The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1863-08-13


persons at the North, of those who pre-
tend to be hostile to the rebellion, who
did not characterize it as causeless and
scicked-and we believe these adjec-
tives expressed mildly enough the ex-
act truth. But since the peace party
and the Democratic semi-war party
have been marshaling forces to make
political aud partisan capital out of the
miseries Of the Republic, they have not
hesitated to say that the rebels had
great provocation for their treason,
that being men Of heightened, chival-
rous sense Of honor, they were almest
driven into their hostile attitude to the
Government by encroacbments on their
rights, and by the refusal of the peo-
pie TO listen to their grievances and to
their demands for redress, and as a
consequence their treason had many
mitigating circumstances, if it were
not entirely excusable. - D'~
In times Of excited discussion, and
more especially in times of great and
stirring events like those which have
signalized our history for two years,
we are apt to drift away imperceptibly
from the original points of dispute, and
get into animated, sometimes angry,
debate over irrelevant issues,-and in
the discussions of the last six months
the cause'o of the Republic has suffered
much, as its cunning enemies, North
and South, have withdrawn attention
from the horrid features of treason to
the accidents of the contest. Let us
go back a little and see what justifica-
ton, if any, treason bad.
The interest, type of labor, political
party, section Of the Republic, or what
ever other territorial or political name
We may choose to call it by, which is
now fighting the Government, practi-
cally has had control Of that Govern.
ment for the last twenty years. Every
decision Of its courts, when the issue
has been made, has been favorable 10
Slavery, which is, as the Richmond
E;canainer claims, the civilization for
which treason is fighting. Every Presi-
dent during all that time has done the
bidding of Slavery. The Constitution
has, by the Administration, by its law
officers, and by all its functionaries,
from the Secretary of State to the low
est County and town officer been
construed in the interests of Slavery,
and has been declared, by the help OF
a slave court, the strongest bulwark
of the "sum of all villainies." Terri.
tory has been acquired for the express
and avowed purpose of making it into
slave states, and wars of conquest have
been waged with the same ultimate OBJ
ject. Solemn compacts, like the Mis-
souri, Compromise, have been abrogated
after Slavery had made all it could out
of them and lest the people should at
tempt by legislation to retain some por-
ton of the territories free from the faint
of servitude, or restore again that Com.
promise, the Court was made to decide
that henceforth Slavery could not be
excluded from any portion of the pub.
lie domain. And if Slavery had no,
through all this time its full share OF
immunity and influence in the Govern.
ment, it was not the fault of the South
in modestly forbearing to demand ils
rights and privileges, nor Of its allies
North in not seconding its demands
but of the Constitution which has
given liberty some rights in the Gov
eminent as well as Slavery.
But after having had allthis influence
in and control OF the Government fol
SO many years, the traitors seized upor
Mr.. Lincoln's election as the occasion
for their taking up arms. He had no
been inaugurated the party which
elected him had no control of the de
partments of the Government; ths
courts, with fancy for Chief Justice
remained unchanged; such men al
Floyd, and Cobb, and Toucey still dis
graced the Cabinet; Buchanan, imbe
cile and traitor as he was, still occupied
the White House, when the rebels com
menced their preparations for war
No tyranny had deprived them of lib
erty, no man had been thrust into dun
geons, no right of property or ibert,
had been invaded, no freedom of speecl
or OF the press had been assailed, M
State Right, even, had been assaulted
not the lightest touch of despotism ha(
been felt in alltheir borders. when The,