The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1863-05-14
EaIsiHiu4 History.

The last number of the Milwaukee Weekly
Ne~S con tains three or four articles, conden-
natory of the Republican party for not adopt
ing the "Crittenden Compromise, and charg-
ing all the horrors of the present civil war
upon that party on that account. The some
what noted document-the Crittenden Com
promise Resolutions-is republished, and much
argument gone into to prove that all that
was necessary to secure peace to the country,
was the consent of the Republican member of
Congress, to adopt these resolutions. In wind
ing up one TRADE of abusive defamation
aginst the Republican party, it says:
The past is gone. The crime was commit
ted, and we are reaping the fearful consequen-
ces. This history is useful now as a lesson
and a guide in the future"
Fortunately history is not written by lying
politi Clans. History is made up of events
and not ofthe p~ettifogging misrepresentation
Of INSCRIPTIONS partisan editors. This rhet-
orical climax-'the crime was committed,
and we are reaping the fearful consequences >
sounds well, if we forget the fact that there
is no speck of truth in it. ''The crime was
undoubtedly committed, but not by the Re-
publican party in failing to adopt the Critten-
den Compromise. History tells us that the
Crittenden compromise measure was intro
duced. 1t also tells us that the Republican
majority in Congress in 1860, was only
brought about by the withdrawal of the mem
bers from the seeding States. If the Crit
tenden compromise measure had been fraught
with such healing properties and the Demo-
ern States We're SO anxious for its adoption as
a peace measure, they could easily have pass
ed it in spite of Republican opposition.
But the real truth, and what the future his
torian of this stormy period will write, is, that
the real secessionists of the cotton states, had
before decided upon their course, and that
was disruption of the Union and the establish
ment of a slaveholding confederacy. With
them the Crittenden compromise had no 9TH
er significance than as a measure of gaining
a little more time for the further perfection
oftheir plans. They neither asked nor would
have been bound by the Crittenden or any 9TH
er res olutions. They had been assidiously
preparing for secession, through all the four
years of that genuine. and to the editor of the
Meas, most satisfactory democratic admins
tration of James Buchanan. They had had
everything in their own hands. The Treasl-
ry was stolen dry and the contents transcend
to the Golfers of the embryo confcderacy-the
entire army of the nation, ammunition and
all the war power had been transferred into the
seeding states, and deposited in the hands of
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. ready to turn them agains
their country, whenever they should be de-
manded. All this was done as a fiuality, not
dependant upon the adoption or rejection of
any compromise resolutions. Secession was
a foregone conclusion with the cotton States
long before the border States politicians thought
Of getting up a compromise measure. Dur
ing the entire discussion of the Crittenden
resolutions, there was never an assurance
given, nor even an intimation, from any
adoption would delay for a moment the train
Of events that was then already laid. On the
contrary, we had frequent assurances that
they would not be kept in a Union that they
hated and despised, by any concession or COM
promise, however humbling and degrading
to the North.
All these things, and much more, the edi-
tor of the Nsv5 well knew when he went de-
iberateIy to work to falsify history, in order
to charge all the consequences of this most
wicked war upon the loyal men of the North
who are fighting only in defence of Freedom,
the Constitution and the Union, and thus
make the rebels and traitors of the South in
to heroes and patriots only fighting for their
rights, which ue, Republicans are fighting to
rob them OF.
Farther than all this throughout the Pres
| idential canvass of 1860, the present editor
of the Meas, then controlling the columns of
the Kenosha Democrat, declared over and ov-
er again, that the election of Abraham Lin
coin, would certainly cause the dissolution of
the Union. He declared in many an article
that the election of a Republican President
would bar all attempts at compromising to
save the Union. he was evidently well post
ed in the councils of the rebels of the Slave
States. He appealed to all northern men
all friends of the Union, to unite in voting for
DIR. Douglas as the only means then of saw
ing the Union. This was months before the
Crittenden Compromise was introduced, or
even contemplated. How will he reconcile
these facts with his new edition of history,
that makes the rejection of the Crittenden
compromise by the Republican party, the d-
rect aud sole cause of the rebellion, and for
which he now proposes to hold that party alone
responsible 'for all the fearful consequences
! Of the war?