The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1865-03-30
March .Essa. 1865.


Four years ago this day Abraham Lin
coin, an obscure man whose friends said
he was ,honest" and had been famous
rail splitter in his youth, was sworn into
oIiicc OF President of the United States,
to which he had been elected By reason
CT the Electoral College being constituted
upon the doctrine OF State sovereignty,
his popular minority reaching nearly one
million votes. The people had been prom
ised az, a result OF his election an era OF uni
versai and unequaied prosperity, to which
what they had formerly known was but q
fitting shadow. The parry which supported
hlm was based on single idea. hostility
to negro subOrdination, or as they chose
to cali 1t, slavery Such q party, strict
" sectional and strong only by the
strength Of fanaticism, conid never have
arisen had not & long course Of successful
money getting derraved the public con-
science. eaten out the early virtues OF the
American character, and made the pres
ent generation as body densely ignorant
Of the true principles of our complex but
harmonious and noble system Of govern
ment The leaders Of that party had long
declared their purpose TO ''abolish slavery
or dissolve the Union. At FIST, when the
popular instincts were more healthy. and
the idea OF white men advocating negro
equality was justly abhorrent, they were
rottOn eggod and mobbed, even in New
England. Of course this was no answer
to their rawlings, but only served to
strengthen them, as persecution always
does. Absorbed in the pursuit of wealth,
men looked not to see the cloud that lay
low in the Fast, black with havoc and
heavy with blood. If here and there one
more far sighted than his fellows discern
ed in the germ the portentous mischief
that was overspreading the heavens, his
warnings were disrcgarded, and the ele-
ments went on brewing destruction almost
unnotel. As this Anti Slavery" senti-
ment, thus assiduously cultivated and
thus fatally let alone, grew into political
power, unhapily 4 species Of glamour came
over the minds Of the leaders Of the Dem
oeratic party which led them to temper
ize and paltcr and essay mere a,bteriuses
in their discussion Of the theme, instead
of manfuliy facing the vile delusion and
combating it with the simple weapons of
Truth and Fact This fatal mistake has
been adhered to, in main, even to this day,
and the wrctched impolicy is yet persisted
in Of admitting the premises Of the Abo-
litionists while fighting against their con-
ciuslons. It IS true, therefore, that a
share Of responsibility for the ruin Of our
country attaches to the Democratic party,
sin 70 il has in fact aided the Abolitionists
to gain control Of the Northern mind By
failing to avow and act apon its real belief
that Abolitionism is Spiritual Infdelity. |
Moral Blindness and Political Treason
a three fold loosener Of the bonds that hold |
society together.
1t is needless to refer to the vast calam-
tiles which the bursting Of that civil cloud |
in civil war has poured upon the land
The pen of Milton could scarce do JUS
tice to topic So rep!ete with Satanic
power. 1t Is 4 hideous nightmare. void
of Reason, Of Law, OF order-a wcltering
waste of red waves breaking Gu the
.Nights's Plutonian shore" Treasure.
Life, Renown, History, Liberty, Religion,
Civilization, iIumanity-all have been
swallowed in the remorseless NAV Of the
monster whose fangs yet tug at the heart
strings Of the American people. And it
is under such circumstances that the man
who has been Gods curse for those four
weary years will close the first stage Of
ais and our infamy, to enter upon sec
lnd which no man can forecast, but which
IAN hardly transcend the first in present
Sickedness or prospective woe. The sub
ect might be pursued indefinitely, per-
naps proitably, but the presages of the
Iuture are all too deeply draped in black
o lie inviting. We address our readers
lot as despairing, but as doubting-ho
,ing, yet fearing for the question of Free
government in the Northern States
Greenport Watchman.