Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1863-01-15
For the Belmont chroniel,

For the Belmont Chronicle.
Ma. EprroR: I claim to be Democrat,
and as such, | wish, through the medium
Of your paper to address few words to my
Democratic friends. That class to which
particularly refer, are those who tell me
that the Abolition Prenchcrs, and Abolition
newspapers are responsible for the present
war and who at the same time tell me that
they are in favor Of the Constitution as it
is and the Union as il was." am ready
to enquire, how can these things be-? For
several years we have been acquainted with
anti Slavery ministers, and ami Slavery
newspapers, and have found them, general
ly, in favor Of peace. Among the divines
who gave their strongest sympathies to bu-
manity, we have heard them pray as ardent
ly, that the Sword and spears should be
converted into plowshares and pruning
hooks" MS that the oppressed should go
Free" They lsbored to destroy slavery by
'the mild arms Of truth and love-" These
were the means--the weapons of their war.
fare and every one must admit, that in
these things Abolitionists only exercised
their Constitutional rights. And If the ex.
ercise of these Constitutional rights have
brought on the war, the fault must be in
the Constitution; and to remedy the great
evil, We should alter the Constitution, and
abridge the freedom Of speech, and of the
prsss--muzsle the pulpit,-as we'll as ignore
every humanitarian tcxt in the Bible. -
Why? Because Abolitionists have been
exercising their political and religious rights
under the Constitution as it is, and this,
according to your logic, has been the cause
Of the war. But, might ask, who makes
war2 Democrats. Why? Because Abo-
litionists have exercised their political and
religious rights under the Constitution as IL
is Ard you, my Democratic friends, who
profess to DO In favor of putting down the
rebellion, are loud for the Constitution as il
is, and the Union a. 1t was, and still leave
these Abolitionists free to provoke smother
rebellion, by tho exercise of Constitutional
rights. The freedom Of speech is claimed
by all Republicans, by all Abolitionis Is, and,
particularly at this time, by Democrats. -
This being tho case, no change will probably
be made In the Constitutional guarantees /;
hence should this Union ever again be re.
stored half slave and half free, we fear that
freemen, in the exercise Of their Constitu-
tional rights, will cause Democrats to tear
up tho Government by civil war, as.they
have done in the present instance.
Did it ever occur to you, my Democratic
friends, that this war was commenced by
Democratsf Did you ever learn that it was
Democrats who fred the first and second
guns at the "Star Of the West, that it
was Democrats who bombarded Fort Sum.
ter, and trailed our Gag in the dustf Did
It ever occur to you that each State that
went out Of thu. .Union VA. "a. Democratic
State, and led out by Democratic Governors?
Have you ever noted the fact that nearly
every officer in the Southern Confederacy is
. Democratf That every oontraband now
loose ia tho Government was loosed by the
war that these Democrats have inaugura ated;
that every murdered soldier can, at the
judgment day, charge his premature death
to Democratic insubordination; that every
widow that has lost dear husband il tho
army, every father 4 mother that wesps the
loss ofa son,& every orphan child that sighs
over lost father may charge all their Losses,
- a