Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-04-05

United States has an existence. When this
fact was regarded we had no civil war or
tendency to war! The free States grew and
prospered, and the slave States kept pace
with them In the onward march of prosper
ity, dignity, and empire. The unprccedent-
ed development, expansion, and prosperity
of the country under the Government of
1857 proves that there was no element In its
Constitution hostile to its dignity, or prog
ress, or perpetuity. Before It was shattered
by Northern fanatical sectionalism it had
accomplished more for the benefit of man
kind than al other existing Governments
In the world. 1t needed only the fealty Of
Its subjects to be immortal.
Sir, .haye witnessed the progress Of alb
iolitionism from the very commencement Of
IT'S career IN this country. long before the
number Of itsdeyotees had become sufficient
to invest it with political influences, those
devOtecs seemed to exclude from their
thoughts every political consideration ex-
cept the abstract idea that slavery in the
States must be abolished. That one alb
sOrbing thought governed all theirpolitichl
action. They waited, but not inactively or
vainly, for the time to come when they
should be strong enough to induce some
party to secure their additional strength by
helping them to accomplish their object :
Meetings of a semi-religious character, con-
sisting of great numbers, were at length
held, in which expert lecturers appealed to
the sympathies of the people, giving the
most exaggerated and false accounts of
slavery and the cruelty of Shareholders, as
sailing the Constitution and Union as works
of the devil, vilifying Washington and 9TH
er patriots of his time as man-stealers, sing
ing disunion songs, into which they had
degraded the sacred hymns by parody, and
finally closing the exciting entertainment
with prayer to God to aid them in Destroy
ing the wicked Union, and hurrying on,
like an organized band of shewmeD, to
meet some other congregation ready to be
flnaticized. / saw the process and, think,
the motive of the absorption of this ele-
ment of dissension and treason by a
great and powerful party, which had ais
covered the efficient use to which it could
be put, and then l saw great portion Of
the preachers of the gospel and the congre-
cations over which they had influence fall
down before the beast and worship it.
saw it grow strong enough to grasp the reins
of government in nearly all the non-slave-
holding States, and then, as before stated.
came Legislation in those States in direct
and intentional derogatiOn of the known
constitutional rights of the people of the
slave States. Judges in my own State made
decisions against the plain letter of tht
Constitution of the United States and the
acts Of Congress, when the rights of south
ern people were in question. will specify
one case only, although might others. In
the county of Lorraine, an abolition judge,
simply, suppose, to show his fealty to abo-
litiOn at the expense of violation of his
official oath, charged grand jury to pay no
attention to any act of Congress for the
rendition of fugitive slaves, because all such
acts were Unconstitutional and void, all
though he knew the Federal courts had
held them valid. In that way, sir, the
northern anti-slavery men treated the COM
promises of the Constitution on which the
Union was based. t-ff air sLrg
d Relieved of southern opposition it was an
easy work for the anti-slayerv party to win
the election, and apparently with little care
for the evil consequences which might re-
suit proceeded to accomplish the great pur-
pose in which alone they were all united, of
taking the Federal Government into their
hands. And when they had accomplished
their object, and the well-founded fears of
their opponents that secession would follow
were realized, many of their politicians and
the leaders of the Abolition press received
and published the news of that secession
and commented upon 1t with all the cool
ness of men who realize the foreseen result
of a process which they have deliberately
applied. The New York Tribune, the great
m0uthpiece of eastern Abolitionism, the
Cincinnati Commercial and the Ohio State
JotrndL two leading Abolition papers inmy
State, were In favor Of submitting to seces-
sion, probably for theareason that they re-
gafded 1t as a natural result of the success
they had helped to achieve.
Twill be seen from the foregoing history
of events what was the cause Of the war
that 1t was not slavery as established by
law, but that anti7slayery as q political ele-
ment combining for one bad purpose all the
incongruous recusants, to the Constitution
wbo,s like the followers of Lucifer, were
ready to rebelagainst any Government they
could not control, and acting upon the pre-
tendedly humane policy of abolition, which
Is really subversive of law and revolution
ary, was and Is the cause of the war. IL be-
got secession and secession involved war
therefore IL is the prime eau q of both evils.
AS In these degenerate days repentance
of sin is decidedly out of fashion with the !
party In, power, and as the worst of Repub- 1
lican sinners, when rebuked by Democrat
are won't to resort to- counter accusation. |
and cry out secessionist, copperhead, &C., l
deem it prudent by way of self-protection. /,
TO declare my views upon this subject OF !
secession, j am not asiliberal toward the (
doctrine as the President seems to have
been when, as a Representative of his dis (
trict in the, State Of Illinois, he made a
speech on this floor i'm which, while COM
menting upon the right of the subjects OF
Government to throw off their allegiance
and establish a new Government to suit
their inclinations, he said: z lnvc'oI ~
ANY people, anywhere, being inclined and hav- /
pg the have the gas 70 rise up and shake of
suits them better. This is most valuable. q most
,aeTcd right-aright which, We hope aud believe. il
70 liberate the world. Nor Is this right confined tv
may choose TO exercise it. Any portion Of
such people that can, may revolutionze and make
heir own Of SO much Of the territory as they in
habit More than this, Angjority Of any portion Of
'uch people may reyolutionizc, putting down mi 4
sorffy intermipgled with OF near about them who !
nay oppose their movements" "a af-ifs tAtl !
This view of the President carries the \
doctrine of revolution considerably further I
han Democrats are willing to go.d That Is |
nation of people'or province under tht !
oppression of q wicked Government may, (
N the oppinion of the world and God, be /
Justified In resorting to revolution for the |
purpose of achieving independence and !
liberty, believe, But that forcible ,revo-
ution Is the unconditional right of por- |
lion of the people of nation or the de- |
of a nation, to be exercised at |
heir mere pleasure, / do not believe. The |
Justification of the American Revolution |
which resulted in our national independent |
was not put upon any such ground. Seces-
sion i believe to be no more nor less than |
revolution. In the American sense of the |
ierrn, 1t Is the exercise of what Is claimed |