East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1863-12-09
q he Courier
Wednesday. December 0. 1893.
The Republican Policy.

ing inc sOSuLeu 10Y iothtch, Is chBtiS-
cd in a war of immense magnitude;
war which has already cost us hun
drods of thousands Of precious lives,
and at least two thousand millions Of
dollars in treasure. The war is not
yet ended, and we havolittleho hope that
it will BIO the coming year. The in
dications, as we perceive them, now
are, that it will continue until at least
one-half of tho whole wealth Of the
country will be swallowed up by tho
hourly increasing debt which it is nc
cumulating upon our shoulders, and
many of the States have undergone
change in thoir financial and social
condition so thorough and disastrous
as TO be almost irrcparablc.
When this war commenced, remarks
the Providence Post, it was forcsoen
by many that in order TO be successful
III restoring the Union, it must be so
conducted as TO secure harmony and
unanimity at the North, and encourage
Union sentiment and affection at tho
South. To this end, Democrats who
honestly believed that the conflict
might have been avoidedby honorable
compromise, sank their prejudices
against the party which had rashly
hastoned the outbreak by denouncing
and dcafeating their efforts at concilia-
ton, and gave their influence, their
property and their lives in support of
the government. They did not cease
to differ with Republicans as to the
impolicy of their party measures and
the injustice Of their party creed; but
thcy wcrc willing to let by-gones be
by-gones, and unite with the mon of
all particsin defending the government
of the country, in the fed aswell as in
the halls of legislation, against the
armed rebellion.
Thus the first months Of tho war
found the North well united. The
policy of the country, as proclaimed
in the Crittendcn resolution, which
passed both houses of Congress in Jul
ly, 1861, was regarded by Democrats
everywhere with satisfaction and
from that hour to this, the party in
every loyal State has stood squarly
and steadfastly upon this platform
No Democratic convention has endors-
ell secession, or demanded q cessation
of hostilities upon any other condition
than the complete restoration of the
Union under the Constitution, precise
" as that instrument stood when the
rebellion was inaugurated. No Dem
ocratic newspaper or citizen asked Mr.
Lincoln to leave the Presidential chair /
in order to please the South, or to de-
yiate hairs breadth front the well /
defined line of his duty, as prescribed
by that instrument Of government |
which he has sworn to defend and en-
force. 1t is remarkable that no Dem
ocratic member of Congress proposed
q single measure or offered single !
resolution of partisan character, or
in any way, by word or deed, sought
to weaken the government through |
the revival of partisan feeling. The
actual war measures proposed by the
President were cordially supported,
and everything possible was done to
promote unanimity and vigor in car
rying on war for the salvation Of the
1t was only when the
administration changed its policy, and
began to make the emancipation of
the slaves, rather than the restoration
of the Union, its purpose, that Demo-
Gratis presented their complaints; and
even then they continued to give all
actual war measures an earnest sup
port. They saw how well calculated
tho new policy was to unite and en-
bitter the Southern people against the
federal government, and so offered q
reasonable and pcaceable opposition
to that policy; but they neither coun-
selled resistance to the government,
nor expressed any Discrimination to sup
port it in tho maintenance of its supre-
macy. They still declared that armed
resistance should be met by armed
support of the Constitution and tho
laws. If they opposed any measure |
of the administration, it was because
thoy believed it to be inconsistent with
the general welfare, violativc of the
Constitution, and calculated to prolong
the rebellion and the war, by dividing
the North on partizan questions, and |
uniting the South in its purpose of in
dependence. History will record these
facts, and will assert, also, that while
tho Democracy Of tho country did not
hesitate to mako these sacrifices upon
the countrys alter, the leading Repub-
licans were constantly aiming to bring
the war to their partisan standard, and