Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-03-18
Milwaukee, Feb. %, 1863.

X. L.. READ.
Milwaukee, Feb. %, 1863.
T. l.. READ, ESQ:
Dear SIR Returning yes erday find
yours of the 18th instant Passing it's
business matters which | will attend to,
desire to answer your political questions,
which understand to be pointed at me,
In friendly remonstrance for the position
L have taken upon the subject to which
you refer
You speak of the war as having ststar-
ed out for the sole and only purpose of
abolishing slavery"
This | regard as very dangerous and
fundamental error The election of Mr.
lincoln, however unwise was consttu-
tional and binding upon the whole people
of the United States. 1t was, therefore,
not AN act of war against the South, nor
a justifable cause of war by the South
against the Government. See tie Ryan
Address. Y ct South Carolina, Mississip
pl, Florida, Alabama Georgia, Louisiana
and Texas seeded from the Union the
Confederate government was organized
jeff. Davis elected and inaugurated Pres
ident, and forts, ships, public buildings
arms and treas nres of the United States,
IN the seeded states, were seized by the
confederacy, before even of the inaugura
ton of Lincoln; all of which were un-
doubted acts of war The attack upon
Fort Sumpter commenced actual hostiii-
ties, before the present administration
had passed law. or done any Off cial act
affecting, the rights of the South. This
ends the idea that the was commen
ced by abolitlonSts for any purpose what
ever Lincoln, in his inaugural, pledged
himself to sustain all the constitutional
rights of the South the Senate was Dem
ocratic, and the Republicans were power
less to touch slavery, even IT they desired
to do So The South, well Knowing no
overt act of the Government would ever
be attempted against them, chose to dis
solve the Union upon the mere pretext of
Lincolns election and SO far as | have
heard, not even southern newspaper has
ever assigned an unfriendly or unjust,
much less an unconstitutional act Of the
Government against the South, as the
cause OF the rebellion.
This is the point from which we must
take our bearings and departure Was
the rebellion justified or not in its inccp
tion This question settled, all else must
follow. To say that the election of a
President authorized the minority to f.
to arms to overthrow the government
would canonize revolt and nc government
OF free institutions, state or national, could
stand beyond its first election, for there
must always be 4 dissatisfied minority
Ii the rebellion was not .justifable, then it
was not only the right, but the duty Of
| the government to put it down by militia
~ force, and to continue the use of force
till the proper object, obedience to the
constitution, should be fully accomplished
And, if this is the duty ofthe government,
then all good citizens ought to aid and
sustain the government in the prosecution
Uf such just war to a satisfactory and
honorable end, whether it continue during
one year or ten generations Thus do |
deduce the duty of all Democrats to sup
port the government, 'even unto the end
of the world y :.
The position of the party on the break
ing out OF the rebellion was most perplex-
ing, and called for the exercise of tie lof
l'tiest public virtues. We had just passed
+ through presidential can mpaign, in which
We foretold all that has happened; We
| warned the country of the danger; we
implored our opponents to moderate their
madness TO desist from the fatal scheme
of electing q sectional president !; to aid
US In elevating to the highest seat in the
republic, one-since gone to his reward
who could, if it were possible for man,
avert the horrors of civil war; who mi ght
If such war must come, conduct US safely
| through it, to u haven of Union, justice
and peace. Our warnings were disregar-
ded, prudence silenced, and from all our
great ones, who, though dead, still live,
the people turned away rejected Douglas,
| and chose one for whom his most san
guine friends have never claimed any
other qualification than honest incapacity.
As soon as the result was known, the
catastrophe fastened While Democrats
were smarting under the defeat, and be-
] fore the farthiEg lamps of the wide aHakes
were sxtinguished, the war-cloud We had
seen rising, mo bigger than a man S
hand" instantly grew black, and envel-
oped and burst upon the land Ii is
/ cause of regret, bat not of wonder, that
many faltered and were disposed to let
I the Republicans get out of the war as best
they might; and it is cause of rejoicing,
/ of Thanksgiving to God, that the Demo-
] Gratis in that hour had a leader whose eye
blenched not and who saw plainly our
| whole duty to the state Douglas
/ .@ a1 sis in hi. grave.
Amer LIES ftful fever, he sleeps we'll"
! 1t may be thought whimsical or extrav-
egant, but to my mind there is not in all
human history more conspicuous exam
/ pie of grand, .self-forgetting patriotism,
| than he exhibited in those memorable last
days of his life, when standing before his
opening grave, he forgot his own disap-