Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1862-12-11
The .prosident,s Messnge.

| Tn the stormy era IN which Il has pleased
| God 10 cast our lot, il is well that country
so tried as ours should have one among It's
leaders in whose integrity. patriotism, and
uncalcuating devotion to the noblcst ends,
all may and do con6ide. That man IL Abra.
ham Lincoln To disparage his abilities,
criticise his rhetoric, pronounce hini too fast
here or too slow there, mny not be difficult;
but there lives no loyal American who dis.
trusts his earnest dcsirie to serve and save
the Union. When faction, meaning to stop
just short Of treson, affirms that the War
Tor the Union is only prosecuted for the
aggrandizenent of contractors and jobbers
that those who most earnestly sapport the
Federal Government are quite Ms responsible
| for the Rebellion as those who fnmented,
inauqurated, and still uphold tit is CON
fronted by the presence in the foreground
of one man who refused to the last to believe
Treason, Dsunion aud Civil War to be
seriously purp0scd-who, in his lnaugual,
condesceuded to tlesd with the architects
of ruin and entreat them to pause in their
mad career--who hestated to shed blood,
even in vindication of rightiul, essential
authority, until absolutely forced to do so
by the conspirators for Disunion conmmen-
chg the fray-and who, from that moment
to the present, has been anxious only to
secure a return, at the earliest possible mo.
ment, to the mild sway of Law, Order, and
Peace.
Mr. Lincoln Message discusses many top
les of grave interest and embodes many i'm
portant suggestions; but the interest Of one
subject therein canvassed overrides all
others, and his expose will be hailed with
hearty approval or spurrfed with execration
a. the reader substantially agrees with or
dissents from his judgment on this point.
Essentially, the President sees and pro-
claims that .Slaperg has becomethe in,ptaca-
Die foe OF the american Union, and that The
,Sldue Rtcer must die az order that the Re
public may hipe. Ane this is so obviously,
so glaringly true, that the historian will
have difficulty in realizing that it was ever
gravely disputed.
1t seems incredible that human audacity
should be equal to the task of misreprsen
ting the Presidents position. rs he not
pledged to prosecute the war to the sole end
| of restoring the legitimate authority of the
| Constitution and Union?' Most certainly
he is; and that is Just what he is doing
1t is precisely and only because the Slave
Power is the chief, the fundamental obstacle
to such restoration, that he is compelled to
grapple with it in mortal encounter. 1t is
| Slavery-nothing under heaven bu Slavery
It9ae uni'es 5ne lower couh'ies =, nary
lanaLyes, anu 1i Delaware aiSSL.,h S' 3onas
oI livery sy'npathy WIN !he oon.euersle
pie of those States, living uncurscd by the
daily clang of human fetters, are and ever
| have been loyal. 1t is Slavery, and nothing
else, that makes the Old Dominion den
oftreas,n, while West Virginia. on the con
trary, having few slaves, is stanchly loyal.
r. +, ~ slavery wnlch reVgSses .le poies VI
IonnG'see, 'iakne ner Easte,n i u,v,SlVn W. a
| T'"u'' NJ VI o'o.''' ~ w - 80 " 6
tennessee are cankercd with treason 90
III Missouri, every county wherein slavery
wa preuo lilhant mas swav'neu nc " w'th surrnias
ana 'ent iis youth To SVEN the ,oe' armies
VINE l'S rree-Lao1r com'luh'''es ra'ly in-
st'hctively unuer the oiu nag: rence'
neaithy amount Oh ChlohiShh III NoItheru
Alabama ana MisslsSlppL Out none Is per
ceptaoie III oou.hern' hence oh10nlshi
Struggling 20 tne SURFACE in esterh ieAas,
nut coweu anu Gumo IN Easterh' hehce
Unloni,m y outspoken IN New.orleans' Mem
pms Nasnvihe, put none 10 speak oI
lamong Whres) on the great plantations
Wnsrepy yW9 those otles are ;Nh,o SUR ouaue1 ea
"ho can n'sreau these unueh'ao'e iacts'
Were Slavery dead to day, We might to
morrow muster out Of service every, Union
soldier, and still the Union would be GER
talny and speedily restored. Leave Slav-
cry where tins Rebellion found 1t, and you
may XVI ana oury every man now III me
oo1iedera.s iH h = ARMIES win every 2 one VINO
couid ne ihduEea TO serve In tnoSe armies,
% ana SUI .ne Unlon @ 's. wGu.a soon DC again
assaileu, and ninst u'ti'ia1eiy ia'' Sness Jus
mortal loe s, sn9uid oe kiileu nfs'; secession
Is IN the ploou OF tne slaVenolalhg caste,
sa anu w,ll never oe eApened whle slavery
remains
,n,a piadass So. ,he ,Ss sesame seisane msnr meI"
S,. L.s hoon ,L;..u ,,aa. ,l
,h o'avoE aS V1ut bnt shn m !: ye eaoae md u;
:ne l ooIo'ua'p" na. .:.l M gu" ,n
Ju.ipus'y go.tu WIN .a nnee Ma naro' II, our ne,
pup.ioIsna. ,. nel ,htoass.a suao'' "au up mase
sumer' J ,r9'n u, t tne n par,mersnip 9ne 1;e ndS
lunoaou S,h .s'' a., nc, ,JooS io al anu
Iea'n tha s.usseLLIhe ha mdS k kloenuy seVIreu a
she ,,sanen' ni, @ .ma. ppa"u ne, " ,ne rles
o,a'esLsto may ue .empotalny HoS'oeu ~
s In.o suou,lssoS TIn & "d' ne'ea eJouunel h "
loyaly: ine Tou,n may 1as'ty We eEal,i