The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1861-02-27
q GoercTon=a~G Grime-The Folly
Of AHempting To Enforce Tia. Laaos
{" Secsdiss Slater By z1s Svord s

tOoefclon Grlme-fhe f'Oiiyf
Of AHsmptsng To Enforce Tia. Laaus.
{" !scedi.s Slater By 71s Svord. s.
The following article from the Louis
vile Democ,at ore ofthe stanchest Union
papers. must commend very general atten-i
tion. 1t clearly demonstrates the neces.
sity of some speedy compromise of our
national troubles: - ,zi
The Disunionists North, who crowd
around Lincoln on his way to Washing.
ton, shout no compromised They but
echo the disanion slang of the South
no compromise. The voice of mobs is
not the voice Of the people, it should be
borne in mind. The Disunionists South
are much the better of the two. If there
Is to be no compromise, then the alterna-
tive lis fight or peaceable division. The
Southern Disunionists prefer the latter.
To be sure they have been taking and
threaten to take what does not yet belong
to them; but not more than will fall to
| their share upon peaceable settlement.
These Northern Disunionists propose
to fight; to force Union. This is a
folly that rises up to downright insanity.
1t is too late to talk Of enforcing laws
over seeding States by the sword. It
can't be do.e; civil war, and the most un-
civil of wars, would be the result of such
an attempt. 1t is said that the Govern
ment can blockade the ports and collect
the revenue. The amount of it is, that
our revenue laws can be enforced when
other laws cannot be; and that the Gov
ernment, abandoning ell other laws, will
adopt the enforcement Of the revenue
laws, in order to force the States back.
Such means would irritate those States
moro than an army Of invasion. If they
have not navy ready, they can find pri-
vateers. robbers on the ocean, to retaliate
upon the commerce of the United States,
and all hope of reconciliation will be at
an end. Will not statesmen open their
eyes to the fact that this is revolution,
and that the ordinary functions of gov
ernment furnish no remedy2 Under a
wise Administration things would not
have come to this. The whole process
has been encouraged and stimulated by
an incompetent Administration, that has
provoked both sections of the Union by
an unstatesmanlike, vacillating and ma-
\ lignsnt policy. ''@f s sS"l 2@s
i The President shifts about now, when
the evil is done which be can't remedy,
and proves false to the men whose sec.
tional purposes he has all the while been
\ the tool Of. It is we'll he has discretio on
, and courage enough to do no more than
he does. The country will not sustain
him, even if he did right for the people
have no confidence in him. 7''-"''s7 ? q
j Lincoln starts where Buchanan leave:
of. He is the lawful heir to infinite per
} plexities. One section of the Union hal
f no faith in him. They regard him as, o
!, necessity, an enemy. Nearly one half o
, the other section, if not more, distrus
t him and his party, and feel an inclination
!, to condemn all he does, and to suppor
what will most embarrass him, if he IN
a dertakes to carry out what the mob tha
/. surrounds him advise. He must sacri6C,
Q the country or sacrifice his party. H,
/ takes an oath to enforce the laws; but al
t oath to do wrong or to do an impossible
: thing. binds nobody.
Al Let the mob, North and South, for NJ
{ compromise, stand back. The men VII,
/, build up and preserve institutions, alway
+ compromise. 1t is only the shallow ant
E thoughtless that shout no compromise
eI A couple af crazy editors 10 New York
Il city stard at the back Of the NortherI
. mob and scribble daily Eo compromise
They feel wrathful when they think o
& South Carolina and the Southern Confed
9 eracy. They sprinkle the words treason
. and traitor along their columns in glori
GUS profusion. They had just as wei
D spare their pen and ink. The Brigade
Q General Of one paper. and the white
:. coated philosopher of the other, Nigh
recollect that successful rebellion is pat
y riotism, not treason, and the successful
Q rebel is q patriot. They had as well no
/ waste words on the subject until it is set
I tied whether these men down South ar
d traitors or patriots. go -
9 1t is a very important distinction
], Those who called Washington traito
got the worst of it. They had bette
waited before they used the words. w
4 are no defender OF these revolutionists
They are guilty Of egregious folly, in on
opinion, to use no harsher term; but the,
). have not acted without provocation
a Justice and reason may bring them bac
d in time. force never will We must hav
q compromises just and fair one-noth
81 ing else will do in this emergency. Tn
Z. vast majority Of this Union are for an
II fair compromise to restore the, Union
I and il Lincoln & Co stand in the wa
!. OF it, they will end themselves deserte
BY the North as well as the South. Til
( revolution will spread to the other side .
Is Mason and Dixon's line. -''N' '"'' ="
. Let the border slave States stand fri
in the Onion, and demand Justice in th
}. Union; the border free States will com