The daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1863-1864, 1864-03-16
What Then /?
From the New York Journal of Commerce.

Men shrink from looking Into the future.
They find fault with those who insist on
uestioning the effect oil. present policy on
the nations destiny. The rebellion must
be put down. To this we agree; hut what
then2 This question is esteemed Ill. timed
copperish-aisloyal. The voice OF the
dominant power oyerpowers the voice OF
the earnest lover of his country, who asks
anxious!y WHAT'S to follow the suppression
of the rebellion .sWhat business Is II Of
ours now?" they say; "what right have
you to interrupt the work OF crushing the
rebellion by suggesting that there. is any
other question !" 1wr,. az p.
The rebellion is a. terrible curse. o grand
evil, huge crime. 1t must be got rid of.
But there are other curses, other evils,
other crimes. A disease in the human
body is great evil, But the physician is
a murderer who directs his whole skill to
suppressiDg the disease and pays no atten
ton to the preservation of the constitution.
Many diseases might be suddenly and
wholly driven out of the system by doses OF
arsenic. Many q terrible swelling or tumor
might be eradicatedatya . free use Of the
knife, but the blood and life migGt follow
the knife. Fevers might be cured BY rem
edies that would bring bodily weakness and
certain death soon afterwafd. Shall We
crush q rebellion in such way as to destroy
the vital system when IL can be done 9TH
erwise? Shall we carry on this war so as
to come out oft weakened, impoverished,
with q terrible load OF debt and terrible
load of sectional hatred and bitterness. and
without that compact, hearty, healthy con-
dition Of the nation which is necessary to
enable us to recover even ordinary strength?
The life-blood of our country is the affec'
ton of the people for the Union, and if this
affection fails, blood fails, aHd the body
dies. Temporary alienation may be cured,
but if we seek TO cure it by means calcu.
lated to make the alienation permanent,
we are not likely to benefit the system by
our experiment The work can be accom-
plished without this result. Why not be
wise in time?
Men may seek to stiale these questions,
but they are seizing fast hol- on the minds |
OF the people. 1t is plain as the MONDAY
sun that if the policy of the present Ad-
ministration is continued into another four
wears, we have seen the end of the Amer
lean Union. Mr.. Lincoln and his advisers
can never restore that Union to life and
health. nor can they build up new consti
tuition to replace that which they are de-
stroying. They cannot save the life Of the
nation If we are to trust to them, 1t may
as well be confessed to 9ry as it will Ger
tainly be confessed next Year, that the Un'
ion is gone, and forever, and that their new
government will be weak and worthless
experiment. Why close our eyes TO these
solemn truths? The principle of wholesale
abolition and contiscation, founded on the
idea of conquering and covering as con
quered people millions y! Americans, IS
contrary to the spirit of free institutions
1t is poison in the blood Of the Union. ltl
is death to republican government The
one tenth plan of Mr.. Lincoln, by which
one man is to govern nine, and one tenth OF
the population are to elect representatives,
electors, legislators and governors for the
whole population, welding the old power oil
the whole, as if all wer, acting plan Is
II direct violation of American principles
and of moral right. 1t is directly hostile
to the constitutional guarantee OF republl
can forms of government. At best tue one
tenth ought not to elect more than one
tenth ofthe representatives-ought not to
he WELDING the mower of more than one
tenth Of the population. How would free
principles survive the shock of beholding
e-tenth of the population of Virginia bal
ancing, in the House of Representatives, the
votes of FIVE Northern States, and ten times
their number of Northern votesP Fhe idea
is not only absurd, but is deadly thrust
at the whole fabric of our government. But
what if that be permitted, and the one
tenth do make new State CONSTITUTION for
the nine -tenths, as the absolute, Incontro-
vertible law of the State, are those nine
tenths ever likely to be cheerful lovers OF
the Union? 1t is useless to discuss this plan.
1t is too plainly contrary to the fundamen
tai principles Of our government to com.
mand the respect even Of tho most devoted
followers of those who invented It.
What sort of free government will the
United States be when reconstructed on this
plan? New York, with her millions of free
men, will find herself eutvoted and cut.
weighed in bo,h houses of Congress by other
States with one tenth of her own numbers;
and that tenth will be partly or wholly me-
gro, if the dominant party carry out con
s;stently its present avowed policy! Does
any one imagine that that will be Union
which Northern men or Southern men will
love, will cling to, will tightfor7 Wassit
such a Union as that which We have poured
ont our treasures of money and life to save?
How will such Union pay the interest
on thousands of millions of debt2 How pay
the debt? ,5ssas,
If the present policy is pursued the war
will last for years, and only terminate in an
armed occupation, equivalent to constant
war. with expenses annually footing up
hundreds of millions. We want no unwill-
ing Unien, no nero conquered submission,
to carry out such debt as ours will be-
We must have cordial, hearty and willing
Union. or We are bankrupt and utterly
ruined. Our. nation, united willingly
can carry more debt than any other people,
and can pay it. Our nation, paei6sd 'oy
the confiscation Of Southern property, the
C, = ST. ue..- ~ Il