The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1864-08-24
PEACE MEETING IN
ASHLAND.

withstanding tie inclemency of the wealth
er, a large crowd assembled to deliberate
on the condition of our public affairs
At n O'Clock the Court House was
crowded to its utmost capacity and the
meeting organized by electing H. HAM
ILToN, Esq, of jackson Tp., President
and Il. NJ. CAMPBELL of Ashland, Secre-
tarry. A committee, consisting of II. s..
KNAPP, j. P. DEvoR, J.J. JACOBS, VIM.
LARwILL and GEO. w. BRUBAKER was
appointed to draft resolutions. D. s..
CARPENTER, Esq, of Wisconsin was
then introduced to the audience and for
two hours entertained the people with a
most stirring speech, showing up the in
fanny and corruption of the Administra-
ton in power, and exhorting them to
stand by the principles of constitutional
freedom and stop the scenes of carnage
and blood now disgracing the American
name. At tie close of the speech the
Committee reported the following pream-
lie and resolutions. which were unani.
mously adopted. PREAMBLE.
Prior to and since the adoption of the
Constitution of 1888, the claim made by
the People to peuceably assemble and Pc
tition for a redress of grievanc es, was as
serted and successfully maintained. The
people of Ashland county are here con-
vened to re-afirm and exercise this con-
sentative right-a right held sacred by
a revolutionary and rebel ancestry, and
claimed as one of the richest legacies
handed down to US.
1t requires only a brief statement of a
few well known historical facts to show
that the wal which has now been waged
by the North for more than three years,
has failed to subserve any purpose for
which a civilized and enlightened nation
is justified in prosecuting war. Because,
when the war commenced, seventy five
thousand men, during a service of three
months, aided by the negro slaves, who
it was supposed would at once raise the
standard of revolt, and massacre the en-
tire white population of the South, were
deemed adequate to crush out the rebel
lion. 1t is a matter Of history that the
seventy-fve thousand failed to execute
the work assigned them, and that all the
aid anticipated from the negroes signaliy
failed.
During the first year of the war, it was
repeatedly promised, from time to time,
by those high in authority, that "seuenty
days." "'inty days." "thirty days." &C.,
would bring the rebellion to a close ; and
on the evening of the first Monday of
December, 1861, Hon. VIM. II. SEWARD,
the Premier of the Administration, pro-
claimed in a public speech, that within
the then succeeding ten days, there would
be intelligence which would bring joy
and gladness to every loyal breast through
out the land. None of these anticipa-
tions and pledges have been realized
Since that time over two millions of white
men have been added to the army, and a
public Indebtedness created amounting to
over four billions of dollars,-the land
filed with the walls of the widow and the
orphan ; a horde of Federal Tax-Asses-
sors, Tax-Collectors and Provost NJ arshals;
liberty of speech and of the press abridged
bankrupt Federal and State. Treasures;
taxes on every article necessary to
sustain human life; and a Government
transformed from one which, hitherto,
was the best and most prosperous on tie
face of the globe, to one of the most an
archical, b~urdensome, bankrupt, (inan-
cially and morally) and oppressive. And
now, in the midst of the calamities which
beset us, the President of the United
States demands half a million more for
the unavailing and wanton sacrifice.
And because the morale of the contest
we are waging against the South has beer
impaired by a radical change of the OBJ
jects for which those in power claimed it
should be prosecuted. President LIN
COLIN declared in his Inaugural that he
had no purpose, directly or indirectly, to
interfere with the question of slavery in
the States where it exists )" and added
that he chad no lacfu1 right, and no IN
czination to do So" And because the
Secretary of State, by advice of the Pres
dent, wrote to our foreign representatives,
Immediately after the Inauguration of our
present administration, that there is not
even a pretext for the complaint that the
disaffected States are to be conquered by
the United States if the revolution fail
for the rights of the States and the con-
dition of every human being in them,
will remain subject to exactly the same
laws and forms of administration, wheth,
er the revolution shall succeed or wheth-
er it shall fail. And because he further
said that "the case would not be fully
presented if he were to omit to say that