The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1864-11-09
From the Crisis.
THE CAUSE Of SECESSION.
Number Three.

7 1T has been shown in preceding num-
bers that Mr.. Linoolns was predeter-
mined upon war. It ought not to have
been supposed that the seeded States
kwere not desperately in earnest in. what
sthey had undertaken; ! they had gone. too
far to recede. They had deliberately
Withdraw and dissolved their connection
with their sister States. and set up for
themselves Independent. and intended to
sustain the declaration at all hazards
The torts. arsenals and public property
located within their limits they conceived
rightfplly theirs, upon an equitable oil
vision of the joint estate of the nation of
which they had been component part,
these they supposed you'd be nothing
like fair proportion. They left all the
public domain, with the vast min raj
wealth. thereto belonging all the. navy,
though of great value to the adhering
States. Was not the relinquishment of
their interest in these advantages sufi-
cient TO satisfy the Free States? Ought
they not to have said; "Go out if you
choose--you are welcome to all the prop
erty belonging to the Union within your
limits; to US the balance belongs If
you can gain by separat;on-of that you
must judge-we know you leege countless
wealth to us"
am reminded, in this conqection, of
what occurred in ancient days between
Abraham and Lot: ''Forktheiy substance
was great SO that they could NOT dwell to-
gether."
"And there was strife between the
herdmen of Abrams cattle and the herd
men of Lots cattle' n
"And Abram said unto Lot, Let there
be no strife, / pray thee, between thee
and me, and between my herdmen and
thy herdmen for we be brethren"
SIS not the whole land before thee p
Separate thyself, pray thee, from me ::
if thou wilt take the left hand, 1 will go
the right: or if thou depart to the right
hand, then I will go'to the lett"
What strange coincidence in names !!
Near four thousand years ago the right
eous Abraham hourished upon earth. His
mode of settling strife between brethren
has come down to our day. Think of the
memorable words. "Separate /" thyseJ,
pray thee, from me-" How accommoda-
ting was he to his relative Lot, saying to
him the whole land is before thee, and
freely giving choice to him of either GO
ing TO the right or left. Was not that
noble, generous, magnanimous ? The
strife ceased-no more was heard Of it i;
friendship, affection vas instantly re-
stored Now, honest Abram was called
to preside over this nation when great
strife was prevailing between brethren.-
Did be follow the example Of the righ-
teous Abram He took precisely the op-
posite course Did the word separate ev-
er erescape his lips? Did he say to his
Southern brethren s'tie whole land is be-
fore thee ?"a The righteous Abram dis
played compromising spirit-.a spirit
Of conciliation. Hoy happy the effects
that flowed from it : peace and harmony
design, first, to inquire how the strife
was produced. or what caused secession
secondly, the absurd method adopted TO
restore the Union. -.
1t is settled axiom in philosophy thst
there is no effect without a cause. Our
Union is divided-ciril war rages-th the
inquiry is naturally made how came this
great calamity to fall upon the nation !?
Where ought the responsibility to be
placed The Republicans adroitly throw
it all upon the Democrats, who indignant
Iy deny it; and sometimes the whole
blame is laid upon the South It shall
be my object to trace the cause of our n.
tional troubles to its true. source. How
innocently the Hon. s. P Chase talks in
his Cincinnati speech. Hear him again ::
"All we wanted was that they (the
Southern men) should let us alone, and
slavery in the Territories alone"
1--WE simply said the people of this
land rule the country, and what they de-
termine upon, by the choice of Presi-
dent, what they determine upon by the
choice of repress ntatiyes in Congress, that
must be the policy of the country"
He makes no allusicn to the Constitu-
ton of the United States He claims for