The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1862-02-26
The Old Union.

possibility of exinguishing slavery AMI
making new nation out OF the old, wi
attempt 10 place their thoughts in orde /,
they will And il difficult matter. There
is Hothing before us but the old Union. Th
principle which must guide every sound
man is simply that the rebellion is againt
the Constitution and The Constitution S
against the rebellion. II we are fighting
for an ylhing else but the Constitution, the n
indeed we are adrift and no man can tell u
what rocky shore we are to be wrecked :
The rights which are hot given to the Cell
eral Government by the Constitution ais
reserved to the people of the several States.
The object of the war is just as much as o
secure those reserved rights of the States,;.s
10 secure any power of the United Sta,es-
For the United States are the prolecto S
and defenders of the rights OF the States,
and the very reservation Of the ConstItuiion
is pledge of the nation to the States n
their severalty, that those reserved rights
shall be kept to them. The old question
of State Rights does not come into the di,.
cussion. These are State rights which all
concede. These are as strong and as vall-
able as any of the rights of the Union. IF
we are TO lose any of these by the war, If
the war were TO be prosecuted 10 preserve
national governmen nj at the expense Of
destroying any of these reserved rights Of
States, ii becomes at once manifest, 10 the
feeblest preheusion, that the war wou d
not be for the United States at all, but
would be, as Lord John Russell seemed 10
think it, war Of sections for empire.
The momen: we abandon this plain prin-
cipie we are on the road to ruin. What is
the war for is the question the world is
asking. The answer is that the war is for the
the Government against The revolt. What
is your Government is the next question.
1t is The Constitution, is the answer. That
catechism is brief, clear and eompre-
hensible. If any man should say we are
fighting for the Declaration of Indepen-
dsnce. for the rights of man, for the free
dom of the human race, for liberty. or or
any other object than the Government, he
at once changes the war to one of people
against people, and he will fnd The world
very likely 10 say, "oh then, IFS free
fight. and our sympathies may as properly
go 10 one side as the other"
1t is not free fight. II is a contest
OF authority against revolt The Engl sh
and French nations have had some expsr-
ience in such contests. The world las
seen many such The first and manifest
duty of foreign powers is 10 stand off and
let govern nent snbdue The revolt il ii can
But if men throw themselves into the con.
test nominally on The side of the Govern.
meni but in really TO bring about anarchy
and 10 make the war a crusade in favor of
some Ism or supposed philanthropy, and If
such men should gain command and have
their schemes adopted as the object of he
war calling servile instructions and their
attendant horrors 10 aid them, il is not i'm
probable that then foreign nations would
say, this is no longer a government sup
pressing revolt, but il is war of two
great bodies OF people, without const tu-
tions, without anything but the form OF a
anu VIC III SI-
vene for the sake of humanity, if not Tor
other reasons"
This very argument is already urged in
Europe. The United States are not in hal
condition however. They have a const tn
liou, and are fighting for it, as England
would fight Tor her race of kings, OF as
France once, before her allegience TO the
race of Corsica, would have tough! for the
descendenis of Louis the Saint
II becomes US to keep the war firmly on
this basis, TO avoid even the appearance o.
a war of mere ideas. Not 10 prevent
! foreign interference That may co ne
whatever course we pursue, and if we are
so weak and wasted as 10 be under the
necessity of submitting TO H. it will be Z
/ lamentable fact. But we should keep the
war TO IFS original principle for the sake o
right, duty, the safety OF the States, and the
preservation OF record for posterity.-
Whatever the future has in store for us
let no loyal American abandon the OLE
Union for any ideal form of government
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