The mountain Democrat., 1863-10-10
FheEass oEtAs aeeslel

One Of the cant phrases Of the 20 called
"UniOn," alias Republican party, is that
they are fighting to preserve the life Of
the Government"
The following extract from the eloquent
speech Of O. O. Burr, Eco. before the great
Peace Convention In New York, express
ses, most truthfully and fOrcibiy, this Alb
clifton fallacy:
Secession 10 bad enough; but the pur.
pose of EheSe men 70 something worse than
secession. Secession leaves us our Con-
stitution. whOSe, A21A pe1j9ct as il was
when It came from the hands Of our faith
ers in 1857. II leaves as the habeas cor
pus, the right Of trial by jury, protection
from unreasonable searches and seizures.
1t leaves us the Temple of American Lib
erty perfect In al its sublime and immOr-
tai glory, covering Q large numder of
States, and population five times greater
than it did when it was first reared by
the genius Of our forefathers. Cheers.
But the purpose Of these mad aud bloody
revolutionists strikes down the whole tenn
pie with one blow of ruthless despotism.
Secessionism simply denies the jurisdic-
ton of the United States over its territory.
1t leaves to US, who are here, all Of cOnsti-
tutional liberty and law that we ever en-
ioyed, Il says, ~ am out" but it does
not profess to meddle with Us who are in.
It does not come here and break into our
houses and drag US forth by brutal hands
at midnight. Its crimes are territorial,
are, as we may say, external. But the
crimes of these abolition revolutionists are
internal and fundamental. Secession
strikes at the territorial dominion, ,-Abo-
lition revolution at the organic structure
of the Government. hear o great deal
Of all.bewilderiDg jargOn and nonsense
about preserving the life Of the Govern
ment, does not consist in the extent Of its
dominion in the preservation oflts eOnsti-
tuition and laws. The Constitution is the
soul of the Republic, and those who are
seeking to suspend or annihilate that, are
they who are destroying the life of the
Government That Is what we mean to
do, sir, preserve the life of our Govern
ment. As God is our Judge we have no
other motive in this plea for peace. We
are for peace, because we see that war is
used as an excuse to destroy the free in
sttutions Of our country. We are for
peace, because we know that this war is
revolution. 1t can exist only by n sus-
pension Of the Constitution, and by de-
struction Of the immortal voluntary prin-
cple on which the Government was built
We are for peace, because we are for the
Union as 1t was. To those who say that
peace means disunion, we reply. war is
disunion. We know that war is disunion.
But we hope that with peace, union is yet
possible. IA voice. 1t is. We can do
no more. If the Union is never restored,
it is because war has killed it. If it is
never restored the blood that strangled it
is not ON our hands. We did not murder
it. We neither planned the horrid fra
tricide, nor struck the deadly blow We
lift up these hands to Heaven, that God
may see them clean Of our brothers and
our country's bloodi"
In another part of the same speech he
thus defines the principles and position Of
the true Democrats, as contrasted with
the "War Democrats" of the John Con-
ness and John Van Buren stripe, who
have sold themselves, body and soul, to
the Abolitionists
"Sir, my feeble influence shall never be
used to distract the Democratic party
That party is the last refuge of our. .coun-
try from the bloody despotism that de-
YOURS it; but what is democracy 1t is
not shuttle.cock. 1t is not cameleoD,
to change its complexion with every new
substance it lights upon. 1t Is not cum
ming policy for contractors, and sharpers,
and Off1ce-seekers to fill their greedy
bowels with plunder. 1t is geat princi.
plea profound and sublime philosophy
of government, that promises to all the
peoples and States the right of selfgov-
ernment, the free and uncontrolled choice
of their own domestic institutions and
laws. ["That's Democracy" Applause1
The doctrines have enunciated here to.
night, are those which have been held
sacred by the Democratic party in this
country from the days of jefferson and
Madison, the founders of the party, to the
close Of the Administration Of James
Buchanan: ["That's SOFT There is the
record Of its principles. No man will
dare to enter the field of controV Versy and
deny that have faithfully adhered to it,
in the brief statement of principles, touch
ing tho war, which l have here made"
Speaking those So called "War DEM
ocrats," he says:
ave hear of such, particularly in the
plauditS of the disunion Loyal Leaguers.'
They are nightly fond of WAR Demo.
Gratis And we'll they may be for they
are a kind of fish that easily take the
hook that is baitcd with greenbaek or
negro. They have caught good many
such as Dickinson, and Tremain. and
Brady, and John Van Buren,. Lifelong
Democrats the Republican papers call
these gentlemen Of easy politicaa virtue.
Just suppose, as one Judas might be
called a lifelong disciple of Jesus
Christ. If there is danger Of a disturbing
element, it must be in that small fraction
called the War Democracy But it will
not be strong enough to disturb or arrest
the mighty groundswell Of public opinion
which is every where setting in against
the policy Of the Administration. In SIX
months from this date, the War Demo-
cracy' will be we'll understood to mean
Lincoln Democracy. There viii be an
odor of greenbacks and shoddy about it
which all the waters of the ocean cannot
wash out. "
The Eastern papers have it that Mr..
Lincoln maintains spiritual establish