Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1861-01-23

pASSAO~S
legacy we can transmit to our posterity
Mr.. O,SuIliyan ON the Crisis.
To tie Republican Press Of TIE NORTH:
The question is now at last before you in its
true aspect 1t is no longer a small rebellion (it
is pity it ever wore that apparent aspect) but
large revolution you have to deal with. The
whole group of the cotton States is as good as
gone. Virginia and the rest of the border States
say: "Our rights in the Territories, together with
few minor points of adjustment, or else zee, too,
90 tclh the South, and, in the meantime, emo
coercion"
You have, therefore, to choose between these
three alternatives:
1. Reconciliation, by an acceptable compromise
(such as Crittenden's.)
2. Peaceable separation
3. Civil war, with the object of coercing the
South into submission.
II is of no use to disguise the civil war under
the phrases enforcement of the la,rs and protection
of the public property. This is mere matter of
words They are the same thing. The Southern
theory is that they are de jure out of the Union
by the act of secession Whether they are so or
not, they are so at least de facto by the act OF
revolution-if you prefer that name for IT. Their
theory-a theory which they at least carry out
with a great deal of practical pluck-is, that the
forts and arsenals were ceded to the Federal Gov
eminent only for Federal purposes-that Is to
saw for the defense of the States where they
exist not for that of standing Federal strong
holds against the States themselves; and that the
Federal purposes having now lapsed (de Jure or
de facto, Just you plelse) the Federal Govern
ment has neither reason nor right to hold them.
and that they belong more reasonably and right
fully to the States which have now set up for
themselves 1t is, therefore, at least debatable
whether they are now Federal public property"
and, at any rate to attempt to recover them in
vote s cru lcar, with fleets and armies to besege,
and then to hold them; the same applying to the
idea of naval blockades.
1t may or it may not be right and proper to
make this civil war, but, anyhow. nothing is
gained by not calling it by its right name. 1t is
War for the reeonquest of the Rerolutionised
South, and nothing else.
All Governments not only recognize accom-
plshed revolutions which become rightful and
legitimate by the fact of their existence; but
when rebellion has risen into formidable proper
tons, even though not yet finally recognized as
accomplished, they endeavor to pacify them by
concessions. When the object of the hostility of
the aroused people is an obnoxious Ministry, en-
bodying obnoxious policy of administration,
the haughtiest of Governments proffers the olive
branch Of change of the Ministry. Even Aus
tria is now striving to reconcile Hungary ION the
eve of secession) BY conceding a reform, which is
the abandonment of all that Austria fought for in
1913, and has maintained by force of arms ever
since. You now in an analogous position in
regard the South, excepting that the claim upon
you for concession, for pacihcatl0n and rec0ncll-
aton is infinitely stronger, when you consider:
L. That this is Confederation of States, not
consolidated and centralized Government.
q That our whole system Of Government rests
on the idea of the willing consent of the people
governed.
3. That the South is at least nine millions
strong united and exasperated, and on their
soil; while you at the North have at least very
large portion of your own people Il think you
will find us a large majority before you get
through utterly opposed to such war.
4. That all that makes the Union worth pre-
serving, or having, would be certainly jeoparded,
and probably ruined, and all hopes of future re-
union lost by such war.
l take it, therefore, for granted you will not,
after little calm reflection, elect the last, and
infinitely the worst, of your three alternative.
Let me only add an allusion to two historical
presidents:
1. A large proportion of the Roman people once
withdrew out of Rome to the mons Sacer'' lit is
called the secession the dominant party remain
ing in possession of the city and the capital. The
latter had the wisdom to send ambassadors OF
peace, and reconciliation was effected by an &C
united and went ON for many centuries, covering
the whole known world with the growth of her
greatness, and with the brightness of her glory
2. After the death of Solomon, whose splendid
reign had been hard upon the tax paying tribes
more remote from the capital, where the taxes
were spent, those tribes seeded from the Govern
ment of Jerusalem, to which latter succeeded the
son of Solomon, Rehoboam. Before doing so,
however, and when assembled at Shechem for the
Inauguration of the new King president, / had
almost said,) they demanded a redress of griev-
ances which constituted their motive, offering to
remain if it should be granted, and giving Reho-
beam three DAYS for his decision. The naughty
and ill-advised young prince being determined to
enforce the Laics for the collection Of the Federal
revenue, and ooubt to to protect the public prop
erfy in the ray of forts and arsenals, and custom
houses refused to yield an inch from his PLATFORM
and went so far as to say, that his little finger
should be thicker to them than had been his IA
Tiers thigh, and his fathers scourge of whips
should be in his hands a scourge of scorpions.
Rehoboam had thus the satisfaction of standing
very firm and consistent upon the platform on
which he had succeeded power; but the dissatis-
fled tribes seeded, and set up and maintained an
independent Government.
There was then great deal oftalk of coercion
at Jeruselam, and even a mastering of "an hun
dred and fore score chosen men which were war
/
/ Il had almost said Abraham-) But
The word Of God came unto shemaiah the man Of God
| saying,
Speak Rehoboam, the Of Solomon King Of
Judah, and unto all the house Of Judah and Benjamin.
and to the remnant Of the people, saying
THUS srith the Lord, Ye shall not 90 up nor fight
against your brethren the children of Israeli every
man to his house; for the thing is from me-
They hearkened, therefore, the word Of the Lord
and returned to depart according to the word Of the
Lord
i repeat that / take it for granted now that
you are opening your eyes to the great fact OF
this great revolution of the South YOU will not
think seriously of undertaking to fight it down,
or to fight the South back into the Union. II
any of the "three thousand ministers of the
Gospel who have done much to bring our poll
tics to their present pass, shall want you to do So
and shall preach sermons to raise "Sharp's rifles
from their congregations for your "chosen men
which are warriors" | hope they will select the
22d of February next for the purpose, and they
will preach from the text of Kings, chap. xii,
verse "a
Your choice of alternatives is, therefore, mar.
rowed down to two-reconciaton by acceptable
compromise peaceable separation. Which OF
the two shall, it be- The decision is in your
hands. If it is unplelsan; for your leading mer
to make the sacrifice of pride and consistency
that may be involved in such compromise, or il
their conscence5, in regard to the Territorial
question will not really allow them to do it. are
you willing to submit the question, clean and
square, to the votes of the same Northern State.
which have Just elected Mr. Lincoln? appea
to every Republican paper in the State to answer
this fair question. j. l.. O'SrLLIvAS.
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STATE ITEMS.