The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-09-23


bitterness against arbitrary arrests. You have
heard them assail the. Presidents proclama-
ton as measure calculated to unite the
| South and divide the North. You have
heard their wrath against Congress for pass
] ing the prescription act, by which it was in
tended to hurt the rebels and benefit the
Union cause. You have heard the most Bit
ter anathemas against the conscription act, by
which the army might be strengthened and
the rebellion crushed. All this you have
! heard but not one word as to any policy by
which they intended to conquer treason and
preserve the Constitution aud the dominion
of the American flag. ss go
So far as it regards our duty to stand by the
country in this crisis, it matters not whether
I the Administration, or whether Congress has
committed or not. 1t matters not |.
whether the Constitution, has been violated in
some minor respects when the great duty is /
10 preserve the Constitution from utter de-
struction, and thus preserve the power of cor
recting any minor violations that may have
been committed. I'll ,s1s5y n s4,l
Suppose all the demands of the Democratic /
party were conceded, would the rebellion be |
crushed? Let the President withdraw his |
proclamation, and declare that no slaves /
tshould be permitted within our lines, and the
institution should be defended by the army of
the Union; let the President declare that
there should be no more "arbitrary arrests
and alE shall be at liberty to oppose the Gov
ernmeht and assist the rebellion at their pleas
ure; let Congress repeal the eonfiscation act,
and defend all the traitors in the possession of
, all kinds of property and let Congress also
repeal the conscription act, and make the
e I Union army depend exclusively upon vclun-
tary enlistments for recruits let all be done
. according to the wish of Mr.. Pugh, will the
rebellion be put down No, no, of course.
not Let any Democrat consider where he
/ stands in reference to the success of our arms
h and ask himself whether the policy of his
4 leaders would not insure the success of the
9 traitors? And if you are in favor of the tri-
! umph of the flag, ard your leaders advise
course that would defeat MS, you know what
:, is your duty in this contest. 81; 9lss
. l approve of all that the President and
ii Congress have done in the prosecution of the
war; but their acts might be all undone to-
e day. and still the rebellion would exist, ard
:, doubt not would become omnipotent over the
v destnies of the Republic.
il Now you will never find patriot deliber-
@ atelv laying the least obstacle in the way Of
# the successful prosecution of war in which
his country is involved. When that war
: threatens the very existence of his Govern
]. ment. the patriot would trenhle at the thought
i, of weakening the Administration entrusted
is with the safety of the Republic, lest his act
r might insure the destruction of his country.
y Here you fndthe oprositionto the Admins
trationeoI posing everything that is being done,
$ without proposing a different policy for the
s. prosecution of the war. Is it not evident that
: they wish TO stop the war, while such step
J., would he fatal to the America nation.
$. | make the charge directly, that the various
ir issues presented by them to the people, have
" not Tor heir purpose the suppression of the
l,,t tbo fl,,ir
e. to 50 debauch the public rnird as to enable the
is party to directly oppose the wal. With this
re end in view, they asSa the whole policy OF
I the Administration in the prosecution of the
| war.
,r 1t is true that Mr.. Pugh has of late discov-
cred that the discussion of these side issues is
lc gaining nothing for him or his political friends
ee He has at last come where / knew from the
j. first he must come and we find him now di-
Id rectly charging the Administration with tn.
le whole responsibility of the war. What is the
- necessary consequence of his reasoning Il
n is that as the Administration is responsible
S. the rebels are relieved by Mr. Pugh of all re-
sronsihiliy whatever. He winds up late
ID speech by saying, ':Dd 7 not tell you three
n years ago that if you persisted in the determi.
" nation of electing sectional President you
I'd would involve the country in a civil war, BY
n. goadirg the South into rebellion
in To be sure, Mr.. Pugh, you said so and yor
er may have thought so, but l will say to yor
ng that-if You had not at Charleston bid detianct
rs to the South in their aggressions upon tht
he time honored princip es of your party, ,anc
n had you rot blavely told them that yol
al 'twould not lay your hand on your mouth anc
ut your mouth in the dust, before them, yol
TO might rot have goaded the South into rebel
e. lion. might further say to him that tn
e. South has at last goaded him into a repudia
mo- ton of his heroic position at Charleston a
e. well as into direct and may be fatal hostili
he ty to his government.
60. And what does Mr.. Seymour, the Governo
nd of New York, say? He is the recognizes
d. leader of the Democratic party.
A. (Gov. Dennison read a short passage from
re Seymeur's late speech, and continued.) IS.
Id. Now. my fellow citizens, the meaning u
that is, that as the Democratic party had tn
tie ability, if supp RED by the Republican party
,cs of preventing the war, and as the Republica
llv party did not cooperate with them, therefor
"a the Republican party is solely responsible fc
We the war, The logical conclusion is, that a
th. the Administration is responsible, therefor
nst the rebels have no responsibility in respect
,ur the wholesale slaughter and devastation this
no. have been going on for more than two yeai
su past Why do they not say that had the
nat received the aid of the Southern members c
&C. Congress- hey could have averted the wa
bat as the Southern members from the cotto
loo States did not co operate with them, there
fore they are responsible for the war? AL
CT there is terrible significance in this Copper
OIL head logic Ibs no. for me to say how th
war commenced. That is, as far as my dut
lpt in reference to it is concerned it is no matte
re- how it commenced. It,is enough to say tha
ere the rebellion had been npenins for thiri
led years, ard that the leading spirits of the Sout
m have kept dismemberlhent of the Govern
our II ent steadily in view till they struck tn
Law blow.
,ay It may be true that The war might hay
M been averted Tor the time being, had tn
Id North said the South, we will protect yor
our right to your slave property in all the terrific
he ries and everywhere within the jurisdictio
ing of the American flag. Had we yielded a
lty their demands and placed the mighty NortI
try with her two-fold population and her ten fol
civilization, at the feet of these Souther
a masters, tn war might not have broken OF
po- just at that time But IN doing that shoul
an, nave lost our free Constitution, our manhood
l our self-respect and the respect of the worlt
to- The Democratic party refused to submit
of them, but now you find Gov. Seymour, NJ
- Pugh and the rest of them compelled to atar
lp- don the side issues they raised and they al
of now joining hands with the rebels in the a
l tempt to defeat our armies in the field, Owe
,ns throwing the Government, and placing th
rn- whole continent at the mercy of the South.
my, But ny fellow-ctizens, / did not wish |
aus continue this discussion. We are told thi
a Ii H., NJ