Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-11-23

war Democrats.
When MIR. Lincoln in his Springfield letter,
requested his opponents. thongh they might be
opposed to bis negro soldier policy. to fight for
the Union, he said. in effect; not for all
YOU may say against ny emancipation policy, my
negro soldiers, the suspension of hAbeas corpus,
and the other minor matters of which Democrats
complain, It SeR VIII bat 60 for the war for the
Union in which / am now engaged" Well
might Mr.. Lincoln thus address mis- political OPP
ponents. If he could persuade them to 20 for
the war, he could we'll afford to suffer their
croakings and complainings respecting those
nndary matters which naturally result from the
war. So long as his professed opponents will
ing 70 aid the growth Of the tree which his party
planted. and which he is now watering with the
the blood and manuring with the bodies of his
felow-ctizens, it is no consequence to him how
bitterly they may rurse its branches and the bane
eul fruit thew bear
IL is simply ridiculous for Democrats to favor
this war and complain of the abuses OF power
and the atrocities resulting from IT, Such abuses
and atrocities, TO some extent nj least, If not to
the extent developed by Mr.. Lincoln's manner of
prosecuting the war, are the inevitable concomi-
tants of such war as this. Under even Dem
ocratic Administration. fhey would result from
such war A Democratic President, if determ
ined to coerce the seeding States, would, most
probably have concluded it necessary to coerce
those who might have opposed Is policy or
sharply criticised his administration Such a war
inevitably leads to tyranny. The spirit of force
once let loose. the spirit of liberty must sue
rumb and indeed. if such war as this is Deces-
sarv it NAV as we'll lie admitted that the destruc-
ton of liberty, North as well as South, is a ne
cessitv. Ifit is proper for Mr.. Abraham Lincoln
TO subugate the South, il is not proper for the
people of the North 10 censure him for attempt
ing to do so. and those who consider this right
eous war should not complain of the suspension
of habeas corpus even in the North
Though the present policy of the Administra-
ton is not consistent with It's professions, made
on coming into power, and for some time after
ward it is consistent with the theory of the war
itself 1t is entirely consistent with the doctrine
of coercion and that is the primary principle of
the war. If il is proper to compel obedience from
the South, it is proper 10 compel obedience from
the North In fact, such war could not pos
sibly be carried to "A successful issue without the
assumption Oh the part of the President of uncon-
stitntonal powers, and, therefore, we say, Dem
ocratic President. though he might have assumed
| fewer of such powers than Mr. Lincoln has,
would, had he started in this course of coercion.
have rendered himself liable to the ame sort of
censure which our War Democrats are so iDcon-
sistently heaping upon the head of that function
ary. The exercise of the coercve principle is the
natural parent of all the abuses of which they
prate. When that principle was adopted, with
| the sanction of Democrats, the Administration
furnished with both the excuse aud the power
to crush all opposition 10 its policy and practices;
and we repeat, no man can consistently approve
the theory and doctrine of this war, and, at the
same time, complain of Mr.. Lncoln's arbitrary
exercise Of power
AS to the Presidents emancipation proclama-
ton, all Democrats admit that il could have
amounted to nothing without the war. 1t is
operative only so far as the Federal army pene-
! trates the Southern country. and emancipation
would have resulted from the to that extent
if Mr. Lincoln had never issued his "bull against
the comet" 1t is, therefore, very palpable folly
| to cry out against the proclamation and for the
| war IN the same breath
The atrocities committed in the South by the
Federal soldiers. are another natural consequence
of the war, ana might readily have been foreseen
By any one acquainted with the uHgovernable
| character of large volunteer army, especially
in civil war. Fewer outrages might perhaps
have been reasonably expected, but no President
could have prevented them entirely. They in
evitably result from such war. The very prin
cipe of coercion upon which the army was called
into existence, and sent into the field, begot the
desire and furnished a license for outrage; and
the atrocious spirit thus originally brought into
play has increased IN strength as the war has pro
ceeded, and engendered in its course the feelings
of hatred so natural TO such contest
While we believe that little, if any, regret is
felt at Washington for the atrocities resulting
from the war, and that little, if any, effort would
be made by those in authority TO prevent them
(if such effort could prevent them)-we, never
theless, believe that they unavoidably result
from the war. and would have been committed
to lamentable extent, under any Administration
prosecuting such this; and, therefore
we maintain that the only consistent policy for
Democrats to pursue is to strike at the root o
these and all the other minor matters complained
of, by striking at the theory of the war itself, thu
fruitful parent of all these evils. That no posi-
BILE good can ever result from this we have
ever believed. Wecan forsee in its consequence
nothing out evil, and the longer it shall continb,
the greater and more numerous must be the evi
to ensue from it. Ii persisted in, it must pro
duce perm inent acknowledgements of the coun
try; incalcuable destruction of life and property
the overthrow of public libery, and the entail
ment upon posterity OF hopeless debt anS
restitution, well a legacy of internal dis
grace. The evils which have already resulteI
from it are acknowledged oy even such Demo
Gratis as favor its further prosecution. and sucl
evils will continue to flow from it. increasing il
number and magnitude as it progresses: ant
what possible good can arise in the end from
war so destructive to life, liberty, happiness ant
honor in its course? Can conhagration that i
raging IN Il tom and consuming house afte
house. become blessing by being permitted Il
90 on until the whole town is laid in ashes? /
this war. MS our War Democrats confess, is DIES
troying our liberties and producing desoation aDS
national disgrace in its onward course, is it
longer continuance desirablel Can it bring u
blessings after it shall have overrun and desolat
ed the whole South and muzzled and manacet
the entire NOrthi
That an intelligent Democrat, even at the be-
ginning of this war, could persuade himself e
justify it has ever been surprising to Us; but, at
ter two years experience in it, after having wit
messed the development of its destructive and ty
rannica tendency. and having had 80 full op
portunity to discover its utter hopelessness fo
good, the Democrat who favors its further prose
cution, in any possible manner, appears to
mailman Why should such man continue Il
call himselfa Democratl Why profess to oppos
the abolition partyl Practically, he is muel
an abotionist as Mr.. Sumner, for his support o
the war s all that the Administration needs from
him in support of its abolition policy. The trutl
is. War Democrat belongs to the Administra
ton party, aud ought in honesty, TO join it. a
have the Dickinsons. the Bradys, the Mckeon
and the Forneys. If he favors a"vgorous pros
ecution of the war;" he does all that Mr.. Lincoln
requires. and is fully entitled to high seat in tb
abolition. synagogue Y. News
We have published from time to time account
taken from correspondence of Republican paper
and from reports of commissioners appointed Il