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

lnatlOn, were auluuUCu 10 De JOO C'iSpICu-
ous to insure success and this give as a
part of the solution of the problem OF the
presidential milk in the Lincoln cocoanut.
The effective element employed in the
campaign was anti-slavery- unmiXed and
unadulterated aboitionism- looking to. no
consequences, except to defy them, cmbar-
rcssed by none of the ordinary questions Of
State policy or political economy. Reason
and argument were to be cOnqucsted by CON
centratcd fanaticsm
When the struggling Democrats cried out
for Douglas and the Union, and admonished
them that their success as a sectional party
arraycd in deadly hostility to the cOnstitu-
tional rights Of the Southern States would
lead to the disruption of the Union, they
returned only scohs for answer, and stimu-
lated their idolatry by worshipping short
pieces of rails as the vcritable rails which
their candidate had split.
When the unfortunate rupture occurred
in the Charleston Convention, the Abolition
lists hailed the event with great JOY as a har
biuccr Of their success. What effect it
might have upon the stability of the Union
was with them an inferior consideration
they only contemplated its effect upon the
| election.
Under these circumstances, which are
we'll known to the country, the Chicago
nominee was elected by minority vote Of
the people Of the United States. That his
election was a triumph of Northern section
al principles is none the less true because
it might haaye, been prevcnted. by the cordial
co-action of the Southern with the North
em Democrats. That co-action was prcvcn-
ted by the supposed permanent prcdomi-
nance Of ahoitionism III the North.
Nearly all Of the free States were under
/ Rcuublican rule and had enacted LEGISLATION
against the constitutional rights Of the
| South 1t must be admitted because it is
true, that the arrogant and unlawful inva-
.ions OF the prcdominating party in the
| North had led the Southern people to be-
lieve that under that predomnancc they
could by no possibility enjoy the guaranteed
privileges Of the Constitution. In this they
were undoubtedly right, but they were
wrong in the lclclf that the conservative
principles of the Democracy were prostra-
ted beyond hope of redemptionin the North
[ believe that had they stood and acted
in good faith with the Northern conscrva-
tives, who were friends alike TO all sections
of the country, victory would ere long have
rewarded the common effort and purgcd the
: Northern counSclS Of the abolition malady.
. The election of Douglas, if it had not set
/, tied the slavery controversy, would at least
, have beaten down the demon, and the coun-
try would have been comparatively quiet iol
while. We, therefore, of the free State,
who never sought to abridgc the rights o
, any section, or to Interfere with its local in
r stitutions have much more right to com
5 plain of the detection Of the Southern pco
!, pie than have those who by long and per
sstent practice Of aggrcssions upon them
i provoked thom to tlcir criminal act.
The President elect in due tlnc took upon
himself the functions Of his high office with
many of the political ideas which Americans
naturally derive from the principles of our
Government, and although Of strong dboi-
ton proclivities he seemed to have little con
ccption Of the extreme requirements which
would be made of him by the party to whom
he was indebted for his position. lie seem
cd to see this Government as organized un-
der, and with powers limited and defined
by Il written Constitution. The miserable
subterfuge of IL war power, by which 3
sword officer could innocently violate his oatl
/, and hold in contempt all the laws of hi,
country had not then been invented liz
4 saw not, because there was not amy by-patl
@ by which to otravel around the plain dictate
t. of the Constitution. So, when civil war en-
;. sued, the people were called upon to incu
10 the hards hips and dangcrso Of the long march
y and the battlefield, and all that constitute
@ ''thc tug of war; to ''rcSt0ye Me Union,
II which still existed in law, although it wa
~ brokcd in lact-not to pave the way for
IS new regime which should open the terrific
= rics of the South to Northern plundcrers
it was to 'cniorce the Constitution and tn
q laws, which were claimed on all hands t
10 be obligatory upon the people Of the sccC
/ dcd States as they ever had been 10 pu
% down the rebellion - all and each of thes
N forms of expression imported the enforce
r, mcnt Of simply constitutional authomt
:. over those subjects who were in rcbcio
* against Government to which they, lik
q other citizens, owed allegiance. And th
r, President promised and assured the peopl
% over and over, and declared to the worl
; through his minister of state, that the wa
" should be prosecuted for that purpose, IN
~ for no other The President seemed to !
~ sincere in the pledges; to keep them was OF
ty ly his sworn duty, The people who love
lc the Union and were willing to incur ever
r necessary sacrifice for its preservation ten
- dercd to the ayowcd Union policy of Il
to President their United support The mil
ii tanned principally to Democrats, wi
@, promptly rendered their services to the Go
m crnmcnt, and the conservative and unsc
i tional men OF the States rallied to the stal
~ dard of the Union. Half n million m(
n, might as well been had Us aeyenty-liye thol
s sand at the first call. Such was the spin
i of the war then--ouch was the spirit Of Il
Ie Presidents proclamationS then Alas
ot what unknown quarter has that spirit fled
Ie Where is the lulllillment of the pledge ?
y Where is the motive to vindicate the Con
q, stitution and the laws? Where the pu
r. pose to restore the Union
IL Gone glimmering through the dreams
-, things that Wcrc.'
to t In that portion of the message which
,n given under the name of proclamation,
ns as well as III the message, proper, the Pres
in dent assumes an entirely new position upC
III all the important political consideration
- which have grown out of the war /
or takes upon himself the arbtrament of ,
y the civil rights Of the people Of the Stat
-. which have been or may be conquered by Il
NJ arms of the Federal Government, claimil
10 for himself the power to dictate the for
~ and character Of the governments the ere
ed ton OF which, by what is called the proce
Nv Nv of reconstruction, will be permitted by Il
nv Executive, and also the terms and cone
"Hn tions upon which such governments may
tni formed and become States Of the Union,
.t, They are to be governments not, i'll the Ia
~ guage of the Declaration Of Independents
III deriving their just powers from the co
he sent of the goverenod, but govcrnmer