Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-04-15
iayr.,.Ir ,heI (yontrast!

It Is lust four years ago UO-uay y--Oh"s 10 w
saw, on the 10th day of April, lS6l-that
President LINCOLN issued his Proclamation,
calling forth "the militia of the several
Estates of the Union to the aggregate num-
ber of seyenty-five thousand men," Inc
reason assigned for this call was, that the
claws of the United States had been, for
some time previous, and were them OPP
nosed. and the execution thereof obstructed
in the States Of South Carolina, Georgia.
Alabama, Florida, Mississippi Louisiana,
and Texas, by combinations too power
ful to- be suppressed by the ordin-
ary course of judicial proceedings, or
by the powers vested in the marshals by
law" The seyenty-fve thousand were
called forth g in order to suppress said COM
binations, and to cause the laws to be duly
executed"
:. After this call, others were made till be-
tween two and three millions of men have
been sent into the field. For fouryears the
god of war has held high carnival in our
land. Terrible destruction of life, limb,
and property, has ensued, and all Justified
by our authorities on the ground that 1t
was necessary for the single purpose set
forth in the Presidents Proclamation OF
April 10, 1861, namely-the suppression OF
combinations against the execution OF the
laws of the United States.
According to speech delivered by Pres-
ident LINCOLN, on the 11th inst, from an
upper window in the Executive Mansion
at Washington, these combinations have
been so far suppressed as to give "hope of
righteous and speedy Peace" by which the
country is given to understand that the
laws of the United States are now in fair
way to be executed without serious resist
ance or obstruction. In view of this great
and apparently most consoling announce
ment, let us see how the President dis
coursed four years ago, and how he talks
now to his countrymen.
In his Proclamation, issued four years
ago to-day, he appealed to ''all loyal citi-
zens to favor, facilitate, and aid his effort
to maintain the honor, the integrity, and
the existence of our National Union" In
his Address on the 11th inst, at the Nation
Capital, President LINCOLN, while he con-
graduates the country upon our recent
military successes, and the hope of return
ing Peace, leaves us in doubt as to whether
''the honor, the integrity, and the existence
of the Union" have been maintained. To
maintain that "honor, that integrity and
that existence" it was absolutely necessary
that every State should be kept in the
Union, asst originally formed an integral
part thereof. L
But President LINCOLN tells the world,
in his Washington Address, that, as to the
question whether the so-called seeded
States are in, or out of the Union, he has
purposely refrained from the expression of
opinion, and that he does not regard it as
practically material one. This is most as
founding for man to utter who called
nation to arms to keep all the States in the
Union; who now proclaims the war a sue
cess, and yet, in the same breath, de-
clares that he has no opinion to give, and
does not regard it as material, whether
some ten or dozen States are in, or out of
theUnion.
what is still more astounding is, that
while the President expresses this doubt
about the real success of the war, and de-
ciines giving an opinion upon the ques-
tioniwhether certain States are, or are NOT,
in the Union, he assigns this reason for his
hesitancy, and for not making up his mind
upon the question whether the war for the
Union or secession has been success-the
former in keeping the Union whole, or the
after in dividing it by taking States out
of it--that the discussion of such a knotty
point s'could have"-we use the Presidents
own slanguage-='.no other effect than the
mischieyous one of dividing our friends''-
that is-the Presidents party friends.