Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1862-05-21

y.
and ever has held, that the Federal Govern
ment is the agent of the PEOPLE of the several
| States composing the Union; that it consists
| oil three distinct departments-thc Legislative,
the Executive, and the Judicial-each equal
| ly part of the Government and equally en-
! titled to the confidence and support of the
States and the people and that 1T is the duty
of every patriot to sustain the several depart
ments OF the Government in the exercise of all
me Constitutional poUerS Of each which may be
necessary and proper for the preservation of the
Government in its principles and in its vigor and
integrity, and TO stand by and defend TO the Ut
most the flag Which represents the Goreynnient,
| the Union, and The country.
! In this sense the Democratic party has al
ways sustained, and will now sustain, THE
GOVERNMENT against all foes, at home or a
broad, in the North or the South, open or
concealed, in office or out eff office, in peac e
or in war.
If this is what the Republican party mean
by supporting the Government, it is an idle
thing to abandon the old and tried Democratic
party, which for SO many years and throug h
80 many trials supported, preserved, and main
tained the Government of the Union. But if
their real purpose be TO aid the ancient ene-
mics of the Democracy in subverting our pres
ent Constitution and form of government, and, ,
under pretence of saving the Union, to erect a
strong centralized despotism on its ruins, the
enemy to the Constitution and the Union,
and to free government everywhere.
We do not purpose to consider now the
causes which led to the present unhappy civil
war. A filter time will come hereafter for
such discussion. But we remind You now
that COMPROMISE made your Union, and COM
PROMISE fifteen months ago would have saved
it. Repeated efforts were made at the last
session of the Thirty sixth Congress to this
end AT every stage, the great mass of the
South, with the whole Democratic party and
the whole Constitutional party, of the North
and West, united in favor of certain amend
ments to the Constirution-and chief among
them, tie wellknown ssCRITrENpEN PRoposI.
TIoNs,'' which would have averted civil war
and maintained the Union. At every stage,
all proposed amendments inconsistent with
the sectional doctrines of the CHICAGO Plat
FORM were strcnuously resisted and defeat by
the Republican party. The "Crittenden Prop
ositons" never received single Republican
vote in either House. For the proof we ap-
peal to the Journals of Congress and to .he
Congressional Globe.
We scorn to reply to the charge that the
Democratic party is opposed to granting aid
and support to the Federal Government il.
maintaining its safety, integrity, and constitu-
tional supremacy, and in favor of disbanding
armies and snccumbing to the South
The charge is libellous and false. No man
has advocated any such proposition. Demo-
Gratis recognise it as their duty as patriots to
support the Government in all constitutional,
necessary, and proper efforts to MAINTAIN its
safety, integrity, and constitutional authority;
but at the same time they are infexibly oppos-
ed to waging war against any of the States or
people of this Union in any spirit of oppres-
sion, or for any purpose of conquest or subju-
CATION, or of overthrowing or interfering with
the rights or established institutions of anv
State. Above all, the Democratic party will
not support the Administration in any thing
which looks or tends to the loss of our polti-
cal or personal rights and liberties or a change
of our present democratical form of govern
ment
But no, Democrats, it is not the support of
the Government in restoring the Union which
the party in power require of you. You are
asked to give up your principles, your policy,
and your party, and to stand by the Admins
tratiOn of the party in power, in all its acts.
Above all it is demanded of you that you yield
atleast silent support to their whole policy and
to withhold all scrunity into their public con
duct of every kind, least you should ssembar-
rass the Administration" You are thus ask
ed to renounce one of the first principles and
the chief security of Democratic govern
ment-the right to hold public servants respon-
sible to their master Il, people TO render the rep
resentatire accountable 10 the constituent the an
cient and undoubted prerog attire Of americans to
canrGss public measures and public men. 1t is
this s'high constitutional privilege" which
Daniel Webster declared he would ssdefend
and exercise within the House and out of the
House, aud in all places in tine Of eCar, in time
of peace, and at all fimeS!" 1t is a right Sc
cured by the constitutions right inestimable
to the people, and formidable to tyrants only. |
If ever there was a tme when the existence
and consolidation of the Democratic party |
upon its principles and policy was vital me- |
cessity to public and private liberty, it is now.
ly tha ift,fio
pie power to the several Departments of the |
Government to carry on war strictly subject !
to its provisions, and, in case of civil war; |
with perfect security TO citizens of the loyal |
States. Every act necessary for the safety !
and efficiency of the Government, and for a |
complete and most vigorous trial of Its |
strength, is yet wholly consistent with the OBJ |
servance of every provision of that instrument, |
and OF the laws in pursuance of it, if the sole |
motives of those in power were the suppress |
sion of the ssrebellion,'' and no more. And /
yet the history of the Administration for the |
twelve months past has been and continues to |
be history of repeated usurpatons of power |
and of violations of the Constitution, and of /
the public and private rights oil the citizen.
For the proof We appeal to facts too recent to |
need recital here, and too fragrant and henous
for the calm narrative which we propose.
Similar acts were done and like policy pur-
sued in the threatened war with France in the |
time of John Adams, and with the same ult-
mate purpose. But in two or three years the
people forced them into an honorable peace |
with France, rebuked the excesses and abuses
of power, vindicated the Constitution, and |
turned over the Federal Government to the |
principles and policy of the Democratic party. |
To the sssober second thought of the people, -
therefore, and to the ballot box, we now ap- |
peal when again in like peril with our fathers. |
But if every Democrat concHrred in the pol |
icy of prosecuting the war to the utter SUBJ |
cr ha Snuth nd fnr suhyersin ion |