Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1864-04-07

nation of people or a province under the
oppression of wicked government may, in
the opinion of the world and before God,
be justified in resorting to revolution for the
purpose of achieving independence and lib
erty, L believe. But that forcible revolu-
tion is the unconditional right of portion
OF the people of a nation, to be exercised at
their mere pleasure, | do not believe. The
justification of the American Revolution
which resulted in our National Indcpen-
dcnce was not put upon any such ground
Secession believe to be no more nor less
than revolution. In the American sense of
the term, 1t is the exercise of what is claim
ed to be the reserved right of State in the
Federal Union to withdraw itself from the
Confedcracy whenever the people of such
State may elect to do so, with or without
any other reason than their desire for com
plete independence. L do not admit the
existence of any such right, nor assent to
its assumption. regard the General Gov
ernment of the United States in its sphere
as unit, as verify such as the Government
of State, and that all the people of the
States owe it allegiance which is not at their
option to revoke.
But let us consider how this doctrine of
the member from Illinois would apply to a
given state of circumstances. Let it be
supposed that he afterwards, in the process
of events, become President of the United
States, and as such officer, in violation of
his official obligations, bad assumed to dis
franchise, crush and punish, without law
or right, the citizens of State, thus man.
itesting by his acts an intention to employ
tyrannically the powers which were given to
HIM for an entirely, different purpose, in for
cibly suppressing the laws of State which
protactS its citivpnS 'Tbic c+o+o % ,;,,,,,,,
stances would according to his doctrine,
authorize not only the State, but an inter
ested portion of the people Of State to
t revolutionize and overthrow his administra-
} ton, and If necessary, to intlict upon him
the same banishment which he had unlaw-
fully inflicted upon Others
! In Government like ours, whose ad-
ministrators arc elective at short intervals,
, | would invoke the forbearance of the peo.
pie till the balot-box could be appealed to
for redress; but if any tyrant should under
: take to interfere with that sacred dispenser
of the peoples will he would deserve to be
, swept from the face Of the earth by an in
, jured and betrayed community. In such
J extremity men may be justified in exercis
+ ing the uterior right which they hold from
1 God.
In contemplating this subject recognize
tNO tuc UCJWGtu uneUl
1 first, the melting crime of invasive aboli
G tionism; and second, the induced and con
e sequent crime of secession. They who b,
: their own wrongs have contributed to TIN
g latter crime should expect by divine law t.
: share its punishment. They are not, l sa
/ again, as well entitled to complain Of tn
h deed as are those who at all times have alb
g ljured both the incentives and the crime.
n We of the conservative school cannot pa
e tiently listen when we are told that the pol
. icy of restoring the Union upon its origina
G principles is merely ridiculous. We know
: as experience has proved, that it need
: nothing but the honest fcalty of the people
t which every Government rcquirs, to sustain
L that Union. We are not satisfied with tn
e policy of the President and the predomina
h ting party in shaping the results of miltar
G conquests. We have no faith in the pro
g posed new system. We demand the resto
. ration of the Union; we demand it bccaus
d it is our birthright, because We have don
n nothing to forfeit that right, or to incur
= dispossession of it, We demand it becaus
IS it was many times solemnly promised to Us
IS and because upon the faith of that prom
e Use many thousands Of Democrats gave the
d lives to enable the administration to pei
e form it. The fieshless bones of our slaugl
!: tered brethren can scarcely be expected t
l remain quiet in their shallow graves if til
m sacred bond be not kept. We demand
/ should not be robbed Of the inheritance f
I'd the assurance of which their fathers died
n and we demand it for the further rcasc
e. that the best interests Of the country an
nd of mankind require it.
al Were such wise and saving policy to
r, adopted even at this late day, and after
le many taithless violations Of pledges to abiC
n by the law and abjure revolution, the
would be no further necessity or apology Il
as executive tinkering with the governmen
to of the States. 1t would, to be sure, di
lie appoint the fanatics by defeating the insal
mt purpose to turn loose upon the country to,
at millions of negroes, helpless, unprovid,
d, for, and entirely untitled for the position i
to tended to be thrust upon them but
&C, would, at the same time, protect the i
ed competent negroes against the inhum,
On policy of depriving them of the most nee
'lr ed, and to them essential benefits Of Il
on system to which they were born. 1t mig
tn thropic design of those transccndental ali
he litionists who propose by a process whi'
ey they call 'miscegenation, a word of the
rk scholarly invention, to improve the bon
rn skin, muscle, hair and brain Of their tello
II, citizens, and especially their own posterit
ng the process being the amalgamation Of t
or inferior blood with the superior blood Of t
he African. But this is an exceedingly IA
re- ishing idea among its votarieS, and carne
to ly propagated in lectures and songs, and
some extent, in the pulpit, it is possil
Try that the return of the negro to his cont
+ ton of servitude would only deter the be
by fits of ''miscegenation to time when t
lie, philosophy of the thing shall be bett
all comprehended.
u 1t might somewhat enieeble certain p,
re ty by diminishing the contemplated adva
ey tagc of African support at the ballot-bo
re- an advantage which | couldappreciate VIII
ch | found the names of more than halt
N hundred negroes who voted to give the ST
1t l occupy to my opponent upon the pc
r; books Of single precinct in my distri'
tn Had there been as many more
them, | should not have been here to t
of the story. cannot see that these consiC
ar tons, however important some people II
an regard them, should have operated
IRE change the promised mode of suppressi
nd the rebellion.
One more of the objections to carryi
IN, out the constitutional programme in disl
Sc sing of the rebellion ought to be motto
he before l leave that point, 1t would rent
zen vain and fruitless all that learned ,ingenu
in which has enabled a majority Of this Hol