The Ottawa free trader., 1863-04-04
SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, Feb. IL, 1868


Hon j. d. CArox / have received your
favor of the 5th inst. Irepeat what said
to you when | last saw you in Springfield
that l concur fully with you in the general
views as stated in the paper which you
submitted to me, and that ! would be glad
to see it in print l believe that such
views, promulgated by a man Of your
standing in the Democratic party and in
the State would exert wholesome inHu-
ence upon public opinion, and tend to
check If from running to extremes, as it is
very liable to do in times of high party
excitement like the present. In my opn-
ion, that is the exact danger to which the
Democratic party is exposed The able
and statesmanlike message Of Governor
Seymour has in this point Of view been Of
| the highest value.
can scarcely conceive of any condition
of public affairs more gloomy than that in
which, as a nation. We are now placed.
Our whole political sky Is covered with
dark clouds, and there is streak of
light above our horizon to indicate u
brighter morrow. Still. TO my mind, the
path of duty to every patti lot is a very plain
, one
We must at every hazard preserve our
Union-a word which includes the integ-
rity and entirety Of our territory, and also
the supremacy of that glorious Constitu-
ton on which that CnioH is based
What was and is the best means Of pre-
serving the Union is a question about
which patriots have differed and still diff
fer. In my opinion. in the North " st
there Is but difference Of opinion aS u the
question ofduty and interest to 81 presei ve i,
When the question as 10 the best means
was an open one, was among those who
thought the best means was by compro.
mise rather than by coercion; that by the
compromise of sectional differences the
| Union wa formel, WAS maintaiued,
and in that way only could be preserved :
that coercion would lead to a dissolution
of the Union, and consolidate beligerent
sections into separate nations.
/ The question now cannot be said to
be an open one Madmen South and
North have precipitated the country into
an angry, a bloody, gigantic war.
This seems to me, for the present, to
shut up the door Of compromise, and we
must therefore accept the war as a horri.
ble necessity. If we should abandon the
war in the present state of the contest, it
would be tantamount to "A dissolution of
. the Union and a division of the territory,
not into two, but many PARTS a sad catas-
trophe, full Of many woes.
We must therefore continue the contest
not for the qualification Of sectional
hatred and revenge-not for any motives
OF false pride-not for the purpose of
changing or remodeling our form of 20
vernment-not for the purpose Of inter
fern. with the internal ail;Iirs Of any of
the States-"of taking to pieces the social
SYSTEM Of any of the States, and substitut
ing what we may suppose To be better
civilization but to re-es;aLiisi. the Con
stitutiou and to enforce obedience 70 the
laws made in pursuance thereof until all
shall come back, North and South. 10 the
house which the faiherless built for all
We must carry on the war until we
reach a point when the door Is again omen
for ompromise-when "A peace can be
made honorable alike to all sections, de-
grading to none, a peace re establishing
the Union as 1t was, and the Constitution
as it is.
Amid the storm of war wc should look
out for such an occasion with the like
longing of the wcaried traveller through a
dark and stormy ight-look ing out and
painting for the first dawn OF day More
We should do a.! in our power TO make
such an occasion, TO open such door.
1t Is sometimes difficult for persons Of
ardent temperament TO draw the distinc-
ton between the Government and the
party for the time being administering its
functions Nevertheless, it is cne which
every patriot should constantly bear in
mind, especially in these troubled times.
We are bound by every sacred tie To main
tain The Government in the exercise OF
every constitutional act and duty
If parties in power violate the Constitu-
ton and infringe upon the rights OF per
tI..n Il
ballot box. While these are open to US,
with freedom of speech and the press, any
resort 10 violence or revolutionary pro-
ceedings would. in my opinion, be An un-
pardonable crime. 1t is time enough
when th ese are denied TO US 20 discuss the
question whether it is not the duty of the
citizen to resort to force to preserve civil
liberty.
1t is, under present circumstances, clear.
ly our duty TO obey all laws rightfully
made, and TO perform and fulfill all our
constitutional obligations, and to protest
against any and every attempt of the
party IN power to usurp powers not war
ranted by the Constitution, /" to fight pro-
carnations with resolutions" and appeal
to the ballot box We should be right.
and suffer, and hope, and wait. The two
years from the fourth of March next may
be to us who trust suffer and wait, a long
and gloomy time, but two years in the
life OF nation, and | hope in the life of
our Union, is but a moment of time.
Thus acting, the Democratic party will
win and rally around j. the hopes and the
support Of all conservative men, and vim
dicating its right to power by manifesting
their ability to govern themselves insure
its advent to power
Respectfully, yours
JOHN T. STUART