The Portland daily press., 1862-08-26
COMMUNICATIONS.
1.-THE Constitution us ii is, and the Union as
Was.".-NO.5.


adopted the above motto, we thought it neces-
sary to examine their history, and show who
they are. They are now represented in this
State by the Argus. We have shown that on
ly last year that paper was opposed to the Con-
stitution as it is, and in favor of subverting
that sacred charter of liberty at the command
of the shareholders as of a dissolution of the
Union.
We have also endeavored to show that the
concessionists or compromisers as they call
themselves, have supported all those measures
which for the last forty years have been direct
ly encouraging the shareholders to commence
this war. 1t being undeniable that slavehold-
ing is the primary cause of the war, we have
pointed out the following series of secondary
causes, viz: The admission of Missouri as
slave State, the compromise tariff in 1888; the
annexation of Texas; the Mexican war; the
rejection of Jefferson's proviso for the exclu-
sion of slavery from the territories; the extern
sion of slavery by enlarging Texas in 1850;
the adoption of squatter sovereignty for Utah
and New Mexico; the Fugitive Slave Act;
the repeal of the laws which excluded slavery
north 80 deg. 30 min. in 1854; the extrau-
dicial and fraudulent perversion of the Con-
stitution by the slaveholding judges in the
matter of Dred Scott; and finally the attempt
to force slavery into Kansas and to force that
State into the Union under fraudulent pro-
slavery constitution, in defiance of the voice of
her people.
All this long series of measures was called
for by the shareholders to enable them to gov
ern the country as an aristocracy, and failing
in that, to strengthen them to overthrow the
whole series was supported by the compro-
msers and the Argus. We saw, that conces-
sions of this kind, if followed up, would at
length involve the nation in war; for the first
time in the year 1888, when the Union was
humbled before South Carolina We claim no
credit for it, Jefferson had foreseen it and put
it in print fifty years ago.
The men who have involved us in this war,
are now shouting for "the Constitution as il is.
and the Union as it was" That is we'll We
hope they are sincere. If they are, we shall
not see them again clamorous for Crittenden's
compromise, nor for the compromise of John
Tylers Peace Congress, nor for any other
change of the Constitution.
We shall not see them again denouncing
Wade, Wilson and Hale as abolitionists, because
they are in favor of the Constitution as it is.
The compromisers and the Argus are now no
longer in favor of the Crittenden Compromise;
no longer In favor of the compromise of John
Tyler's Peace Congress; no longer in favor of
any constitutional compromise. No! They
have reformed! They are in favor of 1.-THE corr
stitution as it is" If they say anything more
in favor of Crittenden's compromise or any
other constitutional compromise, they must
be regarded as guilty Of duplicity and hypoc-
risy.
But the compromisers and the Argus also
claim, that they are in favor of "the Union as
it was" That is also very well; but they
should have thought of that before. Having
encouraged the shareholders to commence this
war, it is no longer possible to have the Union
as it was before. Even in times of peace the
Union was constantly changing. Though it
was the same Union, it was constantly chang
ing in its elements, the same as human BODY
changes from year to year. The changes were
almost imperceptible. BY reason of the slave
holders rebellion, the changes have been very
great, and they have been produced with great
violence. So the Argus having encouraged
the shareholders to commence this war TO de-
stroy the Union, cannot have it restored as it
was. That is not possible.
We have sent our young men to the war to
defend the Constitution and the Union. in
large numbers. We think not less than one
hundred and fifty thousand have died of dis
eases brought on by exposure, or have been
slain in battle, or have been murdered after
they were taken prisoners, or lay prisoners
among the secessionists, or have been crippled
for life. These cannot be restored.
Again, the nation has been involved in an
immense debt, amounting already, perhaps to
six or sight hundred millions of dollars. This
Is a burden from which from which we cannot
free ourselves This debt is rapidly increasing
and the interest must be paid
Then the business of the country has been
greatly deranged; cultivated lands have been
laid waste; railroads have been broken nm
buildings burned; and the minds of our peo-
pie have been demoralized and diverted from