The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1866-04-26

What Have We Been Fighting For.
1HfHT{sN ZYflJ s.

What Have We Been Fighting For.
- ,01iHTDA ETOd ,
The rebellion practically ended when
Gen. Lee surrendered tue 9th of
April, 1868. Every one felt that the
surrender &AaCoAfk6 Dratk armies still
in the field would soon follow, as nee
essaryre,os0,qseuee seS Lssss scspitaia-
ton aud the common expectation was
speedily justified by the surrender OF
johnson and Kirby Smith, and finally
by tue dispersion of all the irregular
and partisan bands which infested the
Southern ceeefxyssikx A!s2 iiret Of ane,
r rSo', saf assssail4 its ts
limits The work OF aliebAan4pg bug a. n
mics commenced, and was gained Tor
ward until the force NV Eisszehe Aeld has
been reduced almost toe p<saee soting,
s ane T rn .as ss pseiasa,ion
declaring the technicalksadiof I 10 rebsi Z
lion, and that ''hencefeEth it ~ SO TO TO, be pc
regarded"
The question, tilsntfsvhM have we
beens hghkisg ter /? il AM exceedingly
pertinent one at this uns,oimportant to
the whole nation, and particularly inter
riskss(35fH ti} in ttfsd kfe6s6 Upon the
field Il Is needless TO state that there
are several the0riesin SsGard to the OBJ,
iect of the war 1t is held by some that
it was ayYae ip the iateFests OF humanity
only that that humanity means the AT
rican SYN 4n-thRt' Whatever may have
been the designs Of men in beginning or
carrying on the war, they have been
overruied or directed by an unmistakabie,
Providence for the overthrow of slavery
and oppression Of the negro race s
The 4be4lpn, these theorists hold,
originated IN the design'to extend and
perpetuate slavery--the cYel9ise of the
power of the United States, III the sup
l Hss bfls1S1sa . s'sss States
was a covenant with death and lea
que with help becaQss il recognized and
countenanced the practice of slavery,
and no war, therefore, TO- maintain the
Constitution and the supremacy of the
laws could receive the eQnseisnious sup
portof tfe1e gentlsmeK, wits held their
allegiance to be due to the Constitution.
but to idsas peculiar to their own brains:
Certain Of these ultraists agreed, with
out refsee9E4 . ftAerigbtI orrJ wrong of
secession, that it was better for the
Southern States to depart in peace, and
though the consequence of this separa-
ton involved the destruction OF the
Union, the free States could console
Themselves With Ahe responsibility under
the wfbrt&e maintenance of slavery
..Stop South Carolina in her career of
secession - sAid Mr.. Philips mo
rather build q bridge for her and
quickea1s Yastine sapps .Coerce
q sovereign State, said another, "nev-
err; the States have . right to withdraw
from the compact when they will
sPaz po6iseum., cried still another-''let
them depart in peace"
1t is evident, therefore, that in the be-
ginning Of our national troubles, there
was large and influential class of men
who were not willing to engage in war,
the sole and primary object of which
was the maintenance OF the Union under
the Constitution. The Constitution being
allied With both death and hell, it fol-.
lowed as q logical consequence, that any
attempt to snaintain it's authority, by
force of arms, must be directed by the
princeof darkness and destruction-tha
all coed ChmstianS maat hold aloof from
such contest, and let it be fought, if
fought it must be, by the worldly weak
poss,tAet theHe was some virtue in an
inst rune6t nam ed by Mxdfson and sane
toned by Washington, and under which
the American people had prospered for
three-quarters of q century. Few if any
of these hx6 tbGfefCse. took part in the
war, either at the period of which we are
speaking, or later in the, history of the
struggle, when the abolition of slavery
became one of its unavoidable incidents
and when the promise was made. with
the assurance OF that spirit Of mischief
who had nothing to give, that q million
of free men would flock to the banners
theftfbft Hat We Should seek to learn
the object Of the war. Let us briefly
look somewhere eises els I
Mr.. Lincoln, in his inaugural address.
stated in substance that the Constitution
and the laws, made in pursuance thereof
were the supreme law of the land that
he had$A&enNU oath p snppors both
that if in any section OF the country they
were dispntea or opposed that oath re-
quircd nim.t0 execute them, let the con.
sequences be what they mi ght, but at the
same time he had no purpose to interfere
with the Institutions of the States, as he
had no constitutional right to attempt
such interference. From the first pro.
clamation which he issued on the 18th
Of April, 1861, to his last u.terances, but
few 'dx55e' hGf0rc his, lamented death.
the same doctrine of the supremacy of
the Constitutions, is illustrated and en-
forced. If he calls for men, it is be-
cause in CERTAIN, States the laws of the
United States are opposed and the ex-
ecutions thereof ohstructed-if he an
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