Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1862-09-25

ohly thcir duty TO the whole country; that
this war shond not be wagcd In tho spirit OF
conquest or suliugaton, nor for the purpose OF
overihrowing or interfering with the rights OF
institutions OF the States, but TO defend and
maintain the supremacy af the Constitution.
and to preserve the Union " ith all the dignity
equality and the rights o f the several States
unimpaircd; and that as soon as these objects
are accomplished the war ought to cease,n
stand by that declaration, and be.
lieve it should be faithfully adhered to
through all the phases Of the war, and
that so far as the Federal Admins tration
has departed, or seemed to depart, in the
purpose OF the war, Fl ON this declaration.
the Federal power has been weakened,
and the power Of the rebellion strength.
encd.
I l have regarded as unwise and i'll!
timed, all the attempts by the present
Congress to lcgislate against slavery dur.
ing rebellion based upon the fear of lust
such legislation, and | have especially
condemned, as stitutional and rev.
oluiionary, the bill attempted to be pass
ed through Congress to subvert the gov
ernment OF eleven States, and to deal
win them as conquered provinces.
In regard to the Presidents scheme Of
emancipation by Feneral cooperation in
pecuniary aid, would say that, waving
the disputed question of the constitution.
alty OF such a scheme, it has seemed to
me lll-turned and unwise. The minds of
men neither in the North nor in the
South, are prepared for the calm consil-
Grafton OF measure so grave, radical
inr-reachnS and the burdens Of the peo
pie consequent upon the war are already
so enormous as to forbid the attempt to
add to them by the purchase and colon
lzatlon o. the negro population of the
south. The phiIonthropy and practica.
bllty OF such measure are alike doubt.
lnl, and nothing but stringent and com.
manding necessity could under any cir.
cumstances, Justify it. That nccessit- does
not exist. The President and the pres
cnt Congress were not placed in power on
any such issue, and the voice Of the peo-
pie has not called for any such scheme
OF emancipation. They hay never sig
nliled thefr..assent to, even if they had the
ability to bear, the public debt and al
most crushing taxation that must follow
the adoption Of the Presidents scheme.
People faithful to the Union demand of
the government, as its first highest duty,
the suppression Of the rebellion bv the
military power which they have freely
and abundantIy bestowed and that civil
! relations and State institutions should be
left to be determined under the Constitu.
ton and laws, when the civil power shall
be restored througouht the land.
8. l have not seen the necessity or POL
icy of Congressional legislation Tor con.
hscatlon OF rebel pro erty, and the con-
Stltutionality of such egislation, a, pre-
senled in Congress, may admit of grave
dispute. The President and his ablest
advisers have freely stated their doubt,
and objections at this point. IL the reb-
els are to be punished as cyiminois, that
! punishment must be in accordance with
the Constitution and laws of the land
and as the result of legal trial and con.
viction. This every criminal has right
to claim. If, on the other hand, the reb-
els are to be treated as enemies IN acor.
and by the laws of war, the dealing ith
them in person and property belongs to
! the 2rar pOWer Of the Government, which
during the war is in the hands, not of
Congress, but of the President, subject
to the high responsibilities of his office.
The President as Commandcrin chief of
the army and navy, has ample power,
under the laws Of war, to capture and
and confscate the property of enemies
when 1t comes under the control of the
military power. In SO lar, then, as the
slaves OF the people Of the South wheth. !
er rebels or not, come in the way of the
Federal army, and are necessary to be
used III the progress of the war to put
down the rebellion, let them be so used,
under the direction and authority of the
Preside nt and his subordinate Generals
under the rules and usages of civilized
war. If Southern property, in food or
otherwise, is needed for the support and
comfort of Federal soldiers, let it be tax
en- when found and so used--not by the
band of rapine, but by the disciplined
and law governed hand OF military au-'I
thorlty and so taken that every man. no |
matter what his condition, shall receive
Justice i'll regard to it. II the slaves in
the South are needed to dig, to carry, to
hew, or to do any useful work for the
Federal army, let them be used as militia
ry necessity may require, and let time
and circumstances determine that neces-
sity, but let nothing be done to the prop
eIty or slaves OF Southern men to dis.
courage in the Federal soldier spirit of
license, OF rapine or revenge, or to low
er his seli-respect, to degrade him social- |
ly, or to weaken him in hand or heart for
the work he has to do as the soldier and
irec-born defender of the Union. The
policy that would put the free born white
soldier OF the North on the level of the
negro slave, is, in my Judgment, neither
humane nor eXpedent. Let the negro
be used according to his condition. but
let all be made to know that ours is a
white mans government, and that white
men arc able to defend aud preserve it.
Such l understand to be the theory of
President Lincoln in his refusal to re-
ceive negroes as soldiers into the Federal
armies which refusal | approve.
While the blows of Federal govern
ment upon rebellion in arms should be
quick, sharp, powerful and decisive, it
should not forget, in waging war on its
own misguided people, that it stands be-
| fore the civilized and christian world as