Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-03-30
tFor the Ohio Statesman.
SOphism of Assumption.

The intention of the article few days
since, headed "Sophism OF Assumption"
was not so much for the purpose of discuss
ing the causes OF the war, as for showing
the method by which the public sense was
perverted-the plan reSOrted to BY the ma
lignants for the purpose of setting peo-
pie, allied to each other by the ties of re-
ligon, material interests, and blood, to cut
ting each others thrOats. We undertook to
make it appear that this was done by the set
tied policy (no doubt matured thoroughly
in counciD of ignoring common sense, facts,
and reason, aud of appealing to the tricks
of the Sophist. Among these tricks the
fallacy of ofassumption figured conspicuOusly.
After the Southern people had been insult
ed into the indiscretiOn of making them
''strike the first blow" it was assumed at
once that they were traitors, trying to de-
strOy ''the best Government the world ever
saw" and, in the delirium of the time, the
multitude accepted this as fully as they
would have done demonstration in mathe-
matics. They did not stop to inquire into
the animus of AbOitonism; into the cleo
ton of Lincoln, and his pledges to his party,
to take from the Southern people their
property without compensation, but
rushed at once to arms, believing them
selves at the time the defenders of
n
public intelligence A series of fallacies,
the only apology for the slaughter of more
than two millions of whites and half that
number of negroes No good reason
could have been given for the war; and
hence nothing of the kind was attempted.
There has been since the formation of the
Government very large amount of specu-
lation upon State rights and Federal rights.
Fixed opinions in regard to either are not
warranted by the origin or history of Amer
lean institutions. The right of State to
secede under certain circumstances has had
currency in every State in the Union, and
has always been, by both North and South,
held as club over the head of the Federal
Government to prevent its encroachments
upon State institutions. The putting of the
doctrine into practice was unfortunately
first attempted by the South; but 1t should
be recolected not until Convention had
been requested for the purpose of settling
| in friendly way the troubles. The act of
secession was as unphilosophical as unsuc-
| cessful The States that went into the
measure expected that by it they would be
able to prevent being robbed Of their prop
erty, expected to be able to place their
rights beyond the reach of the whimsical
fanaticism OF New England.
We are just now in state OF anarchy,
complete in all its details. Right-ninded
men everywhere look with horror upon the
past, and feel dre4d for the future. What
there is left of hope, that noblest and most
faithful of all passions, seems to point to
President johnson. Providence, it appears,
has provided him as a break-water to stay
the angry waves of evil passion. He has,
with patriotic hands, removed the cover
from the worst heads that ever cursed any
nation. He has, too, singled out the class
that deserve public execration. He has
done more. He has cut the frenum of the
national tongue, and authorized, by his own
example, the normal use of the organ. An
drew johnson is all right. The only fears
we have about him are fears for his power.
- .at h1ll haea rua N II.