The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1863-09-30

opponents will be driven back from theil
assumptions byasheer necessity and expe
, rience. L believe that in less than one
year their own ex perience will have taught
them them that their theory that the gov
erdment mnst be upheldr.by the exercise
OF doubtful powers, must be abandoned
There is but one Way to maintain a. gov
ernment,s and that is by upholiing the
the laws and rights OF every State and cit
izen.y Many harsh words aud unjus
charges hive been indulged in byour op
, ponents towards m yself, and perhaps owe
J 1t 20 you to say that have ne yer sought tC
; enbarrass the government. Traduced by
, its friends as have been, have seen in
: It's many mista kes reason to uphold it, and
have sought to direct it in that course
, which its own honor as we'll as the honor
of the country clearly dictates. [ have
!, |appealed, with no selfish partisan motive
!, IN view, to its friends and its agents
whenever an opportunity was presented,
to avoid the errors into which it has
! Fallen. Was it uufriendly to warn it OF
those unfair provisions in the conscription
which Were SO plainly calculated to render
i it Questionable and odious to the people?
II
I Whose interest was it that the law should
be enforced in the Eairest and most unob-
ljectionable manner? Should anything
have been more grateful to them than to
try to render the enforcement OF this law,
objectionable at best, as little obnoxious
as possible !? When, in July last, dis
covered some of the inequalities of the
enrichment, [ deemed it my duty to the
Epeople and the government, to call its at
teton to them, with a view to their cor
rection "a
/ They surely were most interested in
having it fairly carried out. Is he not
! tiIelr truest fried VINO, whea the attempt
is made to enforce such u law, seeks to
render it least Questionable to popular
support. To this end sent agents to
| Washington to represent It's Inequalities
apd unfairness. AT a later day, sent
Communication te the President, appealing
to him to save our 9coul try from the indie
tion OF these wrongs, This appeal was
made as well for the sake OF. the .Goyern-
ment as for the people, and yet this act
Was stigmltized and the publication OF
those letters Was alluded 10 as calculated
to arouse public resistance. Why, then,
did they publish the letters? have never
published any or them, [ not only. wrote
| TO this effect, to tho President but to the
Com mander of the Northeast District
Tnerc are two other letters which have
not been published. Laughter, But OF
THIS dqn,t complain. althou, IN tney were
nslther olicial, nor private, nor conilen
tlal. ADDRESSED letter to Mr. Lincoln,
in which [ Informed him that [ had dis
covered gro.s fraads in the cpperatioa OF
the Law; tait although poIicicaliy o. posed
to his Ain n, strdt.on, l was in this, guid-
el oaiy oy a rsgarl for our country, and
that | wished to aid in saving the country,
1 asked that these frauds be Investigated
| That was not an official letter. it com-
meacei in a friendly tone, Dear SIR. :
not Sir" (for all OF. '.'my friend" are
not IN. New York. Laughter AMI cheers /
I ( adressed, also a friendly letter to the
commander Of the Northwest District,
j suggesting that the enrolment was most
unequal aud unjust, it not fraudulent.
expressed the hope that this injustice
would not be allowed, because it was cal
culatei to bring gross discredit upon us
in the eyes oi the wsrld l felt the en-
b4rrlssment Of his position, and there fore
L wished to save him from beiug implied
by military on the one hand and repel!ed
Iiby his repugnance to fraud on the other
Unfortunately, only disturbed his taste
as to word, and not his seense of fraud,
aud wrong. In all this have been guild
Ted simply and solely by desire.to save the
Government from this great and fatal error
), Should we for this be stigniatized as un-
friendly to the .Union?-Wh no will say thai
lit is not right and just that The names oi
all enrolled should be published? i
there man opposed to having those rolls
fairly and publicIy deposited ia the wheel
30 that all may see and know that the
Conscription is being fairly conducted !
And yet when this is asked for, those
making the request are stigmatized as
|. Inviting the community to outrage and
!, wrong: Our purpose IS not to violate the
laws, Our purpose is TO Fvindicate the
laws. Cheers. ] 50 much ,for. the past ana
: the, present What of the future2 What
ever our wrongs may have been at the
hands of our opponents, / believe |
speak for those who think and act with
J me when | 8 y let the past be 70 got en- =
let these violations ofiaw, and Of the right,
of States and individuals be buried, ifyor
will only hear our prayers to avert the
dangers that threatened us in the fu Eurs
Our armies have been successful. Here
tofore there have been reasons why W,
could not seek peace. All men have fel
that if the war, ended, when we had failet
in some Of our. military undertaking j
might lead to Serious complications in th
future. Therefore, We have waited; bu
now our successes enable, US to seek i
with horor to ourselves and satisfaction
: to the people Our policy sheuld be gsn
erons disposition Of the controversy ii
J which he is involved. This should be ou
: course now. The war has reached anothe
|. . stage in its progress, and a policy differen
: from that which has been pursued mus
!, be marked out. Shall it be peIoy 3
i. ubjugation s-a polr y tbatuwill strip. til
I tistates of allhh.ir'rls htse 1[ories oa:'No. q
fEsdctf a. policy i'm plies Tong and Bloc 3
:, war. and sp fneafcuIa law lsle Of life !
Z treasure. 1t is policy which, ifeont .
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