M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1862-12-18


clamation of the President destroys
it, because be pledges the government
forever to conflict with the laws of the
states, by which the institution of Sla,
veryis maintained. The slaves are
declared to be forever free, and the
Federal government is to maintain
that froetom, in direct and plain Op
position to the laws and ordinances Of
the States, and to the Constitution Of
the United States. which reserves the
right to enact such laws aud ordi-
names. Who then will deny that by
thial ill.starred and fatal measure tae
President has committed or attempt
ed TO commit the government of the
Union to o purpose tHtaide Of tho
Conbtitution, ID violation of it, and
that purpose isss67 less than the sud
den entrancnisement OF millions of
ignorant and helpless human beings,
and the absolute overthrow Of society
iu eloven States of the Union. This
is revolution, more destructive, as we
shall find, if we suffer it to go on,
than any in the history OF civilized
man. 1t is revolution, inausurated
under the auspices of the Executive
government Of the United States, by
a Chief Magistrate clothed with the
highest and mcst sacred OF all human
trusts, that of maintaining and de-
fonding the Constitution and the
Union.
/ desire to leave no doubt in the
minds Of any who hear me thar this
proclamation is most glaring and
fearful assumption Of power, rot Civ
On by the Constitution. II adds moth.
ing to my own conviction to cite the
opinion Of Mr.. Seward, now Secreta
ry of State, in past years the most in
auential Of the anti.slavery agitators
Of the North. That distinguished
ecntleman however, has many friends
and admirers, and it may determine
their convictions Of duty they owe to
tho Constitution and the country, If |
place before them his views SO clear.
y stated, as to leave no doubt in re-
gard to them. In diplomatic paper
addressed to our Minister in France,
dated April 22d, 1861, speaking OF
The rebellion, he says:
"Tbe condition of slavery in these
several States will remain just the
same whether it succeed or fail
There is not even pretext for the
complaint that the disafected States
are to be conquered by the United
States if the revolution fail, for the
rights of tho States and the condition
OF every human being in them, will
remain subject to exactly the same
laws and forms of administration
whether the revolution shall succeed
or whether it shall fail. In tie one
case, the States would bo federally
connected with the new confederacy:
in the other, they would, as now, be
members of the United States. But
their constitutions and laws, customs,
habits and institutions, in either case,
will remain the came. 1t is hardly
necessary to add to this incontestable
statement the future fact, that the new
President, as well as the citizens
through whose sutirages he has come
into the administration, has always
ropudiated all design whatever and
wherever imputed to him and them,
of disturbing the system Of slavery as
it existed under tho Constitution and
lave. The case, however, would not
be fully presented il | were to omit to
say that any such effort on his part
would be unconstitutional, and oil his
actions iu that direction would be pre-
venteo by the judicial authority, even
though they we're assented to by Con-
gress and the people"
Here, then, we have the very pro.
position which Mr.. Lincoln enunciat
ed in his inaugural, which have en-.
deavored to elucidate in the plainest
language at my command, that the
Union is unconstitutionaIly unbroken
that on the suppression of the rebel
lion and the practical restoration Of
the States to their constitutional rela'
tions, State constitutions, laws, Gus.
toms, habits and institutions will re.
main ae before the rebellion; and we
are also told that this statement of the
case is not only incontestable, but that
the President and bis partisaDs repudi-
ate all design, whatever and whereve'
imputed to him, of disturbing the sys.
tenn Of slavery under the Constitution
and laws.
Let us here attend for q moment to
the suggestion of Mr. Seward, thai
the Judiciary will interpose and arrest
the crisis and its fearful consequences
by pronouncing the edict Of the Pres
ident to be null and void. Let nc