Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-04-11
Hon Horafio Seymour:


DzAH Sul: a. you requested. wiiI pencil down
some suggestions which ] made % YOU orally
few days since in reference TO Western sentimen:
on tie preseIt- condition Of the country, with
some reflections upon the late elections
You are undorbte,Ily eDrrect Inst the North
west will never consent o. = separation OF the
Union. leaving the lose Mississippi in foreign
jur,-ict o. Our Interests are agricultural, and
upon a market for our products aepend' oar well
l,eng-I might almost say existence. BE
fore the war we supplied the plant 'tions Of the
South with their horses and mules. Their coTu
and bacon. This plantation market consumed
most OF the products of the counties bordering
upon the Mississippi and is tributaries, and any
surplus found it, way the Atlantic cites and
foreign countries through that great river. by
the war we hare lost this market aud this outlet.
and products. which formerly went South.
have been thrown upon the Northern transports
and Northern markets, overlooking the former
aud Cutting the later. As an inevitable conse
quence while money has Deprecated nearly one
third. the price of our great staples ia the hands
Of our farmers have remsined stationary, or have
receded IN some ln-tanceS more than hall AT
the last Presdenta al election, on the Ohio river
mules were worth from 1928 "a 1925 per head
Now our graners cannot rea lze more than Sb5
TO $50 per he al. notwithstanding the great con-
sumption by the army; and horses have depre
tons of the country have found means 70 make
money by the war to the Western agriculiurist
IL has proved an unmitigaied burden, which can
only be relieved by restoration OF peace and OF
the Union The former without the latter would
render permanent that which we now look upon
as but Temporary Hence has che West fought.
aud will she fight. not for the desolation ot the
South and the final destruction OF her plantations
but for the restoration Of the Union Hence has
A. i -. Al.
above her quota lfa draft has been necessary
in any portion of the West it has not been where
the influence of this plantation market has been
drectlyie repeat. We can never consent that
the lower Mississippi shall pass into a foreign
jurisdiction.
also agree with you that radical Abolition
lists prefer separation 10 restoration OF the
Union a il was with all tie rights of the States
as they existed under the Constitution, Including
slavery; and just as soon rs they are convinced
that y m ,iority Of the people of the North and
of Congress are determined to admit peace
upon the old basis. they will Labor for sepdra
ton. They seem determined 10 invent and prac
tice every provocative possible toward the South,
in order tO produce and continue degree OF
alienation which shall prevent them from embra-
cling the tender which the conservative North IS
ready 10 cffer them 20 return and enjoy the pro
lection Of the Constitution unimpaircd. These
Of feeling peryadng the whole community South,
render any hope that they will embrace the Dem
ocratc offer 90 return an1 resume the status quo
ante beilum entirely futile at the present moment
They will, with bitter contempt. spurn this offer
now, let il come from whom il NAV Such is the
present state of feeling in the Southwest rs well
: ia the Southeast
n the South can be brought 10 believe that conserva
tive principles have acquired such ascendency in the
then in their fair constitutional rights, then peace il
possible after the ih Of March, when the Congress
enable hope that the South will return To the Union
on the old basiit Is indispensable that they should be
dsAbused of the opinion that the Democratic party is
peace party the basis Of separation.
It's for steadneSs Of purpose-or pursuing its
ob with calm and determined energy which evinces
principles. und which ever has and
will Ia the end, it, triumph While we must pros
ecuie the war 10 the end prOpo ed will do il without
malice AID without vndictiveness, aud upon those hu
y ane and Christian principles which should illustrate
civilization of this great Republic and especially when
warning with brethren for the sole purpose that
may hereafter live with them in peace and amity.
The taunt who blinded by rage and
the maginar, wrongs Of the negro. that would
duct the sswith hid gloves aud hurt
the enemy, shall drive back the barbarism of
the dark ages compel NJ 10 war Of determination
instead Of reconciliation Every act Of kindness aud
mercy opens a to reconciliation and peace
every Of brutality and barbarty closes door leading
10 these results % broherly love beget raerna
feeling acts of cruelty oppression and Injustice
alienation, retaliation and revenge
Tho readings or explanations Of the late Democratic
have been various and opposite. By the Re
pubcans il Is said that by these elections the people
have condemned the tesder mode in which the has
been prosecuted. although this Is directly opposed
their positions before the election I'm Europe they
a condemnation Of the and a for separation
adopting the Republican theory during the canvass
The South is silent the subject awaiting event; Now
the mode Of understanding the meaning OF these
elections read their antecedents. Not what the Re-
pubicans Ahotionsts said of Us, for that would
tain the foreign explanation But what did our friends
hat AZ Nntr md aLe hat
did the party proclaim its principles to the support #
which invited and claimed the suages of the people
These sustained by the popular vote and these tell
with unerng certainty what these elections Did
represent speaker. did any standard paper
a dis. olution of the Union peace upon the
basis Of separation: our enemies said this OF u; but
denied il vehementy, East and West, aud everywher
They knew and knew that aconvcton Of these charges
certain defeat
We all nssted-papers, orators and conventions-and
proved too that enemies prosecuting the
for unconstitutional purposes and by unconstitutional
means-that the emancipation proclamation was uncon
stuioual, and that arbitrary arrests ard the suSpen
son or rather. the snppreSso Of the writ of hsbeas
corpus. by the Executive ard his suborlinateS
equally violation OF that instrument 1t was upon
theS- measures took issue with opponents, and
not upon prosecution Of the war.
Where, them did Get our votes? There
we're not enough old Democrats to give Us the
victory We must get, and did get. accessions
from the Experimentation those who voted for
Mr.. Lincoln-who helped To place the present
Administration. including the Congress. in pow
er How did get these votesi Why did they
leave the Republicans AMI come 20 u? IL was
because the Republican party-the Administer
trsstion-cea~el To- represent their views They
diSapprOved il l. true, but still tolerated. arbitra
~ and illegal arrests. perhaps because the Con
tolerate Government did the same thing in
most arbitrary manner with the Union men in
the South But IL the proclamation which
produced the revolution in the NORTH peace
ful and constitutional revolution The process Of
reasoning which brought Co ranks such acces
sons of patriotic men. End will bring 70 US many
times more in the future. not uniform among
those who deserted the opposite party and came
10 Us; while all were influenced substantially by
the same causes. As the human mind differs in
different men. so will men reason apparently
from the same facts while arriving at the same
result
A. for some. if not by Gar. the greatest proper
ton of our acceSslonS during the late elections
they saw that in his Inaugural Address Mr.
Lincoln bad proclaimed that he would maintain
the Constitution and not violate il = That he
had approved mos cordially of the Crittenden
resolutions passed at the special session in july
lS6I That he had in fact disapproved of the
con6seaton law, and finally signed it with great
reluctance ard virtually under protest All ap
prov Ell Of his Greeley letter. showing that he
was prosecuting the war only for the restoration
of the Union He had revoked the Fremont and
Hunter orders protesting To free the slaves in
their respective departments. and had remos Ell
both those Generals from their commands and