Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-10-03

hundred mil ions m ore than was in circula-
t,ol at the bfgiunIng of tue war is not.
t9eref9re, the qqQRtity; but it is because
there is want of confidence in, what we
haze; want of confidence int the peace.or
stability of the Government, or in any
plans of financial policy that NAV he DE-
termined on while such state of uneer-
tainty exists. If our political troubles
were satisfactorily settled, and a normal
state Of peace firmly established there is
no valid financial or commercial reason
for. anything more than nominal premi-
um on gold, if even that This fact is well
understood by all who are conversant with
she financial affairs of the country. 1t is
not, then, the mere fact,of a redundant cur
rency that causes this premium. The great
evil is that thereis not conf Ienee in the
present or what Is to come in the future.
To, be. sure additional d reasons ! are
found in the action of the Government it,
self. Toe mere fact that iJ discredits its
own paper, by refusing to receive it in
payment OF, Its own, dues, .depreciates its
value, whilst che demand thus created to
supply-its own wants enables specuiat rs
to keep gold ata Premium. Thus The vari7
Gus caH5es act and react on each other, agr
gravating the evil, And to still further
aggravate the evil, Government collects
gold il does inotne selling ftsrlf at times,
for its own paper If the gold is not actu,
And now, readers, let us proceed. to the
consideration of this question of recon-
struction-7f More than two wears have
elapsed SINCE the termination of the war,
and yet we find the country in state of
practical disunion. Amid the confusion
OF conflicting theories, and the strifes of
heated partisans, we seem to have itorgot-,
ten that We have1a country to serve.Or6 a.
Constitution to control, or even to consult
And thus instead OF well defined polieyN-
in. harmony with and derived from the
Constitution, we have a maze OF theories,f
and are thrown into a sea of .disputationr
without chart or compass to guide u.s. The
Widest experiments, utterly sviolatiyeF Of,
every hitherto accepted idea of constitu-
tional right or obligation, rethrust before.
us, and attempted to beforeed upon the
country nOteps U0LeRs, at the point of the
bayonet. lncreIible as this may seem, yet
with shame and confusion of face are we
compelled to acknowledge that the picture
is only too true to the life. 1t we recuE to
the beginning OF the war; if we CONSULT
the history of the four sad and sorrowfuli
years through which We passed, looking to-
recorded facts and the repeated pledges of
those who controlled the legislative and
executive departments OF the Governments!
we find Tour way perfectly clear. But,
amid the clamor and jargon of politicians
and time servers truth is lost in fiction. and
honest people are led to halt and doubt. -ar
Let US reeur,l then, to the history of the
last few years. We cannot, have it too
strongly impressed on our minds. After
an exciting election. conducted as you
know how, by division in the Democraticl
party, it running two candidates. Mrd
Lincoln was elected, according TO the
forms of the Constitution, to the Presiden-4
cy in. 1860. In view of the declared in
tention OF the leading men of the par y
to which Mr.. Lincoln belonged, to use all
the powers of the Governmentiin hostility
Il.
In nearly one-halt of the States under the
admitted protection of the Constitution,
and inflamed at;what they believed an in-
vasion of their constitutional rights, a DOR
tion of the Southern States conceived the
idea OF a withdrawal or separation from
the Uni0n. by ordinances of secession, so
called, and the establishment of another
Government for themselves. liz taking
this course they had the support of the de- a
clared views of the President elect, Mr.. =
Lincoln, that any people, at any time, dis /,
satisfied with the existing form OF Gov
ernment, had a right to withdraw from or q,
overthrow the Objectionable Government o.
and set up another more contormable to +
their. views, The constitutional right of /.
the States so to secede was held by many .
statesmen of both political parties. !
The NeD York Tribune, the foremost Repub- ,
licap newspaper in the country advoc4t-d =
it. 1t had been held by many statesmen n ,
New England. and the Virginia aud ken,
tucky resolutions of 1913 have often been /.
quoted as affirmative of the doctrine; but
most moderate men who hold to che views
expressed in those. resolutions constlue
tpem differently, and as recognizing in the :
States the right to determine for themselves !,
what they may do in the last resort; in /
short, the right of revolution, inherent in ,
the people. under all forms of government. i
Suffice it to say that for whatever OF these .
reasons or others as the facts may have 81.
been, South, Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, ~
Florida, Mississippi. Louisiana and Texas
passed ordinances OF secession, and estab-
lished, as they claimed, another GOVERN >
ment. separate and distinct from the Uni
ted States. They declared they had seced-
ed from the Union, and would maintain Z
their independence, if necessary, by force
of arms. In this condition of affairs, =
President lincoln was inaugurated on the
.4th OF March, 1861, and on the 18th of April
following he issued his proclamation de-
'claring that the laws of the United States
were obstructed in the said States by COM =
bitations too powerful to be SUPPRESS
ed by the ordinary course of judicial :,
in the marshals by law" and
he, therefore, called forth the militia of the
severap States, to the number of 70 600. Ss.in
Virtue OF the power vested" in him by the
Constitution to do what !? ITO suppress
said combinations and to cause the laws to
convoked a special session Of Congress to
meet at Washington on the 4Jh of July fol-
lowing. The Immediate cause of this call
was, iC was said, the attack on Fort Sum-
ter near Charleston, and The with irawaI of
the United States garrison on the day pre-
cedihg. The work of secession went on:
North Carolina. Tcnnessee, Virginia, Ark
ansas, followed their sister States, and
great approximations existed that Kentucky,
Missouri and Maryland would ultimately
follow, they being slave States. Meantime
armies were rapidly organizing OH both
sides. ,On tile 2lst july the battle of Bull
Run was fought on the soil of Virginia.
The so-called Confederates We're the vic
tors, and their army hrearened, Washing
ton. At this time Congress deIiberated on
a public act, declaratory of the intentions
of the Government, and which passed both
houses, with but two dissenting votes in,
the House and five in the Senate. declaring
in the most solemn form that the war then
existing was not waged on the part of the
Government in any spirit of Oppression,
nor for any purpose of conquest or subiu-
CATION, nor purpose of overthrowing or IN
terfering with the established institutions
of the States; but to d feid and. maintain
the supremacy of the Constitution :,
and to preserve the Union, with
all the dignity, equality and rights of the
States uninpaired; and that. as soon as
these objects should be accomplished the
war ought to cease They then proceeded
to call rth volunteers for the armies to be
raised; to neutrality-suspicious. for the pur-
chase of military supplies, and all and eve
rything whatsoever necessary to the vigor--
Gus prosecution of the war. And now the
cry To arms" resounded throughout the
land, The flag of the Union, with not a y,
star effaced," 1.-THE Union and the Consti-
tution >, hpcame the hattIe crips ond for+h