Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1866-09-19
THE SITUATION.

No. ll05 CHESTNUT STREET,
PHILADELPHIA, Sept ), 1866
THE SITUATION.
| FELLOW CITIzENs-The superfcaleb
server might suppose, after the fearful
struggles, sacrifices and suGeripgs of te
last five years, that we could safe relrx
our efforts and watchtuluess and, return,
ing to our individual affairs. permit tie
machinery of the government to run itsell
An intelligent and patriotic survey OF tn,
situation, however, viii impress us more
than ever with the truth and wisdom Of
the adaae, "EfesncI s,i-,i,'-- X = ,f,... -.
. ct ibery" Six years ago the people
Lawfully elected Abraham Lincoln prcsi.
dent Of the United States. The minority,
enemies OF our Government and country,
refused to submit to their defeat at the
polls, and for the first time in our history,
appealed from the ballot box to the sword.
They dcfautly threw off all the Old obi-
cations Of constitution and laws, rushed
madIy into civil war, and fought with ma
lignity and desperation for four long
bloody years in the wicked attempt to
overthrow and utterly destroy the Gov
eminent handed down by our fathers
This they did under the pretezt that a
State had constitutional right 10 secele
from the Union. The same thing had
been attempted BY South Carolina in
1888 bur, under the vigorous admins
tration of President Jackson, the ciior,
siguaIly failed aud the doctrine on which
1t was based was repudiated. But III
1886, when the Democratic party at Gin
: cinuatl nominated james Buchanan fol
President, they revived the Old S,ate
rights dogma Of secession b. re-adoptiug
the Virginia and Kentucky resolutions Of
1898 and 1899, as part Of their plat
form Aud at the Charleston Conven.
ton, in 1850, although the party there
split iato two parts, the one nominating
. Douglas, and the other Breckenridge for
President, both factions re-adopted these
same resolutions These resolutions do
not hold the relations Of the States to the
/ United States as constituting gorern-
meat in the ordinary and proper sense OF
the term. but declared them TO be merely
a Rompact, and that las all other cases Of
compact among parties having no conmon
judge, each party has an equal right to
judge for itself, as ,rcU of attractions as
/ IF Me mode and meusnrc Of redress" -
/ Under this free Democratic charter for
rebellion, the election Of Abraham Lin
coin was claimed by the rebel States as an
'iafraction' of the compact" and they
chose secession and civil war as the moc(e,
and the destruction of the Union and Of
the Government as "Ne measure Of re-
dress" Hence when the war broke upon
US in all its fury, we found the Democrat
ic party paralyzed. 1t was suddenly
brought face to face with the practical ap
plication Of its own political creed, hy its
own political friencs. Hence, too, the
sad decentralization, and want of Loyalty
and patriotism. shown By that party DUR
ing the whole war. Those Of them vino
preferred their country to their party and
platform, abandoned both platform and
party, and under the flag Of their cOun-
try, maniully rallied to put down the re-
bellion, while the leaders and the mass of
the party did otherwise They had SO re-
peatedly proclaimed the right Of secess-
ion, they believed it, aud were everywhere
found jlsiiiyins or excusing the rebellion,
denouncing every means used to suppress
it; predicting the war a failure, and en-
deavoripg to make good their predictions,
and boldly denying there was any power
The Democratic party thus acquired
reputation for connivance at treason and
disloyalty to the country, which justly
consigned it to continuous and overwhelu-
ing defeats, until at the close of the war
it had not Governor or q Legislature In
single loyal State, except little Della
ware, and the Legislature OF Kentucky.
And since the PHILADELPHIA Convention 1t
seems to have fallen upon the ezpedlent
of other noted criminals, and resolved to
sally forth under new name.
Not until April, 1868, were the rebels