Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1862-10-26
Robert Dale owens Letter

Robert Dale OWENS LetsoH'
The Abolition conspiracy against the union
ripens apace. The conspirators become day BY
day more bold and unblushing in the svowais
of their real object In demanding the remoVai
Of Democratic and conservative Generals ana
what they call ga more vigorous prosecution Oh
the war" 1t Is not TO defend and preserve the
Union with all the dignity, equality and rights
of the several States unimpaircd," but TO ex-
trpate, not simply slavery, as they frauau'en,y
allere, but the Union as 1t existed before the
rebellion broke out
The New York Tribune Of Oct. 23, and the
Journal of this city, Of Oct. 25, following its
Abolition fle.leader, publish and glority let
ter of ROBERT DALE OWEN, Addressed after the
manner of Massa GREELEY, to President LIN
COLIN, under date of Sept IT, urging him to Is
sue an Emancipation Proclamation, which IN
five DAYS thereafter, Sept. %, made Its appear
ance. 1t is supposed to be one OF the heavy
timbers tina. Increased the Abolition pressure
upon our good patured President and forced
him to yield
A single paragraph from this letter OF DALE
Owen will give our readers good idea OF i's
main scope or drift. OWEN says, addressing tne
President:
| Can YOU look forward to the future OF our
country and imagine any state OF things n
| which, with slavery still existing, we should
be assured Of permanent peace? cannot -
We can constitutionally extirpate slavery ai
4 this time. But II we fail to do this, then, un
less we intend hereafter to violate the Constitu
ton, we shall have fugitive slave law In op
GRAFTON whenever the war is over. snail tne
North have sacrificed hundred thousand livei
and two thousand millions OF treasure 10 come
to that at last2 Not even guaranty OF peace
purchased at 80 enormous costf Atter VOL
untsry exertions on the part OF our people .c
which the history of the world furnishes nc
na,slIel. ia the old root of bitterness still
10 remain in the ground to 'eprout and bear
fruit in the future as it has borne fruit IN the
past. a
Though we had peaceable and prosperous
Union for over seventy years, with slavery e1
isting in nearly half the States, the Prealden
and the people are now challenged to look ior
ward to the future and imagine any state o.
things in which, with the same Union existing
we can be assured of permanent peace. We
verify thought in our ignorance, and so did the
people in their simplicity, that it was Tor the
mere preservation of that same old Union, that
We were suffering and fighting, and not for the
extirpa.ion of slavery, or any other evil, save
that of armed treason and rebellion. Having
nut that down, we did imagine. as did the great
mass of the people at home and in the HELD
that the old Union under the Constitution that
Washington and the fathers made, would as
sure US Of as permanent a peace as could De
expected under any system OF human govern
ment.
But il see ms that DALE OWEN and the Abo-
lltionists have made the discovery that we can
oonstit titutionally extirpate slavery at this time
though we could not do 1t at any other. There
are, 1t ia admitted, loyal Union men in all the
slave States, who conshtutionally hold slaves
The argument is, thatb certain other men
have rebelled or committed treason, loyal men
can be constitutionally deprived Of their cOnsti-
tutional rights. Did ever despotism or insane
| isnaticism invent more glaring sophissry2
But here comes the Abolition bugbear which
has determined them against the restoration of
the Union, notwithstanding they have, as If In
mockery Of the common sense of the people,
| nicknsmed themselves "Union" men, namely
that if we restore or preserve the Union, we
shall have a fugitive slave law In operation
when the war is over. And the startling ques.
tion is put-"Shall the North have sacrificed
| hundred thousand lives and two thousand
millions of treasure to come to that at last2"
Let us put the counter question, and let our
people by their fresides and our soldiers out In
the bleak fields and camps respond-Is it for
tho sake of getting rid of fugitive slave law,
or carrying out any other Abolition measure in
regard to slavery, that you are willing to sac
riice your lives and expend your treasured
And let us have the response Of our people and
soldiers to one other questiou-Haye you not
understood from the beginning Of this war, that
it was TO be carried on for the mere preserva-
tion of the Union and for no other object what
ever-that to this end an armed rebellion was
TO be put down by your arms, and that when
that was accomplished that "best government
on earth" was to resume its sway over the
whole country, as It existed under the admins.
tra.ions Of WAHrNaToN, JOHN ADAMS, JEEFER-
SON, MADISON, MoSRoE, JOIN QurNcH ADAMS,
JACKSON, VAN buren,, HARRIsoN, Tyler, Polk,
TAYLOR, FILLMORE, PIERCE and BUCHANAN?