The dollar weekly bulletin. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1862-1864, 1863-08-06
From the Bangor Me. Democrat.
AruniStIce and Peace.. -


ated blythe party to which they belong
The heat and excitement of partizan strife
f e1ueutly mislead if they donotsupplantth the
reason Of men of the strongest minds, and
expressions used and acts performed under
such Influences to-day, fail to receive the
sanction of the cooler and calmer judge
ment of the morrow. The result is apparent
not only in the mistaken acts and utteran-
ces, sincere perhaps, of the individual him
self, but in the impaired efficiency of his
example, and irfuelce upon others, seeking
the true course, who regard him merely as
the camp follower of the faction or party to
which he is attached, ever ready to repeat
the words put into his mouth by his political
leaders. Let all therefore, of whatever
political predictions, who desire the well
fare and salvation of the country, cast aside
all passion and prejudice, and bring to the
onsideration of the issues of the day an un-
biased judgement, reas on dispassionate and
heart right. with the reflection that, after all
they may possibly be wrong. In this spirit
that which follows is submitted; 10 a SINH
lar one, let it be approved or condemned
At the inception of the present war, small
but intelligent portion of the citizens of the
North were aVowedly and openly opposed
to it, but their voices were hushed in the
harsh notes of preparation, and the martial
(et US hope, not the vindictive) spirit of the
people was so aroused that the advocates of
Peace, as an organization attained to little
more than insignifcance AS the conflict
Progressed, aud "the vigor and success of the
war did not quite come up TO the lofty and
sounding phrase of the manifesto" as taxes
multiplied and liberties were sacrificed and
the life oil an American citizen became in
the hands of the Administration as mere
trit1e as his liberty, men asked themselves
II the return were quite sufficient for theim-
meuse outlay of treasure and ehusion OF
blood resulting from war with the South,
and the suspicion began to dawn on them
that they had been the victims of m ost
cruel deception. So great change has been
wrought in public opinion within the last
two years by the stern logic of events that
now the once des pissed and nsignific cam party
of peace has assumed proportions grand
enough to entitle it to be heard if not to be
respected.
To repel the assertion that tho position Of
the Peace party is based on factious opposi-
ton to the Administration and desire to
overthrow the government, all that is re
quured, aside from asking the motives for
such a course, is candid and careful ex-
animation of its principles.
The Dem ocratic or Peace party is sopposed
to the prosecution Of the war against the
South and in favor of an immediate armis-
tice, to be followed by National Conven-
ton aOd negotiations for Peace.
1st. Because, the Constitution of the
United States, which declares that "the
powers not delegated TO the United States
by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to
the States, are reserved to the States re-
spectively or to the people," gives no power
to III tO tot
by force of arms. On the contrary, when
the Constitution was under discussion by the
convention which framed it, a clause ''au-
thoriziDg the exertion of the force of the
whole to coerce delinquent State", was op-
posed by Mr.. Madison, and on his motion
postponed, mem. coz, the conve ntion being
unit against the delegation of that power to
the United Slater. (Madison Papers, Vol.
2) As all the powers of the general gov
ernm ent are enumerated in the Consttu tion,
and as the power Or right of coercion is not
expressed, and cannot be implied from a
rational construction of that iDstrum ent. we
may fairly conclude that no such right
exists. .r
I'd. Because, even if the right of State
to secede be denied, and the right of coercion
be admitted. the right to coerce, like the
fright to tax America" once claimed by
of her greatest statesmen to "the right to
shear a wolf," is a right the enforcement of
which is impolitic if not impossible, aud
against the true interests of all sections of
the country. Impoltic-for a union of
states conquered by military force is not to
be desired. A aoar for Union is indeed q
contradiction Of terms. Whati will people
subdued and ed by an invading army,
after hostilities conducted with an avowed
determination to overthrow institution on
which their most vital interests depend,
hostiiities which have robbed all of them of
a father, brother. husband, or a son, so far
forget the injuries they have suffered as to
yield a willing obedience to Union from
which they have made such sacrifices to es-
cape, discharge faithfully their duties as
members of a political family they despise,
elect their Senators and Representatives to
Congress. fulfil all their constitution obiiga-
tions in time of peace and share the burdens
and dangers CT the Republic in foreign
war? Not so! There is no reason to ntici-
pate such result; but if the subiu CATION of
the South he accomplished, neither the let
ter nor the spirit of the Constitution will be
observed. A sullen consciousness of defeat
and never-dying determina alton to retrieve
the disasters to th cir arms, revolutions like
those in the conquered nations of Europe,
or at best despair and a com plete apathy
and indifference to the interests of their
country, would be the inevitable results of
the conquest of free people. A military
force larger than we could maintain with
safety to our liberties would be required to
hold them in submission. The voice of the
people would be su bservient TO their military
rulers, and liberty exist only in name.
Sd. But we believe the conquest of the
South impossible. Isit reasonable to suppose
that ten millions of people, and they EN- phat-
ically military people, inhabiting an i'm
mense extent of tertiary possessing military
resources in men and subsistence surpassed
by those of no other country on the globe,