The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-06-10

BgEfNGToE, May 81, 1863
lJoHNsJ. VAN ALLEN; ESQ, Chairman Con-
on Invitations
DEAR SIR fl have just received YOUR inA
I~yitation to be present and address amass con-
to be held in the city of New York
on the Sd of June proximo, of all those Gin
favor of cessation of hoktilities1 preparatory to
. restoration of the Union by Cancellation and
compromise. /" 1 endorse heartily the objects of
your call, and realize in it b e=fulfilnent- Of a
prediction made at a public gathering By ny
self one year and a half agoA"That IN less
than two years the cry from the democracy of
the North wiH be for peace. The hopeless
ruin and the useless slaughter will have forced
uponsthem the conviction that there can be no
Union where blood is Che cement, and mo re-
] turning affection while fierce passions continue
tozbe Fengendered amid the Wild horror of,
slaSohterN -nssvEs3 bna z9a3TaE Bsb3I5H "
The resultsso of this unhoiy strife amongst
brethren only strengthens me Sin the conyic
ton L had from the first, that it is iaso hopeless
of good, as I know ititosbe productive Of evil
The strife must cease before the calm, majes-7
tic voice of ireasonican be heard. Let US at
least have the magnanimity, being the strong1
err section, and not as we declare Dagifated by
like passions with those in arms against us, to
at least tender thenzthedol ive branch Let
us ask for an armistice, and then amid the lull'
of the contest, learn from those who were
once our bfetheren, VIII t their demands are,
and upon what basis ofsstt' enlent' this terrible
strife can be closed IF it can be brought to
an end even upon the basis of an entire recon
struct on, bcttefithis than hong years of cruel;
bitter strife, demoralizing our people, hope
lessly pros. rating our business, and lin which
consth utional liberty must sooner or later find its
gravesagNo man here at ther North can wit
ness the rapid strides now making towards con-
solidatione and naturalization, ithroaghenthe
agencies of eusurped power, without a'shudder.
The constitution strampled under feot.sthe lib
critics of the citizen made a byword and re-
preach, a military despotism rapidly eneroach-
1 ingIupond the Jurisdiction iof civil tribunals,
and the State authorities standing trembling
and agiast before the advance of federal bay
onets. The1ife of tyrantsIgrowsi with what
it feeds on.o5Ifee in reference to this admin
istration as CISCO felt towards Cesar.n ,a7yfsE
. know he wodId not be a wolf,y1t biad roy
But he thinksithe Romans are but sheep. sfi
Acts of gross aaalgrevieus outrage have
been done before with. impunityy and. gather
ing courage with the. opportunity, it is making
stride after stride that, If not checked viii
result in the subyersion of the government
and the establishment of a military despetism
upon the ruins of a free republic. Lam Slad
to see tho people are rousing tbeAselyes{t to a
constitutional resistance of these acts. of OPP
preston at least, and through theamedium of
meetings for redress of grievances are ipti-
mating TO the men in authority that they will
hold them to the obligations of their official
, !, aaths. IF they still persist; after flair warn
ing riYen, then revolution alone VIM icate olt-
Z iged lii erty. is'TheD the offense must needs
Q me-. but woe be to him through whom the
/, , offence cometh." aeA s
sei4 Is Yours, respectfully, g :
d5iw N 90 a0a JAMES W MALL
THE DEMOCRATIC LEGISLATIVE ADDRESS. ri
The address recently. issued by the demo-
cratic members of the Legislature declared n
favor of conducting the war, according 10 the
constitution. How does the constitution pro-
vide for the conduct of a war against itself and
the Union? The war being unconstitutional,
Acknowledgements constitutionelly.
! (Cheefs, and cries ortGoed0eThe-Seath
conducts it in opposition to the constitution,
and the North conducts it outside of the con-
s~titution. It is an unconstitutional war. The
Declaration of Independence says that tsgov-
ernmenfs derive their Just powers from the con
sent of the governed" To favor the war now,
after the rebellion has assumed the propo tions
of revolution, is to deny this principle as we'll
as to deny the right If revolution. Whenever
we cease to recognize the principle that the
concents of the governed is essential 20 free
government, we lay down the foundation Of
despotism. Written constitutions can only be
maintained by strict construction in spirit as
well as by letter of their provisions. We can
sac no consistency In endeayoring to make an
issue between supper ing the war and the
emancipation proclamation. (Hisses) 1t would
be an issue that involved no principle. A party
70 be permanently successful must be built up
on principle, and not upon mutable facts. fl
the general government have the moral or con-
stitutional right to make war upon the States
for its own salvation, then it is without re-
straint as to the means used directly for that
purpose, except in the manner of using those |
means. The constitution does not limit the
number of men that Congress may call to arms,
specify what color they shall bee; but it
directs how they shall be mustered in and man.
aged. IF the government has a right to bonn
bard thps cities, burn the property and deside
the States of I'll South, it haI . right to say
that one particular species of their property
may be wrested from them by any means not
ons;sienti with civilized war. The emapci-
patton proclamation is net SO, clearly q violation
iof principle and an assumption of arbitrary
power Us the division of the State of Virginia
Why, then, make opposition to it a speciality
in politics? But it is said this is necesssaryif
eve would maintain our party ascendancy3pdb
Is The. sscsndsncy of our rarty the highest
good? Should VIC. sacr fee splineiPlerfor the
sake of partisan SUGGEST IF the democracy
cannot gain and maintain ascendancy except
through sacrifice of princiele ard the life blood i
of the American people; we say let it go down
CRY of i"Amen," and cheers.) But We will
not admit that such a policy is necessary to the
success of the democratic Farty. 1t would be
q negative policy at most, and could not
FIRE the hearts of the people. Opposition to
the proclamation would not defeat its operation.
If the democracy should longer adhere to tie
policy of mere fault finding, even should it
in victories at the ballot box, they
will in the end be. defeated The measures to
which they are Offering a feeble resistance at
the polls will, through the instrumentality of
the war, become policies of the government
neutrality-suspicious. fortho ccming future
~ is REUNION A~TTAINABLE2
as ominous as appearance would indicate it to