The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1864-10-05

erGment had taken the aggressive, Pres
ident Lincoln offered peace on the most
liberal terms. The terms were, briefly,
the laying down of arms and the aban-
donment of their hostile attitude. The
world knows how these terms were met
1t need not be repeated here. The des-
olation of Southern fields, and the vacant
seats in thousands of homes, both North
and South, bear the record. Still later,
amnesty and pardon have been offered by
the President; still the chiefs of the re-
bellion abate not title of their energy
to maintain themselves in their wrong.
They demand recognition and independ-
enee of Government they hate. Init
mate knowledge Of the directing minds
Of the rebellion teaches that they will
never abandon their wicked scheme until
obliged to do SO by the sheer force of such
iron circumstances as control the results
of war.
There is &c ground, then, for hope of
peace through compromise; no hope of
permanent peace. There is no such dis
charge in this war. Those who 90 before
the country upon such vicious pretcxts
are not deceived themselves, however
much they may deceive the Ignorant and
unsuspecting. To charge self-deception
upon them IN matter so Enthusiastically
clear would be equivalent to charging
them with imbeoility. They Go not de-
ceive themselves. This pretext of seek
ing the defeat Of Mr. Lincoln that peace
may return to oGr borders, covers a sinis-
ter purpose. If they wish peace they
can have it but in two ways--in a cow
.ardly abandonment of the struggle, fol-
lowed by disunion, or by more vigorous
(if possible) prosecution of the war.
Thus the true issue upon whce the
campaign is to be made, becomes sharply
defined None can deprecate the horrors
Of war OF desire the return Of peace more
than do the warmEst supporters of the
National Union nominees. But they ask
for and will acquiesce in no peace lhat is
not founded upon the principles of the
Declaration of Independence. They rec
ognize greater evils than war, such as
this Is in which the nation is plunged. l.
Divide the nation geographically, and to
what end do we inevitably gravitate j?
With the precedent and justice Of scces-
sion established and acknowledged, who
can presume to say that we shall not re-
peat the humiliating history of Mexico
and the South American States? United,
the common danger was, and would con-
tlnue to be, our common security. Di-
vlded, the land would groan with the
wreaklng out of individual vengeance
Divided, the torch and brand would never
be idle along the line Of division, The
country would at last awake to the bitter
knowledge that open, vigorous war pros
ecuted with high purpose, is a thousand
times less to be dreaded than an armed
peace.
As an example, little more than
year since, when Lee, with his rebel army,
invaded Pennsylvania, and when the fate
of the Republic was decided by the battle
of Gettysburg, how prompt wicked and
designing men were to inauguratc the in
surrection in New York city, trusting in
the hope that the Government was not
able to maintain the supremacy Of the
Constitution and the laws. It will be
long before the blackness of the crimes
committed by that conspiracy will be.
obliterated
AS another example, take the recent
discovered in the Northwest
the banding together in secret eff large
number Of men, the concentration of thir-
ty thousand stand of arms and large
supply of ammunition. The papers of
this conspiracy, which we're seized, evi-
dence too clearly that their design was,
and is, the overthrow of the Republic.
trusting that division and anarchy would
shield them from harm, but in utter dis
regard of the c0ncomitant wrongs to the
people-murder, robbery, arson-in a.
word, desolation for the time.
Now, fellow-citizens, in both these ex-
amples, the moving spirits are prominontl
men IN the opposition, and controlled the
and platform Of Chicago.
Canw hesltate-can there be any trust
Or confidence in men placed in nomination
by such. men? Men of family, hesitate
nen Of property, hesitate; young men,
who hope to enjoy both these blessings,
hesitate before you cast your votes for
nominees made by such agencies.
Yet 1t is to such peace as this that
our opponents invite you They ask
your sufrages for man who either is
pledged to such a peace, If elected, or who
is determined on a war grander in scale
and bloodier in results than the world has
yet witnessed. There can be but two is-
sues out of the present difficulty. The
Intelligent freemen Of Pennsylvania need
i