Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-10-14

purity sustaining Une1H. lilHJ pOllcy Tepu-
dates any issue of the war now waging,
save the subjugation of the States in rebel
lion and the abolition by the federal power
of the institution of slavery, and utterly
forbids all negotiation, not only with the so
called republic of the Confederate States,
but wiGh any single State, while a soldier
remains in arms against the Union. The
oath prescribed by the Republican candi-
date for the Vice Presidency to the loyal
cit Zens of Tennessee requires of them an
absolute adhesion to this policy of his own
party as the condition of their exercise of
the most sacred right of citizenship. In
other words, this oath commands every
loyal citizen of Tennessee to vote for the
Republican candidate or to abstain from
the polls. Under the Ope. alton of this
oath, any citizen who holds such views OF
the policy proper to be pursued toward the
States in rebellion, as those put forth for
example by the Hon. Charles Francis
Adams, actually Minister of the United
States in London, would be disfranchised
by the bayonets of the Executive in Ten
nessee.
"For one" said Mr.. Adams in the House
of Representatives January 81, 1861, ~ am
not ready to take the responsibility of abso-
lutely closing the door of reconciliation. l
cannot persuade myself to forget the warm
ings that have descended to us from many
of the wisest and best statesmen of all time
against this rigid and naughty mode of
| treating great discontents. | cannot over
look the fact that in the days of our fathers
the imperious spirit of Chatham did not
feel itself as sacrificing any of its proud
dignity by proposing to listen to their
| grievances, and even to concede every rea-
sonable demand long after they had placed
themselves in armed resistance to all the
| Nf D.sN 81, lad
| listened to the words of wisdom, he might
have saved the brightest jewel of his crown.
"He took the opposite course. He denied
the existence of grievances. He rejected
the olive branch. History records its ver-
dict in favor of Chatham, and against the
King"
Hundreds of thousands of citizens of the
Union, without distinction of party, ami
mated by a similar spirit, and drawing a
like instruction from the lessons of history,
believe with General Mcclellan, in his LETT
ter accepting the presidential nomination,
that
so soon os it is oloor ovon probable that
our present adversaries are ready for peace
upon the basis of the Union, we should eX-
| haust all the resources of craftsmanship
practiced by civilized nations and taught by
the traditions of the American people, con-
sistent with the honor and interests of the
country to secure such peace, re-establish
the Union, and guarantee for the future
the Constitutional rights of every State.
The Union is the one condition of peace,
we ask no MORE" 81
All such citizens are outlawed in Ten
nessee by the arbitrary will of the Repub-
lican candidate for the Vice Presidency,
nor will any man be suffered by him to do
the highest duty of freeman unless he is
ready to accept a policy which substantial
ly recognizes the republic of the Confeder-
ate States, by refusing to the several States,
now unhappily leagued together under that
name, the right of returning to, and of
making peace with, their sister States of
the Union.
Such is the necessary effect of this un-
precedented course of the military Gov
ernor" of Tennessee, a course of which, in
the words applied by two distinguished
members of the Republican party, Senator
Wade, of Ohio, and Representative Davis,
of Maryland, to the conduct of President
Lincoln in unlawfully creating another
military Governor" for the State of Lou
isiana, it may be said is without authority
of law and therefore void" a "blow at the
rights of humanity and at the principles of
republican government" This course the
President has sanctioned as he has sane
toned the course of Major General Wal
lace in Maryland, therein again forgetting
to use the words OF the same distinguished
Republicans his obligation 'to contine him
self to his executive duties; to obey and
execute, not make the laws; to suppress by
arms armed rebellion, and leave political
reorganization to Congress"
'If the supporters of the government"
Senator Wade and Representative Davis 60
OH to say, stall to insist on this, they be-
come responsible for the usurpations which
they fail to rebuke, and are justly liable to
the Indignation of the people whose rights
and security committed to their keeping
they sacrifice"
To this plain speaking of men eminent in
the Republican party we might well con-
tent ourselves with pointing the citizens of
the United States, in the presence of these
new and atrocious attempts upon the free.
dom of discussion and the sovereignty Of
the people. But we cannot forget that the
very men who have so earnestly denounced
executive usurpation in the past have now
become its passive instruments and its ST.
| lent apologists. This conquest of the last
voices of constitutional liberty in the bosom
of the Republican party by the seductions
of power and place, makes it imperative
upon us to warn the people of America
that the perils prefigured by such men as
Senator Wade and Representative Davi:
are upon us to-day, and that they can only
be conjured from the future of our country
by the united and resolute action, not OF
the partisan supporters of partisan gov
ernment, but of a patriotic people combined
for the defense of the Constitution and the
| laws.
The conduct of President Lincoln in
Maryland and in Tennessee distinctly re-
veals revolutionary purpose. The cleo
toral votes of those States, eighteen in num-
Der, cast at the dictation Of arbitrary pow
or, may neutralize the same number Of
electoral votes freely and lawfully cast in
other States of the Union. Upon those
votes, therefore, the whole future of Amer
lea may turn. To control those votes in
the way attempted by Mr.. johnson in Ten
nessec, and by General Wallace In Mary
land. is to plan crime against liberty and
the Republic. We were fully aware Of the
gravity of this charge; but the rights, the
Interests, the issues here at stake are not
less grave.
Again and again for the past four years,
| Mr.. Lincoln and his ministers, under one or
another plea of military or political "neces-
sity," have transcribed the limits of execu-
tive authority, have trampled upon the
sanctity of communal and individual
right. 1t may well be doubted whether
any government in the old world, claiming
to hold its authority by Divine right would
have been permitted by any people Of mod
ern Europe to pursue its infractions Of law
and its contempt Of liberty so far as the
American people, in their devotion to the
Union, have suffered the Administration oi
Mr.. Lincoln to go.