Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-09-01
The Presidents Position.


There are many sentiments i'm the letter of Mr..
LINCOLN to HORACE GREELEY that must command
the cordial approval of every good citizen He
says, Il would save the Union" Certainly this
is the desire of all who love the Union and the
Constitution And how? Mr.. LINCOLN says:
81 would save it in the shortest way under the
| Constitution" This sentiment is right, and is
an assurance to the country that the President
honestly intends to adhere to his constitutional
obligations. His purpose, as expressed, is to pre-
serve, not destroy, the Constitution. And then
follows the following excellent sentiment: 1.-The
sooner the national authority be restored, the
nearer the Union will be the Union as it was -
Certainly those are words of practical wisdom. The
longer the war is delayed the more danger of a
change of the Government from the great free
dom we have enjoyed to a central despotism.
"The Union as it was" is certainly the earnest
hope of every good citizen and for which he
would earnestly labor
The Democratic party is neither slavery par
ty nor anti slavery party. 1t is constitutional
party 1t therefore leaves the question of slave
4
1t approves most heartily the resolution almost
unanimously adopted by the present Congress,
July %, 1861, that the war is not waged to inter
fere with the rights or institutions of the several
States, but simply to restore the national au-
thority.
| In regard to slavery. We do not believe that
its destruction is necessary to save the Union.
Its violent abolition, in our opinion would
be doing great injury to the negro
race and incalculable mischief to the coun-
try. 1t is the aim of every wise government to
preserve, encourage, and foster its indus
trial interests. It's productive labor is the
source of its power and wealth. What good
then in letting loose population who will not
labor unless by force, as under the present sys-
tenn What good in making a barren waste, as
the emancipation of the negro would do, por
ton of the county which has largely added to
the national resources and wealth by its system
of industry?
The President says his present object is to
save the Union, and not either to save or destroy
slavery" And his policy is to " save it in the
shortest way under the Constitution" These
sentiments are right. The first object with all
good citizens is to save the Union-quotng the
language of the President, " the Union as it
was" To that end every effort should be d.
rected without resort to barbarous warfare a
disregard of constitutional rights. Such seems to
be the purpose Of the President. If left to him
self we believe he will prosecute the war with the
utmost vigor for the accomplishment of those
ends. He should be cordially sustained in so
doing. He will be by all who love the Union and
the Constitution-by all except the Abolitionists
who would not save the Union unless they
could at the same time destroy slavery" and the
secessiOnists whose only purpose is to destroy the
Union.
Let slavery take care of itself. Proclamations
and Congressional enactments can not disturb it.
1t it is the only obstacle to saving the Union, il
will disappear with the advance of our armies.
To that result we would leave it.