Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1864-02-01
9ailga empire.
lInom the Providence Daily Pestl
Whnt Does 10 Meant

A correspondent-probably a Republican,
encloses the following resolution, which WA
adopted NJ the New Hampshire Democratic
Convention, and which has once been pub
lished In our columns, and asks what ii means.
"ResOlDcd, That the freedom of tho ballot
MUST and SHALL BE MAINTAINED sacred
aud inviolable; and that we, tho Democracy
OF New Hampshire, will unite with our breth
rem IN other States By g0RcE OF ARNs, ~ SERD
BE, in resistance TO every attempt, from what
ever source il may come, to oVbrturn or
abridge, by menaces or direct interference by
military force, the independence and purity
of the ballot-box in sthe ensuing elections,
State and National and to this end we pledge
each TO the other, and to our brethren Of
other Stetes, our lives, fortunes and sacred
honors, being firmly veSoioed TO maintain, at
all hazards, cur rights as free and patriotic
citizens Of The american Union"
We think the language Of this resolution is
plain enough TO DO understood by a school
boy. II is probably enough, therefore, TO say,
IN reply to our correspondent, that the rosolu-
tfon undoubtedly means what It says, and not
something else, as in the case of certain res
o%lutions adopted by the Republican National
Convention at Chicago, in 1860.
The man who, five years ago, had been
AAtNa NfNAh ~ bnA eu u hAAdtuINh MNEN
made to overthrow by force, the independence
and purity Of the ballot box, and had answer
ed that he would do nothing to prevent the
execution of so shameless u purpose, would
have been looked upon az false to republican
institutions and the veriest coward that ever
claimed the title Of American citizen. What,
IN the name Of all that is ~good-whai have
we left, when the Independence of the ballot
box Is gomez The ballot box is our lastrssort.
No matter how dark oar prospects may be
to-day, II n free ba Hot is left to ua, we are not
utterly without hope. When this ia gone,
however, everything is gone; aud it is folly to
longer expect that the evils of the hour will
cure themselves, The people will look upon
their government as having failed to protect
their rights. We much doubt that they will
SIT quietly down and permit snch a state of
things To come to pass. They will demand the
privilege Of expressing their honest eonvic-
lions ut the polls, and they will have it. To
have expressed n doubt of this only a few
years ago, would have subjected one to the
ridicule OF the entire abolition press of the
country,
That State elections have been interfered
with by the government in n most outrageous
manner, aud that the people have submitted
almost in s~ilenee, is true. But it must not be
supposed that n last grand struggle for tho
salvation Of the country can be disposed Of
by the glitter of federal b~ayonets. The cleo.
tons to occur in 1864 must he something more
than a farce. There must be no crowding of
Democrats, or the men OF any party, from the
polls. There must he no seizing of ballot
boxes by the military because men do not vote
10 suit the preferences of Provost Marshals.
There must be no unlawful and unrighteous
arrests TO intimidate honest voters. There
has been enough of this. And it will be
scarcely losR futile for ambitious officials to
attempt to override or balance the will of the
majority as expressed through the ballot box
IN loyal States, by the importation Of aboli-
tlonlsts into insurgent States, numbering but
a tenth of the inhabitants Of those StnleA-
These schemes must be abandoned, or the ad-
ministration will find that it has ruined its
cause ia a too violent effort TO mako certain it's
triumph
These are our views on the subject of the
New Hampshire resolution. We believe the
people meant just what they said.