Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-01-15

While listening TO these debates, have
sometimes forgotten myself In marking their
contrasted effects upon the page who custom
arily stands on the dais before me, and the
venerable Secretary who sits behind him.
The youth exhibits intense but pleased emo
ton in the excitement, while at every ire
weren't word that is uttered against the Union
the eyes Of the aged man are suffused with
tears. Let him weep no more. Rather re-
joice, for yours has been lot Of rare felicity. |
You have seen and been a part Of all the
greatness Of all the world. Weep only you,
and weep with all the bitterness Of anguish,
who are just stepping on the threshold of
life; for that greatness perishes prematurely |
and exists not for you, not for me, nor for !
any that shall come after Us.
The public prosperity how could It sur |
viVe the storm ? It's elements are industry
in the culture Of every fruit mining Of all
the metals; commerce at home and on every
sea- material improvement that knows no
obstacle and has no end; invention that
ranges throughout the domain OF nature; in
crease OF knowledge as broad as the human
mind can explore; perfection Of art as high
as human genius can reach; and social re-
fnement working for the renovation Of the
world.
How could our successors prosecute these
noble objects in the midst Of brutalizing civil
conflict What guarantees will capital in
vested for such purposes have, that will out
lay the premium offered by political and mill
tary ambitiOn2 What leisure will the citi-
zens find for study, or invention or art, under
the reign of conscription; nay, what interest
in them will society feel when fear and hate
shall have taken possession Of the national
mind2 Let the miner in California take
heed, for its golden wealth viii become the
prize of the nation that can command the
most iron Let the oOrderer take care; for the
Indian will again lurk around his dwelling
Let the pioneer come back into the denser
settlements for the railroad the pest road
and the telegraph, advance not one furleng
farther into the wilderness. With standing
armies consuming the substance Of our peO
pie on the land, and our navy and our postal
steamers Withdrawn from the ocean, who will
protect or respect or who will even know by
name our petty colfederacies The Ameri-
can man-of-war is a noble spectacle. have
seen it enter an ancient port in the Mediter-
rean All the world wondered at it, and
talked OF it. SalYos of artillery, from forts
and shippings in the harbor, saluted its flag.
Princes and princesses and merchants paid
it homage, and all the people blessed it as
harbinger of hope for their own ultimate
freedOm. imagine now the same noble yes
sci again entering the same noble haven
The flag of thirty-three stars and thirteen
strips has been hauled down, and in its place
signal is run up, which haunts the device
of lone star or q palmetto tree. Men ask
who IS the stranger that thus steals into our
waters 2n The answer contemptuOusly Civ
en- is. ''she comes from the obscure Repub-
lies of North America. Let her pass on
Lastly, public liberty, our own peculiar
liberty, must languish for a time, and then
cease TO live. And such q liberty free
movement everywhere through our own land
and throughout the world; free speech, free
press, free suffrage; the freedom of every sub
ject to vote on every law, and for or against
every agent who expounds, administers or
executes. Unstable and jealous contederacies,
constantly apprehelding assaults without
and treason within, formidable only to each
other and contemplate to all beside; how
long Wilt be before, on the plea Of public
safety, they will surrender all this ineslim-
able and unequalled liberty, and accept the
hateful and intolerabls espionage OF military
despotism7
And now, Mr.. President what is the
cause for this sudden and eternal sacrifice
of SO much safety, greatness, happiness and
freedom2 Have foreign nations combined,
and are they coming in rage upon Us No.
so far from being enemies, there is not ma
/ ton on earth that is not an interested, ad-
miring friend. Even the London Times, by
no means partial to US, says:
at is quite possible that the problem Of a
overthrow in a few days in spirit of folly,
selishness and short-sightedness."
Has the Federal Government become ty-
rannical or Oppressive, or even rigorous or
| unsound? Has the Constitution lost It's
spirit, and all at once collapsed into liteless
| letter? Mol the Federal Government smiles
more benignantly, and works to-day more
bene6centIy than ever. The Constitution Is
even the chosen model for the organization
of the newly rising cOnfederaeies.
The occasion is the election Of Presiden'
of the United States, who is unacceptable tc
portion Of the people. l state the case &C
curately. There was no movement OF dlsun'
ion before the ballots which expressed tha
choice were cast. Disunion began as soon as
the result was announced. The justification
| it assigned was that Abraham Lincoln hac
been elected, while the success of either one
/ of the three other candidates would have beer
acouiesed in. Was the election illegal? No
it is unimpeachable. Is the candidate per
sonally offensiye2 No; he IS man OF un
blemlshed virtue and amiable manners. i
an election of President an unfrequent o
extraordinary transaction No; we neve
had Chief Magistrate otherwise designate'
than by such election, and that form OF choic
Is renewed every four years. Does any on
even propose to change the mode OF appoint
inc the Chief Magistrate2 No; election b.
universal suffrage, as modified by the Con
stitution, is the one crowning franchise OF tn
American people. To save it they wOulC
defy the world. Is it apprehended that th'
new President will usurp dispotic powers ?
No: while he is of all men the most unambI
tious, he is, by the partial success Of thos'
who opposed his election, subject to such re
straints that he cannot, without their consent
J appoint minister, or even police agent
NEGOTIATE a treaty, or procure the passage o
law. and can hardly draw musket from
the p1blic arsenal to defend his own person
What, then, is the ground OF discomfort
It is that the disunionists did not accept a
conclusive the arguments which were urge
in behalf of the successful candidate IN tn
canvass. This is all. Were their argument
against him more satisfactory to bis support
ers2 Of course they were not; they coul
f not be. Does the Constitution, in letter o
spirit require or imply that the arguments c
, one party shall be satisfactory to the other
: No; that is impossible. What is the consti
: tutional remedy for this inevitable dissatis
faction Renewed debate and ultimate re
: hearing in q subsequent election Have tn
7 now successful majority perverted power
f purposes of ofoppression2 No; they have neve
4 before held power. Alas how prone we al
to undervalue privileges and blessings. Ho7
0 gladly, how proudly would the people of an
! nation in Europe accept, on such terms as "
e enjoy it, the boon Of electing Chief Aagii
s trate every four years By free, equal and IN
: versal sufragel How thankfully would the
I IL. Nf frovnrr