefer ST.
very 10 the Union, Why cxpend so muc
treasure, and sacrifice SO much. life in 6gh
ing the rebels. IF We prefer the Union
slavery, Why hesitate to sustain the one t
crushing the other7 In other words, vi
not meet the issue rendered us by Il
South? Let It's do that OF confess jud
ment. Such litigation as re are carryh
on with the South does not pay. 1t Go
not pay to expend s5oo, ,oW,0 900, aud sac
: fee some scores Of thousands Of Gy'
without deciding something.
In this war the advantages Of earne
ness and candor and bold manly ASSERT
Of the PRINCIPLES involved, are all,With I
South She has thrown down the gage
behalf Of slavery and VIC have declined
take it up: We are fighting, ii is:true,
:tataeat q pa1:eyy -oE. rather with differ,
and antagopistic policies according to
.pecuIar notions Of o,1r Generals in co
mand. Is this the part Of wisdom q
prudence? Why not make war upon t
which is making waralpon the Unit
= Why seek in waging war to defend :.
preserve that which alone has brought
war upon us? We do not claim te
> prophets Jet NC can see clearly. that
war mus: te1minatc7n the over throw Of
Union or the overthrow Of slavery. {
servatism With al its strength cannot {
both. It has -labored for sixty years
conseroe southern rights, as it terms the
$<3ect Of its sorship, until il Is suddenly.
fonted with a civil war and q natl
debt Of thousand nailIions--and al
slavery: Expensive, luxurious conserva
can We afford 1T. We+bcl{e7etha
masses ofths people are ready for the I
ton. They are ready 10 fight On the
rendered By the rebcls. But the Govern
Jags and hesitate5. The atmosphe
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