Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1861-08-22
From the Harrisburg Patriot and Union.
Political Parties and the war.

c We hear great deal said about tho
D obliteration Of party lines. AS far as Tho
! support OF the Government against Ie.
Q bclIion is concerned there is but one party
| in the North. Go TO the ranks of the
= army; and in the large nrm bers Of Demo.
5 Gratis who have volunteered to fight the
8 battles of their country in war not to
! their own choosing, which they exhaust
ed every effort to avert, witness their de-
votion to the Government and the Union.
, In the issue between Government and re-
r bellion, Union and disunion, party dis
tinctions are obliterated. The Democratic
party has always recognized its obliga-
,, tons to support the Constitution, obey
the laws and respect the constituted an
thoritics. SO consI icuous has been its
devotion to the Union, anf so ready its
. position to yield and concede unimport
ant points for the sake of averting the
very calamtics which have overtaken the
country, that the sneering epithet OF
"Union savers" was applied to it by its
enemies-as if it was discredtabe to be
solicitous about the preservation of the
Union. Respects for law is conspicu
Gus trait in the Democratic party. It's
members had no part in the passage Of
acts to nulify the fugitive slave law-they
never engaged in mobs to rescue fugitives
: by violence-they never raised their voices
to discredit the decisions of courts, or en-
deavored to bring the Supreme Court of
the United States into public contempt.
In short, the Dem ocratic party has suffer
ed ridicule because of its conservative.
law-respecting, covenant-abiding tenden-
cies. 1t was both natural and proper that
a party with such characteristics should
spring to the support Of the Government
in its efforts to crush rebellion, with un-
exampled unanimity, even though that
Government was administered by the
bitterest enemies, and obtained power up
on principles abhorrent to Democrats.
But while the Dcmocrrtic party sup
ports the Government, it does not follow
that it approves of all the measures of
this administration, or that 1t has changed
its political principles. On the contrary,
Democrats are more than ever convinced
d. of the evil tendencies of Republicauism
since apprehension has been succeeded by
painful demonstration. We no longer
suppose the tendencies of the Republican
party are &c 'tructive, but we know it.
While rebels are in arms against the
Government, we can fight for the Gov
ernment because it is our duty to do so,
and because it is the only hope for the
preservation of the Union. But it is not
our duty to approve of every outrageous
usurpation of power, and every scandal
GUS appointment to office, because these
acts are committed in the name of the
Union. We would be travelling rapidly
on the high road to despotism if we failed
to protest against them. Public liberty
may be. .assaied,by fathless or usurp-
ing Administration as well as by open
enemies. The latter are the less danger
Gus, because we are prepared to meet them;
| the former most to be dreaded, because
least guarded against. We cannot en-
dorse the act of the President in assuming
power to suspend the writ of hoJeos corpus
and thereby place the liberty of every
citizen at his mercy when it is clear that
the Constitution gives no such authority
Neither can we approve of the seizure of
private telegraphic correspondence, in
utter disregard of that clause of the Con
stitution which provides 'that the right
of the people to be secure in their persons,
houses, papers and effects against un-
reasonable searches and seizures shall not
he violated." AS well light the President
cause the mails to bc opened and examin-
ed for the detection of reasonable cores
pondence, and establish general system
of espionage from which no man would
be secure. Nor can we approve of max.
ing the army an asylum for corrupt aud
broken down politicians, ignorant of the
art ofwar, and skilltul only in the strategy
of plumber. Acts such as are violative of
the Constitution, abhorrcnt to every prin.
ciple of integrity and justice, ard richly !
deserving of severe public condemnation.
They are extenuatcd on the plea of neceS
Sity-the tyrant's plea Let us not be
deceived. The liberties of nation were
never destroyed without necessity was the
specious excuse to justify the first begin
nings of usurpation.
The unanimity parties in support of
the war has not removed the necessity for
party organization, as many suppose
The Democratic party has a great work
to perform in healing the serious wounds
which few months of Republican domi-
nation have inflicted upon the Constitu-
tion and the country.
"No party" would be "a very convenient
escape of Republicanism from the retri- T.
buttons of the future; but the Democratic
party cannot be spirited away by any
such dextrous iuggle. 1t existed and
hourished long before that party came in
TO being, and it bids fair to exist and
flourish when that party shall have be-
come only disRgreable recollection
Before slavery became the absorbing ques-
tion Of the country, the Democratic party
was great and powerful; and after this
agitating topic is settled, it will again
re-establish the true principles of govern
ment and re-assume influence and favor,
Let not the thought of its abandonment
be entertained for moment, either by
friend or foe.
!