Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1862-08-15
Senator Douglas Last Letter.

the use of my arms for the present by
severe attack Of rheumatism, | ain con-
PEELED to avail myself Of the services of
an amanuensis in reply to your two
letters.
1t seeaes that some Of my friends ere M
able 10 comprehend the difference bct,ceea
arguments used IA tavor Of an equitnJle
compromise, aoifh the hope Of farerting the
horrors Of aoar, and those urged in sup
port of the Government and the flag Of
our country, ,ohen aoar is being ,oaged
against the United States lciM the agotced
purpose Of producing permanent dis
ruption Of the Union and q total dest'nc-
| ton Of ats Government.
| All hope of compromise with the Cot
| ton States was abandoned when they as
sumed the position that the separation
of the Union was complete and final,
and that they would never consent to
reconstruction in any contingency
eren It aee aooaH furnish them ,0hh a
blank sheet Of paper and permit them to
iascriGe their owa terms.
Still the hope was cherished that rea-
sonable and satisfactory terms of ad-
I
Tennessee, North Carolina, and the
Border States, and that whatever terms
would prove satisfactory to these loyal
States would create Union party in
the Cotton States, which would De pow
erful enough at the ballot-b box to de-
stroy the Revolutionary Government t,
and bring those States back into the
Union by the voice Of their own people
This hope was cherished by Union mon
North and South, aud was never aban-
doned until actual war was levied at
| Charleston and the authoritative an
nouncement made by the Revolutionary
Government at Montgomery, that the
secession flag should be planted upon
the walls of the Capital at Washington,
and proclamation issued aaoiting The
pirates Of the aoord to prey upon the COM
naerce of the United States.
These startling facts, in connection
with the boastful announcement that
the ravages of war and carnage
should be quickly transferred from the
cotton fields of the South to the wheat
fields and corn fields Of the North, fur
nish conclusive evidence that it was the
fred purpose Of the secessionists utterly to
destroy tie Government Of our fathers and
o6literate the United States from, the map
Of the soerld.
In view of this state Of facts there aous
but one path Of duty left to patriotic men.
1t was not party question, nor ques-
ton involving partisan policy; 1t ,oas q
question Of Government or no Government;
country or no count,y-and hence it be-
came the duty of every Union man,
every friend Of constitutional liberty,
to rally to the support Of our common
country, ats Government and flag, as the
only means of checking the progress of
revolution and Of preserving the Union
Of Stltes.
| l am unable to answer your questions
in regard to the policy of Nlr. Lincoln
and Cabinet. | am not in their conf
dence, as you and the whole country
ought to be aware am neither the
supporter Of the partisan policy nor the
apologist of the errors Of the Admins
tration. My previous relations to them
remain unchanged; but I trust the time
,oW neuer come ,ohen l shall not be aoI-
ling to make any needful sacrifice Of per
sonaI feeling and party policy for the
honor and integrity Of my country.
| | know of no mode in which loyal
citizen may so we'll demonstrate his de-
votion to his country as by sustaining
the Flag, the Constitution, and the
Union, under all circumstances, and un-
der every Administration, rcgardiess of
party politics, against all assailants, at
| home and abroad The course of Clay
and Webster toward the Administration
| of Jackson, in the days of Nullifcation,
presents noble and worthy example
for all true patriots. At the very mo-
ment when that fearful crisis was pre-
cipitated upon the country, partisan
strife between Wings and Democrats
was quite as bitter and relentless as now
between Democrats and Republicans.
The gulf which separated party lead
ers in those days was quite as broad
and deep as that which now separates
the Democr from the Republicans.
But the moment an enemy rose IN our
nidst, plotting the dismenebernaent cf the
Union and the destruction Of the Govern-
ment, the voice of partisan strife aoas
hushed IN patriotic silence. One Of the
brightest chapters in the history of our
country will record the fact that during
this eventful period the great leaders of
the opposition, sinking the partisan IN
the patriot, rushed to the support of the
Government, and became its ablest and
bravest defenders against all assailants
until the conspiracy was crushed and
abandoned, when they resumed their
former positions as party leaders upon
political issues.
These acts of patriotic devotion have
never been deemed evidences Of infdel
ity or political treachery, on the part Of
Clay and Webster, to the principles and
organization of the old Wing party
Nor have 1 any apprehension that the
firm and unanimous support which the
Democratic leaders and masses are now
giving to the Constitution and the Union
will ever be deemed evidence Of infdel-
ity to Democratic principles, or want
of loyalty to the organization and creed
of the Democratic party. If aoe hope to
regain and perpctuate the ascendancy of
our party, ICE should neoer forget that a
man cannot be q true Democrat anless he
is a loyal patriot.
With the sincere hope that these, my
conscientious convictions may coincide
with those Of my friends, am, very
truly yours, STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS.
To VIRGIL HIcKox, Esq, Chairman
| State Democratic Committee