The Ohio Democrat. [volume] (Canal Dover, Ohio) 1840-1900, 1863-07-17
For the Democrat.
Are Our Present Rulers Capable
of Conducting the Helm of a
Free government


Are Our Present Rulers Capable
of Conducting the Helm of a
Free Government
1t is something to be wondered at,
that our present rulers do ever attempt
to fnd fault with democrats, and make
any attempt at Silencing free speech and
Democratic presses, when they are in
daily need Of Democratic counsel If
ever they get through their present diff.
Guilty, it will be done by following DEM
ocratic counsel. The present rulers,
by their own plan and counsel, never
were nor will be capable of conducting
the helm of free government The
present war could easily have been pre-.
vented by reason, justice and modera-
tion. The South had been sufficiently
aggravated by Abolitionists to become
frantic. They were denied the right of
participating in the public lands, for
which they had fought and paid their
money the same as other States of the
Union, unless they would dispense with
the aid of their slaves or negroes. Their
slaves were in some cases enticed to alb
scond, and laws in some States passed
to prevent redelivery. Under such
circumstances, the rulers ought to have
been lenient and seen to their grievance,
and extend such relief as the case would
admit and require. But instead of Civ.
ing aid and assisting them to get that
justice which, by the Constitution, was
guaranteed TO them, our rulers refused to
make a compromise of any kind, and
voted down all and every measure or
plan, introduced into the House, to pre-.
vent a runous war.
present rulers having thus brought
on the war, see their skill in corjuctine
it The frequent change of generals
cannot be otherwise than injurious. 1t
prevents that confidence which soldiers
should have in their commanders, aud
also interferes with the plans of the geu.
erals as TO the conduct of the war. -
Their. war measures also ore pitiful
Their cOnfscation law, with the enanci
patton proclamation, have increased the
armies Of Jeff Davis by thousands, and
put the South on the defensive side of
the war, VIII ch is just assuming the Of
fensive side TO themselves.
Let us now take view Of what they
have done in the way Of civil law for the
benefit Of the North or the loyal States.
Here they have by law emancipated all
h. slaves in the District of Columbia,
which we are told by our rulers, is one
Juit law. Let us look at it. For each
negro emancipat,d, the people have to
pay three hundred dollars; and for this,
they in return get nothing. Now where
is the justice here +? And how came
Congress 10y the right to waste the peo
PIES money in emancipating negroes ?
Is each negro, old and young, male and
female, just worth three hundred dollars?
Cannot every man see that such law
cannot be just or equitable? !? For some
negroes the price is too much, while for
others it is not enough. Again: If
these regroes really belonged to their
respective owners, Congress had no right
to emancipate them; and if they did not
belong to the owner, the owner had no
right TO the three hundred dollars, in
p,yment for each respective uegro. Aud
how can the law be right? Only on the
monarchical principle, that the king can
10 no wrong. tits claimed by our rnlers
that Congress and the President are our
government. 1t would be equally true
and consistent to call them our king
then if the king can DO no wrong, this
emancipation law, though In truth all
wrong, must nevertheless be right. This
may pass so for Abolition Republican
ism. On Democratic principles Con
greSs and the President are the servants
Of the people and the Constitution, and
the laws passed in accordance with the
Constitution are the government. In
a monarchy the king is law; but in a
democratic government the law is king.
AS our Abolition rulers have provoked
war with the South, they claim they
have made the Laws and the Constilu
tion void, and now are the government
themselves. And probably under this
conceit they assumed to themselves king.
ly power, freed the negro, and plucked
the pockets of their subjects, thinking
all the time they were doing right or
what they had right to do. They had
forgotten that they are the servants Of
the people, and acted as if they were
their masters and as Rieps in his new
suit did not know himself, so they did
not know themselves-thought they were
masters, when, in fact, they were the ser.
wants. It. is hoped the Democrats aud
conservative men Of the country will
bring them to knowledge of themselves
by leaving them in their former station.
p. KNAPPENBERaER
The Month Of Juiy-0ur Great
Victories and Our Cheering
Prospects.