The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1861-07-26
Richmond, Wayne County, Indiana,

and true men Who have freely denounced
the secession movement a. an outrage upot
, the Consultation. and as-entirely uniustifi
able, have destroyed the force Of their de-
. declaration of hostility and opposition to any
, coercive measures upon the par. Of the
, Goverument to prevent it. as if II ,cere pos
, sile to enfayce any lar against gully rio-
{ iato1s of its propisioss tcstkout coercion
, Let rs for . moment examine the acts OF
, the seeessiouists. and see whether they de-
serve either favor o. sympathy at our hands.
They have. without cause. fred into our
unarmed and deienceless vessels that were
in the discharge OF Government duties;
they have forcibiy taken possession Of our
forts. armories, navy yards. arsenals. mints.
money. valuable machinery, public arms,
and provisions. They have denied the
right to the Government of furnishing sup
plies to the famishing troops in our iortifca-
tions. and after mouths preparations have.
by force of arms. driven ou, OF the Govern
msnt troops. They have formsl large
army. and publicly threatened TO take pos
session of the National capital They have
assumed to grant letters OF msrque, iicenS
ing piracy upon our commerce. All of
which our U Union men, with an '.if' profess
to con emn. but are still opposed to the
Government. or thuse charged with the
execution of the avs resorting 10 any
coercive measures to prevent the wrongs or
10 enforce the rights # Government, so
necessary for the maintenance Of its charac-
ter and power.
Such men, | again repeat. have done
much harm to the Uuion cause, aud have
siren thened the hands aud encoura ,ed the
secessicnists throughout the cou,.try.
sincerely believe. had the true III n men
every where taken s.roag ground al an
early day in favor Of rigid enforcement of
the laws that secession wplid have been
crushed in the bud. instead of being allowed
10 mature aud bring forth its bitter aud
bloody fruits. But SO .snr as the Border
States manifested & disposition to stand as a
kind of breastwark between the G,vernmeut
and the srcessionists, they ielt secure in tie
prosecution of their work. preparatory TO
the final overthrow aud destruction of our
national existence Now, when they tiud
that by their oft-repeated acts of aggression
and outrage they have aroused the friends
Of the Uninn, and that with great uuanlmlty,
they are found rallying to the defence Of our
national honor, the Border States of Vir-
ginia. Tennessee, Maryland, aud kentucky
are desired to allow the theatre of war to
be transferred to their fair fields and family
hearths. And the constituted authorities Of
the two first named States have kindly con-
sented to allow it to be done. and to trans
fer to their people the devastating conse
quences Of wicked and bloody civil war.
which they had no agency whatever in ia
augurating or brins sing upon the country.
| am proud indeed of the wisdom mani
tested by the noble aud pstriotic people of
native State kentucky in not allowing my
themselves to be led bv this secession fgais
fatuNs or forced by the Executive power
or influence of their Governor and FIX Vice
President into the inextricsble diff ituitles
with which the people of Virginia now find
surrounded. The condition of
the once proud aud happy people of that
Old Dominion is depiorable indeed. Her
is destroyed; her credit impaired
or ruined: her energies paralyzed; her peo
pie oppressed by taxation; her best citizens
their once happy homes; her
churches. where the wicked were wont to
be converted from their sins. are now con
veTted into soldiers quarters. and the "a
cred pulpits made the repositories OF hos
tile arms, whilst ner floral gardens are made
this has been brought about. in a few short
weeks. BY the folly and wickeduess of
few designing men. who hope to elevate
themselves upon the ruins of their country
and the degradation Of the great body of the
people.
The historian will search in vain for a
reason to justify the action OF
these desperate wicked men who have in
volved our country in the present ditficul
ties and endangered the perprtuity OF the
best Government IN the Eoili-a Govern
ment without the power to opuress, which
has under the providence OF God showeTed
uus'inted blessings upon millions OF happy
'reemen. without imposing upon them one
sing gle burden to clog their progress or mar
their happiness The apologtsl viii not hnd
his simple declaration that she South could
not submit 10 the great wrongs inflicted up
on her bv the North" >utiicIan- excuse,
but will be expected to specify the wrongs
inflicted and tire raluabte rtgtts infrtaged
b. the North. in order TO excuse or palhate
acts which have proodcd 50 ufna.. misery
and wre;chedness as will constitute an i'm
portans part of the history of the present
war.
Do not understand me as intending to *
onerase the Norther people from all wrong
ful acts. as | intend DO such thing, hut have
only to say tha, they have done no act
which can be tortured iato Al excuse or
tifcotion for destroying the Government.
have already written too much; let me
hear from you.