The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1866-09-08
-'Dcstruetion of the Government"

sion.
~'DestructiOn Of the government IS
While the civil war was in progress it
was quite common belief that the South
was fighting for the obstruction of the
Government" Yet there was no good
ground for this belief, either in the au-
thoritative declarations or overt acts of The
South. And this opinion is yet preva-
lent. Abolition orators and editors keep
iterating it, and the rising generation is
being taught to believe it as they have
many other equally false assertions An
abolition cotemporary, in referring to the
composition of the Philadelphia Con-
ventiOn," says there were many present
as delegates "whO had fought for the de-
struction of the Government
Had the South succeeded our form of
government would have remained the
same; but our territorial boundaries
would have been curtailed. The South
made no war upon the federal laws or
Constitution. Their policy, as announced
by Jefferson Davis in his message Of
April 29th, 1861. was not aggressive. II
it had been why did not the South, imme-
diately after the first Bull Run battle,
march upon and capture Washington
Our troops were then so badly whipped
and demoralized that no one, we believe,
seriously disputes that Beauregard could
have captured it without serious loss or
trouble if he had been so disposed, or
had been permitted to do so by his Gov
eFnment. IF the South designed the
destruction of the Government" why
why did they let this golden opportunity
pass unimproyed? Besides, A. II.
Stephens, Vice President of the Confed.
crate States, in speech delivered May
so, 1861, said: ga general opinion pre-.
walls that Washington city is soon to be
attacked. On this subject can only say
our object is peace. We wish no aggres
siOns on any ones rights, and ,ciU max.
none" Again he says: "We fight fol
our homes, our fathers and mothers, oul
wives, brothers, sisters. sons, and daugh
ters, and neighbors." Mr. Davis, in tn,
message to which we have above alluded
said:
"We protest solemnly, in the face Of mankind
that we desire Peace at any sacrifice, save that 0
honor. In independence seek no conquess, N
dggrdRdizeHeHt, no cession Of any kind from tn,
States with which We have lately eonfcderated
All We ask is TO BE LET ALONE"
While on this subject we will add tha
We believe that all peoples have tn,
Right of Revolution; that, for suficien
cause, they may rise up and throw off ex
istiDg forms of Government, and form
one that suits them better. But tn
parent, or federal Government, has tn
right of coercion. The very term Gov
ernment implies coercion and when
people resort to Revolution, or secession
1t then becomes. mere question of mum
bers, wealth, skill and martial proves
between the contending parties. AS t
the doctrine Of Secession, we have eve
opposed it, and believe it contains With
itself the seeds of its own destruction
But while we believe all this-while W
believe the federal Government, in CON
mon with all Governments, possesses th
right Of coercion, we shall never ceas
censuring "honest old Abe" for the polio
ne pursued toward the South. The wa
could have been avoided by a comprC
mise on the Crittenden Resolution. NJ
Douglas SO stated in his place in the Ser
ate. He said Mr.. Davis, and Toomb
and all the representative men of the CT
tire South, would accept that as a bas
Of settlement. But Lincoln rejected i
He and his friends wanted some bloot
letting, and they pursued such courl
as produced this result. In other word
they designedly pursued such course
naturally and ine--:a-I'y ProdHeed Civ
War. For this we censure them. "
lack language sufficiently strong wher
with to express our condemnation of tt
policy they saw proper to pursue, "A,
only during the incipient stages of I'll
war, but during its entire progress.
While, however, these are our view
we are glad that the contest finally ende
in favor of the federal arms mainly fl
the reason that our territorial integrit
has been preserved intact. We have a
ways been in favor of an "ocean-boun
republic" We believe that while we r
main united no foreign nations will dal
attack us, and if they should, we cam
so easily be whipped as when cut up in
two or more republics.
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