The Democratic press. (Eaton, Preble County, Ohio) 1860-1865, 1861-01-17
From the NewburypOrt( Mass. J Daily Herald.
Our Dutv. II

Try, every man mas O duty 10 per-
form, audit may be that he has bus
little time to do it in. We feel sure
that If our present organization Of
government is to be saved; IL must
be saved at once-before the fourth
of March at farthest. We frequent
ly find ourselves in opinions and
action, in conflict with those with
whom we associate politically and
socially. Thus we preferred the
election of Mr.. Lincoln, because of
what he would not do--because we
relied upon his conservative char
acter as calculated to preserve
peace, while most of those who
stood by us at the box preferred
Sewerd for positive qualities and as
q new advance upon the slave pow
er. We trust tothe natural growth
of the free over the slave States,
and the progress Of theworld in its
civilization and religion for the fin
al overthrow of slavery, and all
other evils Immediate emacipa-
ton, could it be carried to day ev-
by the unanimous consent of the
slave owners, would not be desira-
BILE. If we had the destinies of the
four millions of Africans in this
country in our hands, while we
should wish to change their posi-
ton in many respects, neither our
love for the white, nor our sympa-
thy for the black, would allow us
to placethem upon an equality with
any class Of white men in the
land.
Relying upon natural laws and
providential circumstance, that to
our minds have set boundaries to
slavery in this country, and must
eventually extirpate the whole sys-
tenn, as was the eudal system bro.
ken down in western Europe, and
as is the serf system giving way in
eastern Europe, we have seen no
policy, if we possessed right, which
is very questionable, to prohibit
slavery from any territories under
the general government. And
here we differ again from seven
eigths of all the Republicans in
New England. Before the election
we received several communica-
lions, which never saw the light,
because we did not deem it expe-
dent to publish, questioning us on
this point, and asking wherein we
differed from, or why we support
ed the views of Mr.. Douglas: We
do not take the trouble to inquire
wherein we agree or disagree with
particular men, who promulgate
what they term platforms. Three
hundred years have passed since
the Protestant world declared the
right of private, personal judge.
ment in matters of religion, and
whether any body else exercises it
or not; we claim the same right to
politics, and shall act upon 1t wher-
, ever it may carry us. '
Again we have come to q point
when in the midst of dissolving
government, as we see the frag-
ments of the cabinet drift by on
the waves of an i~rrepressible con-
Aict; as we almost stand amid the
} ruins of this glorious confederncy;
as we behold the Union mined, and
some traitor, torch in hand, ready to
blow up the whole structure, we
are asked-where do you stand? and
T to what party do you adhere in
this struggle? We have before us
o letter, from q valued friend in a
. neighboring town, referring to
! some articles we have written on
: the Union, and touching these
= points. What parties shall exist
tomorrow, Heaven knows; we
don't. Let them take their posi-
tons and we can then call their
e names. This we know, that we
60 for the Union as it is, and the
Constitution as it is, and for the
q fulfllment of every agreement that
' we or our fathers have made with
e the South, as Eli Thayer says
3: without evasion and without re.
it ~serve;' and more than that, to pre-
serve the government we would
yield every point not essential tc
IT freedom. And when we havecomt
IN to the line on ourside, we woulc
s insist up62 q full execution of til,
G laws by others. Tfany party stand
otffrom this, and banters, and dis
putes, and growls to the imminen.
e peril of all that is dear to us unde.
government; to that party we d.
not belong, call 1t what the.
, may.
:. Previous to the election We diC
. not anticipate the crisis that haI
IS come. We did suppose that som
trouble would arise, and SO pub
e lished. 1t was impossible for ff
\ teen States that had held powerfo
seventy years to see that power de
q part forever without q struggle
. but we relied upon the Union ant
patriotic men who came forwar,
ten years ago, carrying Georgi,
> and Mississippi against the dis
unionists, to act now. 1t seem
e that in ten years there has beer