Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1863-12-17

they vail never contt4l ~ the restoration oi
the Union under tbe Constitution as il Is ~
Therefore the Vaf Is for disunion, for the
overthrow Of the G6nstitution, and for the de-
struction of the sovereignty Of the States IL
is as much war against the organic being o.
the Northern as ofihe Southern States. lti
is a war upon State sovereignty, and thus far
in its progress it has been much more success
ful in subyerting the sovereignty OF the
Northern than Of the Southern States. Be-
hold the pitiable condition Of Governor Sey-'
monr, Of the once prond sovereign State Of.
New York, now humiliated, sitting disgraced
and silent in the dust, surrounded by Federal
bayonets, its citizens dragged beyond the ju-
rsdicton and protection OF its courts by Fed
eral officers, its coutts superseded by the
President, its iails filling up with Federal
prisoners, tried by no jury and sentenced by
no court Of Justice, but by military commits
sion at Washington. DO we men of New
Jersey shudder at the humiliation Of our sis
ter State7 Let us shudder for ourselves, for
we are no better of, We, too, are reduced to
n military district, in which the Federal Gov
ernment appoints creatures to watch us, who
always occupied the social position of thieves
in our midst and patient people that we are,
one head has answered each Of these salraps
for good many months now. The State of
New Jersey has ceased to exist; it is only
military district. What made us q State2
Not the sky above us; not the slopes and
gades and fruitful fields within our borders
Our Constitution and laws constituted us
State, these have been suspended by the Fed.
eral Administration, and it can take one or all
of you whenever it plosses and send you to
be the equal Of negro, or to a dungeon,
New Jersey is already just such thing as the
Aboltionsts threaten to make of each South.
ern State, Federal colony, or military dis.
trict Mr. Lincoln has succeeded in doing to
us what he has been unable to do to the peo-
Pile of South Carolina, suspended the habeas
corpus and abolished trial by jury in such ca
ses as he pleases Now, the war has b,en
made the excuse for all this outrage and des-
potism But we know this dsspotism is really
the object Of the war Every Jerseyman in
favor Of this war is a foe to his own State, and
to the very principle of government on which
the Union of the States was founded. Then,
show us a Jerseyman who dare be anything
but Peace man; stand him up, and let us
look at him Mark him we'll, for the time
must come when be will be held to an awful
responsibility for the part he has played in
carrying on a war that is confessed to be for
the destruction Of the Union, and is known to
be for the overthrow of the rights of the
States.
We are opposed TO the war, because we are
in favor of the Union as it was and the Con
stitution as it is, and because we are for pre-.
serving the sovereignty and honor Of the
| State of New Jersey-nay, of defending that
sovereignty and honor against whatever power
dares violate them. If any man say we are
opposed to the war because we mean to aban.
don the Union, we hurl .he falsehood back
into the liars teeth. We tell him that he
knows his falsehood, and we charge him that
he is for the war because be is against the
| Union and Constitution, and because he is an
enemy to the sovereignty of his own State
He is u double traitor. He is for allowing
| New Jersey to be reduced to the status of a
colony of the Federal Government, and of
tamely submitting TO a dsspotism that puts
the property and liberty of Jerseymen at the
mercy Of a cabal of furious and blosdy imbe-
Giles in Washington. Let an inventory be
taken Of the demagogues or towards who
shrink from any conflict that may be necessa-
ry to defend the sovereignty of our State, and
vindicate the manhood of our people. Acting
within the limits of the Constitution, Mr. Lin
coin cannot do too much to bring the revolted
States back to their place within the Union.
| lu buCu u WOTh WE suOulu bthnu Dy MIN 10
the last hour. But may God Almighty never
pardon our sins if we support him in the
bloody business of driving and barring them
out, and closing the night of despotism and
African barbarism over their fruitful 6eldsl
Bad as secession is, it is not so great crime
against Government, against civilization and
humanity, as Lincolnism. Seeessionism
claims TO withdraw certain States from the u-
risdiction of the Government OF the United
States. There its crime ends. 1t makes no
war upon our constitutional form of Govern.
ment, nor upon the theory of popular sover-
eighty of which our country was born But
Lincolnsm seeks TO annihiate these States,
to strike them out of existence, and totally
repudiate the American principles of Govern
ment Secessionism inflicts no wound upon
the organic life of the remaining States Lin
colnism acknowledges its design TO kill one
third of the sovereign States of America, and
its purpose to subvert the sovereignty OF the
other two-thirds, is perfectly apparent Sc
cessionism is a runaway-Lineolnism an as
sassin, For the runaway there is yet hope
there is a chance for repentance, for reforma-
| ton, and for a return to the deserted family
sassinaton 1t is death, and there is nothing
beyond but the desolation OF the grave. Night
Nighu-Eternal night Night without star,
without the hope of dawnl With a sick
heart, we turn away from these scenes of
crime and carnage, to find rest in the words
Of the majestic Prophet of JudeA: BLESSED
are the Peacemakers."
| -------Ss-----