Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1864-02-13

debt is charged with woes to tho people,
Of which they have NJ conception, and OF
which the majority will heed no warnins'
until it Is too late to avoid the calamity
Already this rrightCul, unnatural and
murderous conhiet has clothed the whole
land in mourning. When shall the agony
which this war has caused, be revealed
and realized in its heartrending, crushing
a~ll-pervading extent Who has not been
beroayed9 Fathers and mothers, sisters
and brothers, wives and sweet-hearts, arc
hourly snmmoned to sorrow for the upre-
turning brave-and every day that the war
continues, must witness a repetition oil
these heartrenling Affections of the people
And what nave we achieved as a COM
pensation for our sulIerings and our losses
We have not put down the rebellion
1t is, this day, we firmly believe, as strong
and defiant as il has been at any time from
the beginning. The order for 8OO,Ooo
Federal conscripts in October, and 2OO'-
Zoo (f not 500 ,OO0) in January, fully
confirms this view, whatever may be SAID
BY the ralsiGers Of the press, pulpit, We,
to the contrary.
But this war has other results, in addi-
ton to those we have specified, Of the most
momentons nature. While it has been in
progress-amid the frenzy and madness
of the excitement which il has created
our rulers have practically subvertcd onr
Constitutional form Of Government, and
instituted an unlimited, unqualified Mill
tary Despotism in its stead. There ~ not
in all the world to-day, a Despotism more
complete, more perfect in all its appoint
ments, more heartless or more oppressive
than that which exists at Washington.
And not only this, tho whole socia
. fabric is shaken to its base. Violence ha'
uaIrped the place of law. CommunitieI
are governed by the mob. Strifcs have
been engendered in neighborhoods, an
: deadly ieuds implanted, which will endur
for years. The christian church, perverte'
from the holy purposes for which 1t wa.
c instituted, is lettering to its fall,
of all this the Democratic people @
Ohio are fully Informed. They are intel
j ligent, reading. thinking men. They d
not love bloodshed they abhor tyranny
they reverence law they would rescue th
Ne church of CHRlsT from the evil influence
Of under which it has fallen. Therefore the
ir are for Peace and the March Conyentio
Ii should give 'trumpet-tongued' exprossio
rs to their desires. .
We hope there win be no such thing {
"War Democracy" heard of in the Con
~ventiou. 1t has no place there. 10 be
"War Democrat" is, to all intents an
l. purposes, to be a Republican. There
h no middle ground between the W partie
They are separated by a gulf-not by a
isthmus. II it be wise to prosecute Il
:. war at all ; il the integrity Of the RepuI
= lie is to be maintained by ~bloodshed
discussion Of differences, aud cOmpromis
:, Of opinion. are TO be excluded, then Il
~ publicans arc right, and there is no ma
80 ner of usS Tor any third party. If ON I
other hand, as we believe, the Union,
preserved at all, can only be preserved
Peace if war is ruinous to every inter'
!, of the people; il it wrings their heal
with sorrow. and makes their homes dies
late If it creates taxation too grisvous
-, be borne il it imperils social order |;
49, It menaces American liberty with eterr
overthrow, then Democrats should be pea
men and no place shoula be even non
naIly allotted in their ranks to any W
!, are not peace men. Let us adopt and
upon these views and il we be not 81
%cessful, we will at least deserve succe
and preserve our self-respsct, and the
ns' speot Of the world.
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Re Progress Of LaVvIessneGs.