The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1862-08-08
Address Of the Republican Members Of
Congress.

Address of the Republican Members ol
Congress.
To the Lovat People ofthe United
States:
The undersigned Senators and
Representatives in Congress, impell.
ed by sense OF duty, send these
words to You from your Capitol.
Tho armed Rebellion against the
Constitution and laws Of your conn.
try, organized and begun during du
ring the late Administration Of Mr.
Buchanan, and by the assent and CO.
operation OF several Of his Constitu,
tional advisers. is nnhappily not We,
suppressed. These Rebel conspira
tors continue to wagc war with in.
tensified cruelties upon your country
and its free institutions. IL would
be unjust alike to you and to our
selves 70 seek to hide the fact that
this rebellion, by reason of the num-
bcrs and resources which II com.
mands, the end at which IL aims,
and the interests which it imperils,
is without parallel in the history
Of the world.
A large majority OF the people oi
eleven States, embracing an area ol
700,0 900 square miles OF fertile land
and population of 1900, 900, are
this day in the support OF the Rebel.
lion. This cruel and unnatural war
is waged by these ccnspirators,
against the people neither for the
redress Of a wrong nor the vindica-
tion Of right. The people whom
they assail and seek to destroy have
done them no wrong; the Govern
ment OF the country which they seek
to overturn has neither denied or
violated any right Of theirs. The
chiefs in this reasonable conspiracy
openly declare their purpose to bo to
overtnrn by force the fabric OF Amer
lean Empire, and build upon i,s RI
inc a despotisln which would with
hold from honest toll it's jnst reward.
which would proclaim 10 the labor.
ing masses oi our country men the
maxim Of tyrsnis-that the great
law OF liberty and human progress is
not for them, and which woul open
and perpetuate new markets. in which
"men are to he bought and sold az
merchandise" 1t cannot be mat.
ter of surprise that q reasonable
war levied for such purposes should
be prosecuted by those who wage it
with "cruel;y and perfidy scarcely
parallelled in the most bsrbarous
ages" These armed consplrators,
in prosecuting their work of treason,
have robbed. imprisoned, banished,
and murdered pescebe citizens sole.
ly because OF their dielity to their
country and its laws.
They have deliberately assassins.
ted your mangled and defenceless
soldiers on the field of battle, and
have violated the sacred graves OF
your buried dead. And that their
acts OF cruelty might be marked by
every atroci,y, they have even com,
PEELED four millions OF slaves to cup.
port them by their unpaid labor, and
thus to contribute to the perpetual
tion of the tyranny which iorges iet.
ters for themselves and their child
rem.
Men moved by such purposes,
and capable of employing such
means for their accomplish nent,
must be deaf alike to the demands
OF justice and humanity, and can on :.
ly be restrained by the strong arm
OF power. As neither ties OF com.
mon kindred, nor the obligations of
a common humanity, nor the claims
OF a common country, are regarded
by these assailants of your free in
stitutions, it only remains for the
loyal people to "hold them as they
hold the rest Of mankind-enemies
in war, in peace, friends"
We cannot, il we would, shut ont
from our minds the conviction that
upon the issue OF this conflict OF arms
thus forced upon you, depends not
merely the success, but the existence
OF your great experiment OF repre-.
sentative government. In the light
Of our past history, judged by the
rapid growth and development of
the Republic under our free Cons'i
tuition, it is not an open question
whether that Constitution IL worth
preserving. Every loyal American
citizen shrinks rom the suggestion
that the unity Of government which
constitutes us one people can be de-
stroyed. The words OF Washington,
always significant, seem to be invest,
ed to-day with a new force: "This
Government, the offspring Of our
own choice, uninf1ueDced and un.
awed, adopted upon full investiga-
ton, AND COMPLETELY FREE IN IT'S
PRINCIPLES, has
q just claim to your confidence and
your support. Respect for its su'
thority, compliance with its laws,
acquiescence in it's measures, are du-
ties epjoined by the fundamental
maxine OF true liberty" We can
not doubt that you duly appreciate
these great uttersnces Of the Father
Of your Conntry-thst it 10 with you
q conviction that your Government,
"free in its principles" has a jus,
claim to your support, and must at
every hazard be maintained. Act