The weekly Butte record., 1863-08-15

tary power for the single purpose of division
disnembermen,. disintegration Il should not
have entered into our minds 10 subju-ale dis
tant Parts upon the frontiers of this bellige-
rent power" nor TO make any coDqest OF
States,-reduciDg them TO territorial depen-
denotes, overthrowing their local laws and ID
stitutious,-thus converting the war into civil
ANARCHY, political couvulSions and universal
disorder, requiring two generations to cure, as
susge and remedy. 1t should have been a war
of defense of social order of the execution OF
the laws. both State and National. as far IS
circumstances could allow, to resist and over
throw the armies of the " belligerent power,
to preserve existing institutions. and the lives.
the property and the rights of all uon-comba
| tants and uuarmed citizens of the several
States All We had to combat was the unity,
/ the nationality of the antag0nistic bellige-
rent power" not Of States, bat of individuals
and just as soon as that unity was diSmember-
ed. Just as soon as an independent nationality
was rendered impossible. so soon and immedl-
ately would the States, one By one, resume
their former amicable aud dutiful relations to
the Federal Government and the other States,
by concilatory and honorable arrangement
of general pacihcation. 1t was the only ra-
tionai and constitutional war that the Democ-
racy believe could be waged on the part Of
the United States.
LincoIn's Political War Policy.
Assuming this position two years ago be
lieving that Mr.. Lincoln's Administration
would go to work with the sole and intense
purpose of preventing the threatened dsmem-
berment and conquest of the half of our nation
ality. and confdiug in the pledges he made TO
the people of the United States and to the
cabinets OF Europe, as to the defensive charac-
ter of the war that Congress had recognized
and voted him ample meaus in men and trea
sure to conduct, tue Democracy of the adhe
ring States, almost to a man. rallied and rang
ed themselves under the old flag of their coun-
try, with resolution, unanimity and snthus-
siasm unparalleled in ancient or modern times
With equal unaUmity do the Democracy now
believe that Mr.. Lincolns Administration
made those pledges with the intent to deceive
them, for the express purpose of obtaining the
necessary supplies of men and money to carry
on gigantic war and that it was pre-coD-
ceived intent from the first, to remove, as soon
as those supplies were granted the mask then
covering the design, and, by the preteuse of
some vague military necessity. TO wage cru
SADIE against the local institutions of the South
In view of his former political principles, that
Mr. Lincoln. as the head of the party organ.
zed upon a basis of opposition to slavery.
should desire a necessity in the progress of the
war to arise, that would give him the opportu
nifty and the reputation of striking a fatal
blow upon that institution, is quite natural.
And this desire once conceived, that be should,
as the Commander in Chief of the army and
navy, give such direction to his campaigns and
military measures as would be likely to pro-
duce that necessity if it were possible, is equal
Is natural But it would be far more probable
that he should declare such necessity, when in
fact il may not have existed. And this last
position is entertained as the true state Of the
case by the Democratic party.
That the President could not derive any
right or power from the Constitution to eman
cipate single slave in the country, not his
own property, has never been denied by any
one. He has no power to enact law for or
repeal a statute of the Government, or of the
States. His is an executive power; he shall
simply see that the laws are faithfully execu
ted" But his admirers advocate his right so
to do, from some natural law higher than
constitutions and statutes such as the natural
law of self preservation, and upon the supposi
ton that the life of the nation is endangered
by the rebellion in the Southern States. This
is, on their part very vague statement of the
proposition. A nation is composed of individ
uals and to declare that the lives of all the
individuals in the nation are at stake in this
controversy, is simply an absurdity. If, how
ever. bv the term " national life is meant the
existence of republican government, it is
equally as absurd to say that it is in the least
endangered by the rebellion, so far as the
adbering States are concerned. The utter
imbecility of the belligerent power" 10 a
war of invasion had been already demonstrated
prior to the issuance of the emancipation proc
lamation. The expression, then, that the life
of the nation" could be endangered is too
strong a term to apply to the present struggle.
Stripped of all sophstry and misuse of terms,
the whole of the pretended necessity existing
as the cause Of the emancipation proclamation
could only be to facilitate the overthrow of
the % beligerent power at war with the
Government of the nation. How such means
as the deportation Of bodies of negroes from
the theatre of the war could facilitate victories
over the opposing armies is not apparent to
intelligent minds. If it is pretended that the
policy would decrease the production Of food
for their armies, it may be simply answered,
that, were every slave taken from the South,
there would still be enough whites left to pro-
duce abundant supplies for the necessary con-
sumption of the people and their armies. 1t
cannot be true that slavery in the Southern
States is an element of their military strength :;
nor has African slavery proved an element of
weakness there as was claimed by the Aboll.
tionists before the commencement of the war
would be the natural consequence of the sys
TEN. That the emancipation proclamation
and policy have not aided in the overthrow of
the opposing armies, or in the restoration of
the Union, is too plain fact to be contradict
ed. That it would have contrary effect was
foretold by DR.. Breckenridge, Crittenden and
Prentice, of Kentucky, with the whole Union
party there Carlisle of West Virginia. Eth
eridge, of Tennessee, and the Democracy eve
rywhere.
The emancipation policy incorporated into
the war therefore. resolves itself into the grand
Republican idea of the homngeneousnesss of
the people BY producing political and social
equality Of the races. And may God help the
people. if such necessity has arisen out Of