Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-08-04
For the Indiana State Sentinel

TUT IN hildild olabt CiNAuOi
Mr.. EDITOR: Please publish the following
words OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. In his debate with
DOUGLAS he was charged with having opposed
the Mexican war. Mr.. LINCOLN replied:
Whenever the Democratic party tried TO get
me to vote that the war had been righteOusly be-
gun by the President, Z toouLd not do II. But
whenever they asked for any money, or land war
rants" &c.-BartLett'S Life Of Lincoln. p "a.
Also the following words upon the Abolition
crusade against the South by EDWARD EVERETT:
suppose it to be the almost universal impress
sion-it is certainly mine-that the existing
state of affairs is extremely critical. Our po
litical controversies have substantially assumed
an almost purely sectional character-that of IA
fearful struggle between the North and the South.
Ii would not be difficult to show at length the
p%erilous nature and tendency of this struggle, but
l can only say, on this occasion, that, in my
opinion, it can not be much longer kept up. with
out rending the Union. | do not mean that either
of the great parties in the country desires or aims
ut a separation of the States as a final object,
although there are extremists in considerable
numbers who have that object in view. While a
potent and a baleful influence is exercised by men
of this class, in both sections of the Union, a
portion of the conservative masses are insensibly
and gradually goaded into concurrence with
llllOl VIII W \ III NhC "a
set, they had no sympathy. Meantime, almost
wholly neglecting the main public interests, our
political controversies turn more and more on
questions, in reference to which, as abstract for
mula, the great sections of the country differ
irreconcilably, though there is nothing practically
important at stake which requires the discussion
to he kept up. These controversies are carried
on with steadily increasing bitterness and exas-
p~eration. The passions thus kindled have already
Qd 10 aptS nf viOlQnPQ and hlOOdShQd annrOaph-
ing to civil war in the Territories, and attempted
servile insurrection in the States. The great re
ligious and philanthrOpic associations of the cOun-
try are sundered, and the kindly social relations
of North and South seriously impaired. The
National House of Representatives, lowering on
the verge of anarchy, requires weeks to effect an
organization, which ought to be the work of an
hour, and it holds its sessions, many Of its mem
bers, l am told, armed with concealed weapons,)
on the crust of a volcano. The candidates for
the Presidency representing respectively the dom
inant sectional ideas, will, at the ensuing election,
IN all probability, be supported by a purelg geo.
graphical vote. In other words, we are already
brought to a pass, at which North and South can
not and will not cooperate in the periodical reor
ganization of the Government.
Can such a state of things long continue. es
pecially with the ever present risk of new causes
of evaporation? 1 own it seems to me impos-
sible. unless some healing cour- e is adopted that
the catastrophe, which the mass of good citizens
deprecate, should be much longer delayed. A
spirit Of patriotic moderation must be called into
action throughout the Union. OF il will assuredly
be broken up. Unless the warfare of inhamma-
tory speeches and incendiary publications is aban-
doned, and good citizens, as in l776 and 1877,
North and South, will agree to deal with the
same elements of discOrd-fOr they existed then
as now-as our fathers dealt with them. we shall
but for a very few years longer be even nominally
brethren OF one family. The suggestion that the
Union can be maintained by the numerical pre-
dominance and military prowess of one section,
exeTted to cOerce the other into submission, IL,
ia. my judgment, as self contradictory as it is
dangerous. 1t comes loaded with the death
mel from fields wet with brothers blood. If
the vital principle of all republican government
els the consent of the governed, much more
does a union of co equal sovereign States require
as its basis, the harmony of its members and
their voluntary co operation in its organic func-
tions.-EUeTetf's Letter. dated Boston, Nay, %,
1860, accepting the nomination Of the Bell and
EUerett men for Vice President.