Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1863-01-22

To the Editor Of the Boston Courier.
When an Aboltionst iustifes the new
proclaimed policy Of the Administration,
he takes the ground that slavery is the
cause Of the war, and that the Govern .
ment or slavery must be destroyed. But
the Government must not be destroyed.
| Therefore slavery must be aboli- he'd -
His first fallacv consists in begging of
the question, and his second in decep-
tive substitution of terms-the Govern
ment for its Administration.
His adversary denies the assumption
that slavery is the cause of the war any
more than law is the cause Of transgres.
sion, or the money of The way.laid trav-
eler the cause Of his robbery or murder.
An antecedent is not necessarily and
morally a canse. He aliirms, on the con-
trary, that Abolitionisin is the causativc
ontecedent Of the war, and will be fatal
to the Government il its destructive pol
iry be carried on. But Government must
be sustained and therefore all good citi.
zens must think, and speak, and vote in
the exercise of their constitutional free
dem, so As to secure, if that be possible,
a better administration of it.
This is a very considerable issue. As
things now are, it is of great consequence
that the people to whom the Government
belongs should look well into the dispute.
Otherwise they may lose their inheritance
without knowing it, and reparation may
be impossible. a government, like a
house, is more easily demolished than
rebuilt.
Some Of u, Mr.. Editor, who hold no
office and publish no paper, and have no
intention Of doing either, have, SO far IA
fair claim to be heard in respect to the
controversy now going on. Besides, we
have somewhat carefully studied the Alb
oltionists, whose doctrines the present
recognized agents of the people are about
TO carry ont in their administration of at
fairs. We can speak from the book.
Our method historical, wnich is best
adapted to the occasion. Men may spec
ulate about slavery and it, relations till
they are gray and be n wiser. The doe
tors of that fashion everywhere disagree
as to is origin, its nature, its design, its
genius and spirit, its politics, ethics and
theology, its science and its Literature and
manners. Stree this war began we have
read many ingenious discussions of the
subject from learned jurists, statesmen,
divines, but only to see how they have
multiplied confusions. The writers have
looked out from their respective different
stand points, and reasoned, in evident
subservency to their different idols, more
numerous than Bacon has described, till
they have bewildered themselves and
which is worse--the innocent bul unc,n-
scions public. An epidemic mental dis
ease is consequently settled upon U.s.
We wait for some highly raised and CON
centrated solvent to digest all their re
spective varieties of wisdom before
panacea can be found. Then, however,
the poor afflicted patient may be beyond
recovery.
Doubtless the only sufficient solvent OF
all our intellectual crudities is revelation.
But we fear the patient is too far gone,
already, to bear spirit raised SO much
above the natural We must content
ourselves with what is next best--history.
That gives us the wisdom of God in his
moral providence, and to know that may
be OF great consequence in default Of more
spiritual enlightenment.
We find that, before the era of Aboli-
tion, this whole country enjoyed remark
able union, peace and prosperity for half
century. Its general officers were cho
sen with reference to no sectional peCuli-
arties, but as representa- tiveS Of parties
unfortunately scattered over all the
States. No considerable sectional dis.
pues arose in the Congress but such as
grew out OF natural diversitics of physi-
cal condition. Tariffs, internal improve
ments, and the like, suggested and ex.
hausted controversy. The heat produced
was hardly more than enough to produce
a. healthy intellectual activity, and check
the bad tendencies of appropriating ma
jorites. SO far there was but little dii |
ference between the Northern and South |
eln politicians, in the spirit with which
they contended, or the eXpedients which
they adopted. 1t would have been diff
cult, and OF !iitie consequence, in moral |
point OF view to strike a balance between
them. Neither the logic of statesmen,
nor the craft of politicians could have
awakened dangerous personal or sectional
anlmositles, or distur ed constitutional
relations. so long as they overstepped not
the limits Of expediency, and effected no
moral control OF the public mind. Cal
houn and Webster at the head, or such
men as Brooks and Sumner at the tail,
could never have canten led greatly
to the public detriment, till the Cou-
gress let in subjects OF discussion that
concerned more Immediately the moral
government of God. That was our
original mistake, which some of our
fathers had iorseen with fears and warn
nSs-the common mistake OF ali cUun,
.rleS, as virtue declines-of e,saying,
or unwittingly, to bring to-
5elher what God requires to be kept as
lnder- he Church and the State. Till
We made that blunder the country was
inlted, prosperous and happy. There
iad been no such instances in the history
II the world.
If there were, before that time, any
dangerous plotters against the Govern
nent, North or South, we find no evil
lence of it in history. That there may
lave been men on both sides, ready to
lave taken advantage of occasions to ex-
Ut themselves on the ruins of the Repub-
ic, it is not Improbable, for Americans
ire no exception to the common law of