Winchester journal. [volume] (Winchester, Indiana) 1862-1863, 1863-03-13
WINCHESTER INDIANA, FRIDAY, MARCH IA 1888


0lrth TO the rebellion, but Democrats. an,
only Democrats are i'm arms against tn
country. Democrats fred on is flag a
Fort Sumter. jefferson, Davis Is q Dem
ocrat, and so is every God -forSaken rebe
at his heels. \ Democratic Administration
was IN power when the rebellion first lift
ed It's head. A Democratic Presiden
who could have nipped il in the bud, al
lowed our Navy to be sent 70 distant seas
our tortresses 20 be occupied, onr arsenal.
ana navy-yards TO be seized, aud oul
wmS and munitions TO be stolen. Dem.
ocrats clutched the Treasury of the Coy.
ernment and robbed Il of its Indian bonds
The distinguished thieves and cut throats
who are known as the leaders Of the re.
oeliion. slch as Floyd, Thompson. Yam.
cy. and Cobb. are all Democrats. Not on.
~ Is II true that the rebels are Democrats
but so are their sympath,sers, whether In
the North or in the South. On the 9th
er hand, the Republican party, so far as
l can learn, has not furnished a single re-
cruit to the ranks of thr rebellion. Low
atty and republicanism 90 hand in hand
throughout the Union, "a perfectly as
treason and slavery.
In the light of these pregnant facts,
Mr.. Chairman, we find no occasion for a
new party. What We should work and
pray for is the success of our priaciples.
and this can only be secured by steadiast-
ness of purpose and associated political
action. We need something of perma-
nence in our movements, stunning that
iickleness aud instability that would form
a new party with new name, for every
campaign, and thus fritter away our
strength IN the fickleneSs of our schemes,
instead OF outstanding !. for effective ser
wee. Republlcanlsm is not like "A gar
nent, to be put on OF laid aside for own
convenience, but an enduring principle,
which can never be abandoned with
ont faithlessness to the country. 1t is
not succession of "dssolving views"
brought on the political stage to amuse
conservative gentlemen, or TO dazzle and
amuse the people, but the fixed star which
should guide us through the shifting pha-
ses of American politics and the bloody
laOyrinths of war. Sir, not even to save
the Union, or to restore the blessings CT
peace, should we fOrsake its light. Ii is
because We loved our principles more than
peace that We are now in the midst Of
war. w demanded "a Union under con
ditions that would make il the servant of
liberty, and not the hand maid of slavery.
and the rebellion l. the result. Let Us
accept it; and when We are charged with
producing 1t. let Us reply that the charge,
II true at all, Is true in sense which
makes Infamous the men who prefer it.
Ia the sense in which the opponents OF
pagamism caused martyrdoms ia the early
days Of the Church; in the sense in which
the enemies of the papal power in the
time of Luther caused prosecutions and
death; IN the sense in which Thomas ef-
iersOn and the fathers caused the war of
our Revolution, We, who are called Re. I
publicans, caused the rebellion, of which /
pro slavery Democracy is pre- eminently I
guilty. Ii We had allowed slavery 10 t
take root in Kansas, withou; resistance
or protest; II W had permitted il, through T
the help OF the Supreme Court, to fasten +
its iangS upon all the Territories, 80 that F
neither Congress. nor the p.op,e, nor any
human power could remove il; if We had .
allowed II 10 60 freely into the non.Slaye. .
holding States. and set uu it- habitation 7
in defiance 20 State cnactnentS if we had I
consented TO the revival oT the African T
slave trade, and that our lips should be .
sealed against the right 20 talk about il, /
except 20 talk in it, favor; ii, in word,
the people OF the free States had been
willing 10 trample under their feet the in
stitutionS OF their fathers. and to dedicate
this continent to slavoholding aud slave
breeding forever, then @c might have had I
peace to day, and and an unbrokcn Union,
But our Democratic peace would have I
been the pc zee of the pit, "sliling, suf. I
locating. sultry"- "A peace Infinitely
more dreadful than tie war we have cho-
sen To accept in the maintainancr Of our
principles and our Union would have
been cOufcderacy Of corsairs, dcvourlng
deivihg God cxalting the dev.
il, and glaGdeuing the heart OF cverv alb
so'uti-t and tyrant throu- hout the earth. /
Sir, rejoice greatly that Republicans had .
courage 20 throw themselves between
their country aud the eternal damnation
TO which Dcmocaatic policy was about to .
ccnsign IL; and that nov, standing face 70
face with the dr.td realities of war, they Z
are still resolved 20 stand together hy /
the flagstaff Of freedom. No step back
wards is possible, nor was there any hone .
ment and it, advisers failed TO realize 4
this fact
Mr. Speaker, have indicated, in
general terms, the mistakes of Republ- /
can policy since the beginning of the war.
Many of our trusted leaders have lost
their way, while the Administration itself 1
has not been thoroughly Republican in !
its policy Forgetting the mere mega
tions Of our creea, il should have planted
itself brayely on its aflirmations. pausing
not moment 10 apologize, or deprecate,
or explain. The crlSis called for absolute
and the time had gone by for
ever for any policy savoTing in the 1
smallest degree Of timidity or hesitation.
The disasters of this war, and the perils
which now threaten the country, find /
their best explanation in the failure of I
the Government TO stand by its friends. /
and its readinesss 10 strengthen the
hands of its foes To fearful extent 4
Democratic ideas, and Democratic policy /
have ruled this Republican Administra I
tion from the beginning. Democratic
policy, very soon after the war began. y
speaking through sur Republican Secre.
tary of State. declared that "the Federal
Government could not reduce the seced-
ing states 20 obedience by conquest. !" and
that "only an imperial or despotic Gov
ernment could subiugate thoroughly dis
affected and iusurrectionary members Of
the State;' persuaded the nations Of the
earth that our struggle was not an "irre.
prcssible conflict" between two forms Of
society. each of which wss aiming .t abso-