Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1861-07-25
XrenNOl u.

How absurd is the doctrine til at to op-
pose war is treason? If that was the
case. then no matter how unjust and how
disastrous to the interests of the country
a war might be, and if it lasted for ten
years, no one could advocate peace with.
ont being indicted as traitor, and incur
ring the penalty of a capital off nee. -
Was Lord Chatham regarded as triatol
| in England, when he denounced in Par
lament the war against the independence
OF the American colonies? Horace Gree
expressed hope that our troops might
be cut to pieces SO did several of the
men now composing Mr.. Lincoln's Cabi-
net. Corwin AMI Burlingame both ex-
pressed the wish that our tro S in Mexi
co might be "welcome with bloody hands
to hospitNble graves !" and these two
worthless have been honored with foreign
missions, an no one ever thought of ar
resting them for treason. Mr., Lincoln
himSeT denounced the Mexican War as
unconstitutionally begun, and refused to
vote men and means to carry it on Those
who talk about Treason and Traitors
now, had better examine their antecedcnts
as well as those Of their leaders, and then
"dry up !"
The attempt therefore, of the Abo i.
tionists to make it appear trcasonablr for
n man to advocate peace and condemn the
theving rascals who have been robbing
both the Government and the people. is a
trick to act the tyrant and cover up fraud
We shall express Just such opinions as
we please. because we never even utter
ed word against the Constitution
ton, the lnion and the enforcement of
the laws, nor had wish that "thc Union
might slide" nor entertained the idea
that "the Union could not endure half
free and half slave" nor desired termi-
nation of our difficulties upon any other
terms than return Of the rebels to their
allegiance to the Constitution, believing
that that instrument affords sufficient re-
dress for all evils real or imaginary, So
eial or political.
We have always been for our country
right or wrong but our heart has been
filed with alarm while contemplating the
high handed measures of the party in
power, all tending in their natural con.
sequences, to consolidated government,
and while we have been bitt, rly opposed
to the political faith of the powers that be-
we have winked at unlawful, unconstitu-
tional acts, under the impression that the
President honestly deemed them necessary
for the public safety. and essential to the
fulfillment of his expressed desire to pre-.
serve the Union and enforce the laws, al.
though we thorght his views and opin-
ions and proceedings, would result in en-
actly the reverse of what he seemed to
think they would. We have enleavored
to give the people truth. free from party
prejudice, and been willing to let "the
sonrce of all power" ju lge of the actions
of those to whom they delegated power,
and if fo, so doing we are branded as a
traitor by Abolitonsts and dis unionists
we shall hurl back the epithet into the
iace OF those giving it utterance. and chal-
lenge them to comparison of our actions
and principles with their o,ca and those Of
their lea1ers, prior to and since the com.
meneement Of the unfortunate war in which
the two sections Of our country are now
angaged.-Hoeking Sentinel.