The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1862-01-11


democratic habit Of confounding republican
ism and abolitionism'-Rock Island Regis.
ter. sth.
If our neighbor uses the word republican
ism" in its broadcast and best sense, then he
is mistaken, for in that sense 1t is synony.
nous with democracy, and signifies that the
people have right to govern themselves
But if he used the word "republicanism"
in party sense, he is right--we do believe
in effect, it is no more nor less than "aboli.
tionism," and that il has been the cause Of
our present national difficulties. We don't
need anybody's endorsement a. can excellent
union man." for we have always been
union man-we were such when the editor
of the Register refused to have anything to do
with union meetings and sneered at us rs Il
'union saver" The people have not forgot
ten the sneers Of the editor Of the Register,
at Geo. W. Peasants and Others as "union
savers" as far back as 1859.
There is no republican party now. 1t ls
broken scattered and destroyed, by its own
acts. 1t never had single plank in its plat.
form in regard to national affairs; it never
had settled policy regarding banks, tariffs,
internal improvements, government lands,
extension Of territory, foreign affairs or any
thing else about which il could agree-ex-
cept to agitate the negro question and get into
place and power The party was composed
Of men of all shades OF opinOns--bank men
and anti-bank men, tariff men and anti tariff
men, internal improvement men and anti lin
ternal Improvement men, aud 50 on through
the whole catalogue of NATIONAL issues, and
embraced among its leaders members of the
old whig party, (which was destroyed by
sbolitionsm) dsaffected democrats, native
Americans, abolitionists, etc, but all agree
ing to agltate the slavery question and ignore
everything else until they got into power
But, upon this question, the party, while it
could be called party, was as bad as abo,i-
tionism could make it, But if the party,
even thus constituted, had been willing, in
1880, TO do what many men who were
lHtu tOuuttb ibN lCiItIH are HDU Wiling 10
do. we should nave had no secession, no war.
Our neighbor is right when he says it is
ian old democratic habit" and il is an hon
est and true habit, too TO regerd republican
ism, in party sense, the same as aboltionism
No man can honestly deny that the agitation
of the slavery question, by people who had
bn, ,.,t a. 81 l.,
been the sole cause Of secession dissolution
and civil war II was this agitation which
created and held together and brought into
power the socaled republican party. With
out this agitation the party never could have
risen to power in a single state; and without
this agitation no alienation of feeling between
the north and the south would have occurred.
The editor of the Register has contributed
as much as any one in this region to this agi.
tatiou. Does he think, if the people Of each
state in the union had acted upon the great
principle of the Douglas democracy, minding
their own business and leaving the people of
every other state to mind theirs. that state
would have seeded? We guess not, Is it
not true, then, that republicauism, in par.
ty sense, or aboltionlsm, is responsible for
bringing on civil war which deluges our
fair land in the blood of its brave men, car.
ries unutterable and inextnguishable anguish
TO thousands OF families, deyastates whole
states with the scUurge Of war, bankrupts
thousands of heretofore prosperous men, and
grinds down the whole people with oppress-
i've, ruinous taxation?
Has not the democracy predicted, for TWEEN.
ty years, what would be the result of this
slavery agitationP Has not the democracy
warned the people of the certain, the inevita-
BILE RESULT And is not every prediction be-
ing fulfilled?
But we have no heart u pursue this sub.
Ject any further, now. We labored. with
what little ability We possessed, to advert the
blow, when others were sneering at US as
"union-sayer," and urging on, with all the
arts OF a demagogue, this accursed slavery
agitation. We were defeated, and fanaticism
ruled the hour. But we made up our minds
10 give the constituted authorities what little
influence we had to find as little fault as DOS
sible; to use every possible effort to create
solid, united sentiment at the north ibid the
Register do that at the last election p to up.
hold the government in its mighty effort to
crush the treason. When peace shall come,
vi it ever does Gomez along with it will come
Just and wholesome public sentiment at the
north, which will place the responsibility for
pre)adiclng the north against the south. and
tue south against the north, on the shoulders
"nere IL beiongs-on the shoulders of those
VINO persisted, for twenty years, in keeping
up purely sectional agitation. in order tba,
they might ride into place and mower oven
over the ruins of divided, distracted and
broken union
The people will, at last, place the blame
where it belongs, and will come back IN tho |
good old.fashioned doctrine OF leaving each
state and territory to manage its own dome..
tic affairs in its own way, trammeled or con.
trolled by no power save The constitution of
the United States, and their own sovereign
will. On that doctrine we can have peace,
and live in happiness and union forever.