Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1862-01-02

mined to result Of the Presidential con :
| test.
Yet at the very outset Of his admins
tration the President was compelled to
correct mass of apprehensions, and to
show the falscness of the very statements
that elevated him TO power, by demand
for vast armies and numerous contribu-
ttons of money to uphold his Gov
eminent, and to save the National
Capitol from the grasp of those who had
been stigmatized as capable of even
maintaining themselves, unaided by our
power and our resources. l need not
dwell upon the false impressions which
have been made upon the Northern
mind. Every days events dispel them
with power which words do not pos
scss. The chief cause, then, of this war
has been an agitation upon the subject
Of slavery, carried on against the warn
ing and admonitions of the wise, the
good and the patriotic, and based upon
system Of falsehoods and misrepresenta-
tions which now stand exposed in all
their enormitY.
The most eloquent ard most forcible
exposition Of the duty Of patriotic love
to our country has been regarded as we
regard beautiful description of the set
ting sun, mere rhetorical effort of no
practical value. What will the war in
which we are engaged do toward remedy
ing the evils? 1t has already done much
in correcting popular misapprehensions;
it has displayed the enormous power of
both the Northern and Southern States.
We are already more intelligent than we
were at the commencement. We admit
that we have undcrrated our own coun-
trymen. We have been taught that this
Union, which may be regarded so light
ly but few months since, is indispensi-
bic to our peace and prosperity. We
have discovered the great reciprocal val
ue of the productions of the North and
the South. We begin to sec as our faith
cis saw, that this wonderful country Of
ours is knit together by rivers, lakes and
its great natural features, and must not
be disunitcd. We have learned that
when we shut the ports Of the South that
we close the factories of the North. The
men of the North and the South now
feel the mutual dependence of the buyer
and the seller Of the producer and the
consumer. The ignorance shown by the
people of the South with regard to our
power, our resources and our wealth has
filled us with astonishment. But we
make the discovery that our ignorance in
regard to them was equally dense and dis
reputable. Six months ago we deemed
that man most patriotic who believed
that 20, 900 men could march through
the Southern States and put down the re.
bellion. We. suspected the loyalty Of
him who held that 100000 men were
unequaled to the task. We now find
that we deemed ignorance loyalty; and
we denounced intelligence as treasona able.
This war, then, with its multiplied
evils, has brought with it many and sig
nifcant benefits. But it must do much
more before it will make us as patriotic,
as intelligent and as loyal as our fathers
were. But, if the war should cease to-
day, we have secured one teacher who
will be faithful in his annual round in
reminding our people Of their lack of
wisdom in neglecting the consuls of the
trainers Of our Government. Tile tar
goherer each gear ,eiN enter our homes
Let us read his warrant and it will tell
us he comes to exact the penalties due
for neglected duties, the lack of Patriot
ism and the want of intelligence which
has enabled ambitious and designing men
to plunge our country into unnatural and
fractional contest. lnattcntion to public,
as well as to private affairs, put mort
cages upon our farms and encumbrances
upon our possessions.
shall not attempt to forcshow the
consequences of this war. | do not
claim spirit of prophecy. We have had
too much of the irreverancc that treats
the finger of God like the finger upon the
guide post, and makes it point to the
paths which men wish to have pursued
We are willing to support this war rs a
means of restoring our Union, and becaus SIS
we regard it as n harsh but necessary rem.
edy for the evils of the day. But we
will not cary it on in a spirit of hatred,
malice or revenge. Whatever our views
may be in respect to slavery, we do not
regard it rs the cause Of the controversy
! We hold that the controversies OF the day
do not grow so much ont of the institu.
ton of slavery as from the existence al
! the South of vast numbers of the African
race. That the abolition OF slavery
would not end the contest, but it would
be the commencement of lasting destruc-
tive and terrible domestic conflict. We
know that the people Of the North would
not counsel that 100000 of free ne,
groeS should live in their midst. That
they would not agree to the abolition Of
slavery if those manumitted slaves were
to be removed into the Northern States,
and placed upon the vast unocupied land,
belonging to our Government. If We
would not live with them under these cir,
cumstances, with what Justice do we de
mand that the people OF the South shoul,
be subjected to all the evils and insecuri
ty and loss of constitutional right invol
we'd in the immediate abolition of slave
ry?
We cannot, therefore, make this wai
for the abolition of slapery We will no
permit it to be made a war upon tn,
rights Of ,he States. We shall strive t,