The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1866-09-18
ADDRESS
The Union State Central Committee


strurrie. sacrifices and suirrugS Of the last
five wears that we could safely relax our
efforts and watchfu.ness; and returning
to our individual affairs permit the mH-
chnerv Of go,ernment to run itself. An
intelligent and patriotic survey Of the stu
alton, however, will not warrant any such
conclusion; but viii impress US more than
ever with the truth and wisdom of the adj
AGE Eternal giglance is the price #
Ejerfg." Six years ago the people law
fully elected Abraham Lincoln President
of the United States. The minority, enc
mics Of onr Government and country, re-
fused TO submit to their defeat at the polls,
and. for the first time in oar history ap-
reaei from the Uallot-boX to the sword.
They dehanty threw off all the obligations
.of constitutions and laws, rushed maIIy
into civil war, AMI fought with maiguity
and desperation for long bloody years IN
.the wicked attempt to overthrow and ut
tcrlv destroy the Government handed
down bv our fathers This they did I'M
Ter tie pretext that 4 State had a conSti-
tutional rirht to secede from The Union.
; The same thing hal been ATTEMPTED hy
South Carolina in 1888; but under tH.
yl~9rous administrators cf Preslielt Jack
son. th effort ~ignaiIy tai.ef, aui The doc
.lrine on which il wa, based was repndiated.
BIT in 1856. when the Democratic party
ut Cincinnati nominated James Buchanan
t,r President, they revived tile oil S'at~
riyht, dorma of secession by realoptiug
the VIRGINIA and Kentucky resolutions Of
.I798 and 1899, rs part Of their p alforn.
. Anlatthe Charleston C0uvcntionin 1860
although the party there split into two
arts. the one nominated Douglas and The
.her Breckenridge .or President; both fac
ions reaIopt.d ,lle ~nne resolution, Th--e
'r-,o utioms do not holi the relations Of th.
States to the United States rs constituting
4 youa7.a12sut in the ordinary and proper
sense Of the term but declared them to be
merely C0np1ct, and that ''as in a.I other
case, Of compact among parties having no
Common judge, each party has an equal
light t. ja'g. for jt~..f, rs reH Of iIrar-
.ti2aa. as attic made aud measure Of re-
Iresq." Uuler this free democratic char
-.r for rebellion, the election Of Abraham
Lincoln was claimed by the rebel States as
N "iafr8-,1sn" of the compact, aHd they
chose secession and civil war a. The 'modc, ="
land the destruction Of the Union aud o.
8 the Government IS @9kc measure Of r.
dress" Hence, when the war broke upon
4 MS in all its fury, we found the Democratic
.|rqrtv rara'vzei. Il was suddenly brought
face to face with the practical application
'of i,s own political creed, hy its own pojit-
;eaI frrnIS. Hence. too, lL. sad demoraI-
.izgtion, ana want of loyalty and patriotism.
shown by that party during the whole War
. Those cf them who ryefcgs5i their country
II Il their party AMI plattorm,aJan!onad both
platform and party, and under the flag Of
g. their country, manlu.ly rallied to put down
the rebellion. while the leaders and the mass
.of the party dill otherwise. fhey had s.
repeatedly rrocamed the right Of seces-
SION, they believed il, and were everywhere
found iustifyinc or cycusing the rebellion,
.deu1uncinr every means used to suppress
lit: preIic,nr the war a failure, and en-
{ ieavorinc to make good their predictions,
and boldly DENYING there WAS any power
lin the Government to .'coerce' a State >
The Democratic party thus acquired rep
ntalion fer counivance at treason and DIS
LOYALTY to the country, which Justly CON
, signed it to continuous and overwhelming
IefeatS. until at .he close Of the war it had
not a Governor or Legislature in Z single
: 'oyal State except little Delaware, AMI the
! L.erislalure o. Kentucky And since the
Philadelphia Convention it seems to have
fallen upon the expadient of other nolel
criminals. and resolved to sally forth under
. a new name.
Not until April, 1865, We're the rebels
finally overcome; and then only by the
power of oar armies, which they could 40
Il Ionrer withstand. There was no volGnta-
rv surrender; bnt their arms were stricken
+ from their bloody hands The great CON
spiracv against freedom had failed, and the
E armies AMI reope OF eleven revoited states
were at the mercy Of the conquero's pro
g Tossing a willingness to accept any term,
the yictors might impose. Congress had
. then recently adionrned, and under the Ia"
? would not assemble until the f.liowln2
y December, unless couveueI 10y tn = Pres
q lent in extra session. The occasil seem
, al to he one Of sufficient novelty an.
= importance to require meeting Of Con
+ gress, but the President il lged differently
He proclaimel that these States had heel
: deprived Of "all civil government" and til,
Supreme Cont of the United States de
. cIared the whole people thereof TO be "aiel
enemies" The President proceeded b,
,proclamations, by appointment Of proyis
-. ;oaal governors, AMI other means, to create
governments for these rebeIiious States ~,
; upon the annual meeting Of Congress mad,
report Of what had been dono, and recon-