Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1862-02-06
The Grand Obstruction.

1t is becoming clear 10 everybody ina
, tho "War for the Union" has not beer
prosecuted in the right spirit nor in tn,
right direction.
1t is further becoming clearer to the
popular mind that unless the policy and
the general management OF the war be
Immediately and radically changed, every
vestige of hope for the reconstruction oi
the Union will be "irrevocably gone, u
and the North as well as the South doom
ed to anarchy and military despotism.
When President Lincoln took his scat
on the 4th of March last, lie appealed to
the patriotism of his "discontented fell
low citizens of the South. When Gen
oral Sherman made similar appeal in
similar language, to the people of South
Carolina. he was rdiculed and abused
in almost every Republican journal in the
land
Last summer it was almost un ami
mously declared by the present Congress
that the war was waged on our part, not
upon the institutions or rights of any
State, but for the suppression of a rebel
lion against tho Constitution and laws
of the Union.
Last fall the political parties in Ohio
adopted substantially the samo declara-
ton. The verdict Of Ohio was unani-
mously in favor of carrying on the war
on the Crittendcn platform.
But there were men in this State and
all over the North who, while protesting
adhesion to that platform and to what
was called Union" party, by their
practice gave the lie direct to their pro-
fessions. They pressed upon the admin.
istration and Congress the most ultra
war measures-general conhscation, gen.
eral emancipation, the reduction of States
to territorial condition, erection of
new States out Of the parts of old ones,
and total disregard of the safeguards
and guarantees OF the Constitution
These men belong to the party which
placed the present Administration in
power and claim majority in both
Houses of Congress. They are active
and vigilant; they have control of the
most widely circulated and most nnuen.
tial Republican journa s, and few of those
that are conservative dare openly oppose
them. We call them radical Republi
cans for the sake of distinction.
Not only the conservative Republican
journals, but the conservative Republi
can members Of Congress and State Leg
islatures stand in awe of their radca
brethren. They no longer dare stand ~
boldly for the Crittenden resolutions
they seem half inclined to let the"Unior
party" if OF the Union itself, slide, ant
give the radicals the reins in the conduc,
of the war, which Jim Lane says was
promised them at Washington.
The radical Republicans have embar,
rassed aud thwarted the Presidenat at ev
cry step since the war began. From
his Inaugural, the country was led tc
cherish the hope that, whils he would b,
firm andcided in suppressing the rebel
lion and in maintaining the authority OF
the Constitution and the laws, he would
be conciliatory toward even the disaffec
ted, and guard the constitutional rights o.
all from encoachmcnt. But he has beer
forced to be silent as to the further and
unequivocal declaration of any such poll.
cy, ii he has been disposed to make it.
Meanwhile, any slight encouragement
he may have given, or has been reported
to have given to ultra and unconstitution
al measures, has been bruted abroad a.
the settled policy of the Government.
: When our Generals or other miltar,
commanders in the field have issued pro
clamations in accordance with what the,
supposed to be the conservative policy o
the Government, have shown a dispos
ton to set upon the principle that this il
a war upon our part for reconstruction
and not for division, the radicals hav,
misrepresonted and abused them, accu
sing them Of sympathy with the rebel.
and of disloyalty to the Government.
1t is not too much too say that but fol
the malign influence of this rampant rad
, ical Republicanism, the war would now
be nearly or quite at an end, the rebel.
lion crushed out, and the Union saved.
This radicalism first gave birth to the
f rebellion. 1t is the food upon which il
, still feeds and subsists. Take it away
and the insurrection will die out. Thi.
would be most ctlectual and sure meth
cd of starving out the scccssionists. II
would break up and demoralze thci
military organizations. Such scene,
would be enacted on larger scale a,
recently took place in Kentucky, where
as is reported by tegraph, entire com.
panics and even whole regiment in
Iollicoilel S army threw down their arms
, and declared their purpose no longer tc
, fight against the Government.
f If the radicals are suffered to control
orto distract as heretofore the war poll
cy OF the Government, they will institut,
in the North "a reign of terror" as tn,
secessionsts have done in the South, and
3 in conjunction with them, will compass
y the dissolution of the Union, the subver
, sion of the Government and the ruin o
the country. Democrats and all rea
/ conservative men must forthwith unite
/ suppress rebellion secession and rev ou
5 tionary radicalsm and save the Republic
or the last hope of the preservation o
, our natonaI existence-our national lif
, will soon be gone-irrevocably gone
| --StateSmdn.
Con OF Cavalry Reg