Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1862-05-22

made to induce Congress to interfere with
the question Of slavery, or to take incipi- I
cnt steps in relation there TO, are calcula
ted TO lead to the most alarming and
dangerous consequences, and that all !.
such efforts have an inevitable tendency
70 diminish the happiness Of the people
and cndanger the stability aad permanent
cy of the Union, and ought not to be
countenanscd by any friend Of our poliu
ical Institutions"
Upon these principles alone, so far as
relates to slavery, can the Union, as 1t /
was, be restored and no other Union, ex-
ccpt the Unity Of Despotism, can be
maintained in this country; and this last
we will resist, MS our fathers did, with !
our lives, our fortunes and our sacred .
honor.
But it is said you must disband the
Democratic party "to support the Gov
eminent" We answer that the Demo /
cratic party has always supported the
Government and while it was in pow
cr preserved the Government in all its
vigor and integrity, not by force and
aims, but by wisdom, sound policy and
peace. But it never did admit, and ncv
er will, that this administration is "the
Government" 1t holds, and ever has
held. that the Federal Government is the
agent Of the people of the several States
composing the Union that it consists
of thee distinct departments--th legis-
latiyc, the executive, and the judicial,
each equally part Of the Government
and equally entitled to the confidence,
and support Of the States and the peo.
pie and that it is the duty Of every pa
trot to sustain the several departments Of
the Government, in the exercise of the
constitutional powers of each which may
! be necessary and proper for the preserva-
/ ton OF the Government in its principles
and in its vigor and integrity, and to
stand by aud defend to the utmost the
flag which represents the Government,
the Union and the country.
In this sense the Democratic party has
always sustained, and will now sustain,
the Government against all its foes at
home or abroad, in the North or the
South, open or concealed, in office or out
Of office, in peace or in war
If this is what the party means by sup
porting the Government, it is an idle
thing to abandon the old and tried Dem
ocratic party, which for so many years
and through so many trials supported,
preserved and maintained the Government
of the Union. But if their real purpose
be to aid the ancient enemies the Dem
f ocracy in subverting our present Consti-
t tuition and form of government, and
G under pretensc of saving the Union, tc
n erect strong centralized despotism OF
its ruins, the Democratic party will re
= sist them as the worst enemy to the Con
# stitution and the Union, and to free gov
h ernment every where. .
Il We do not propose to consider nov
= the causes which led to the present un
,. happy civil war a filter time will COM
q hereafter for such discussion. But W,
=. remind you now that compromise made
your Union, and compromise fiiteei
It months ago would have saved it. Re
= peated efforts were made at the last ses
d sion of the Thirty sixth Congress to thi
end. At every stage, the great mass {
is the South, with the whole Democrat
!. party, and the whole Constitutional Un
l. ion party of the North and West unite
il in favor of certain amendments to til
constitu;ion-and chief among them tn
- we'll known "Crttenien Propositions,
10 which would have averted civil war an
@ maintained the Union. At every stage
v all proposed amendments inconsisten
d with the sectional doctrines ofthe Chicag
IS Platform were strenuously and unant
!. mously resisted and defeated by the Re
, publican party. The "Crittenden Pro
positions" never received single Reput
of lcan vote in either House. For I'll
he proof wcappeal to the journals of Coz
rs gress and to the Congressional GloJe.
ed We scom to reply to the charge th'
C. the Democratic party is opposed to graz
q. ting aid and comfort to the Federal Co
ernmcnt in maintaining its safety, intel
al rity ana constitutional supremacy, al
nd in favor of disbanding our armies al
,ir succumbing to the South. The chars
he is libelous and false. No man advocat,
n, any such proposition. Democrats rcco
" nize it as their duty as patriots to SUI
at pot the Government in all constitution
O, al, authority; but at the same time thu
&C. are iuAcxibly opposed to waging W
of against any of the States or people
us this Union in any spirit of oppressi'
re- or for any purpose of conquest or subj
nl- CATION, or Of overthrowing or inteiferil
us with the rights or established institutio
of any State. Above all, the Dem
,ut cratic party will not support the admi
rim istration in any thing which looks
the tends to the loss Of our political or pt
,it. sonal rights and liberties, or chan
md of our present Dcmocratical form Of Go
ms crnmcnt
u,t But no, Democrats, it is not the ST.
wn port of the Government in restoring t
rn- Union which the party in power requ
re- of you. You alc asked to give up yc
,gh principles, your policy and your pari
in and to stand by the Administration
we the party in power, in all its acts. Abe
all all, it is demanded of you that you yi'
to at least silent support to their wh'
in policy, and to withhold all scrutiny II
is their public conduct of every kind j
cad YOU should "embarrass the administ
the ton" You are thus asked to renour
to one of the first principles and the ch
rty. security of Democratic Government
vic, the right to hold public servants respc
III, 10 ,bo;r master the neople to IC