Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1864-08-04
Colonel streight to Mr.. Mcdonald.

our readers to the letter oil Colonel Streight
to Joseph E. Mcdonald.
The opposition press and politicians
give us. at this late day, remarks the
Indianapolis Journal. long homilies on
the causes of the war-always closing
with the assurance that the abolitionists
were the guilty instgators; but if there
was one cause more potent than another,
i. may be found in the wretched balder-
dash so much INDUCED in prior to the
commencement of active hostilities. bv
those same presses and party managers,
that the General Government had no
power TO coerce a State. Mr.. Buchanan
announced this doctrine in his Message to
Congress in December 1850, and there
were but few men of his party who had
independence enough to demand that the
Union should be sustained unless the
rebels could be brought back by some ad =
litional debascment OF the Northern States.
During all the long agony of suspense
from November 1860 TO April 1861, the
constant anacea presented ty the Demo
cratic party, for armed and insolent rebel
lion and robbery. was more concessions;
additional guarantees for the pcrpetuation
snd extension of slavery, and tie surren-
der by the Free States of the right of suf-
frage unless exercised under the dictation
OF small minority of exac,ing aristocrats
If the Democratic party of 1860, had ex-
hibited the nerve and resolution of Jack.
son, whom 1t professel so much to revere,
and sail to the Southern Conspirators
we will defend the Constitution and aid
the President in putting down by force,
any resistance 10 the laws and Govern.
ment of the United States, we should have
had no war. /. was by inducing ,he
Southern people to believe that there
would be no opposition offered by the
Government Of the United States to the
withdrawal Of the Slave States from the
Union, and the establishment by them of
a separate Government. that they succeed
ed in carrying those States into the
scheme of secession with its consequent
calamities. 1t was impossible for the
Union men of the South to stem the tor
rent. when the advocates of secession had
the ready proof that the Democracy of the
North were pledged to the doctrine that
the South had the constitutional right to
go out and set up for herself. In addi-
tion to this pnsilanimcus desertion OF the
Government, the Democratic politicians
of lS6e-6l gave direct encouragement to
the fanatics Of the South, by their assur-
ances to them that they would prevent the
application of force by the National, au-
thorities. to compel their obedience to
law, unless concessions were first offered
them, which the Northern Democrats had
scoinfuliy refused to yield but few
months before, at the Charleston and Bal.
timore Conventions.
Who can recall without modification
and rage. the shameful fact that Reple-
sentative in the General Assembly of In
diana. could declare on the floor of the
House, in public debate. that if war came
he would fight, not for the country, but
in the ranks of the insurgents; and in
stead Of being idisgraced for his treasona.
bic language, be received the commenda-
tion of his party friends and was the ac-
knowledged leader Of that party in the
Housc of Representatives. Nor was this
an isolated case; the Democracy every
where seemed determined that the party
which legally and fairly succeeded in the
election Of 1860 should be destroyed, and
they encouraged the rebellion in the be-
lief that concessions would be made and
accepted. which would result in the disin-
tegration Of the Republican and the return
of the Democratic party to power. This
might. and probably would have been the
case. if the managers of the rebellion had
been willing to play into the hands of
their coadjutors in the North. But they
had other schemes in view. For once in
the history of the Democratic party it
had refused to become the tool of South
ern Nulifers; and they could no more
forgive the revolt at Charleston, than they
could pardon the i'm pcrtinence of the peo-
pie Of the North in voting for President
who was distasteful to the lords of the
cotton and rice plantations. They deter.
mined. therefore, to discard the Northern
Democracy and set up new empire
whose "corner stone should be slavery.
They had the assurance of Democratic
President. and substantially of the Demo
cratic party. that they should not be dis
turbed in their forcible disruption of the
Republic. They fully expected "to be let
alone" yallandigham. then member of
Congress, and then, as now. an infamous
traitor. assured the conspirators that no
Abolitionists should crcss the Ohio river