The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1867-08-08
[From ,he oln,Innati oominercIaI.l
"Antecedent Opinions" and the
Living Issues. A

An cold Green County Abolition
ist,o writes to the Cincinnati En-
quirer "a Iittle plain talk on mat
ters of deep interest The Enqui-
rer always has 40 "Abolitionist" to
write COMMUNICATIONS for it. We
suspect that il keeps an Abolition.
ist somewhere about its house for
the purpose OF writing foolishness.
This is hard on the Abolitionists,
but it amuses. the Enquirer's hu
NOR, and in the absence Of martial
law we must endure it. The old
Green Co. Abolitionist says "he al
ways wasan old line A Abolilionist' "a
phrase which remindsus ofthe phrase
that once upon time was heard so
frequentlyin Democratic conven-
tions: Il always was a Dimmycrat."
This Enqnirer's man who was al
ways an old line ADolitionist, and
We expect Dimmycrat, too, says;
II am a regular reader of the
Cincinnati Commercial, as well as
the Gazette, and like them both
generally. l do not like the clap
trap l fnd in each rather too often
for their responsibility. The Com
mercial of this morning has nearly
a page Of this clap trap about the
antccedent opinions OF Democrats
about the war. What bosh An
tccedent opinions Didn't the
ommcrcial advocate peaceful dis
solution? Didn't Mr.. Chase do the
same thingp Did not every Abo-
litionist prefer separation TO con-
tinued union with slave States? l
did. My neighbor Abolitionists
did. All our leading papers did.
1 know the New York Tribune
did. ! know the Ohio State Jour
nal did. / know the indianapolis
Journal did. Thon what poppy.
talk to parade antecedent opinions,
when for years before the war ev-
cry leading paper opposed to the
Democracy, and every Abolition.
list was, at heart, for secession, if
slavery could not otherwise be
wiped out.
"Why arc these antecedent opin-
ions nothing but poppy-talk p
Simply because they are baldcr-
dash, clap. trap prcsentments, not
intended for men of sense, but for
unthinking persons. They are
nothing but poppy.talk, because
they contain no live issues"
II this person tells the truth a.
bout being n regular reader of the
Cincinnati Commercial, we arc a.
sbamed of him; aud we should have
been deeply mortified indeed if ii
had not been for his confession that
he is also n reader Of the Gazette,
an The evidence that he is a writ.
er for the Enquirer. "Antecedent
opinions" is the phrase that this
miscellaneous reader and writer
attaches most importance TO-
First, as to our "antecedent opin.
ions" We did not advocate peace.
able separation. We urged the ex-
pediency of a Convention Of all
the States for the settlement of Sec
tional difficulties. We did not be.
lieve there was o majority of the
people in any ono State, North or
South, who were really in favor of
either disuniOn or war. We have
not seen any evidence from that
day 10 this that our judgment was
mistaken. lfthe South had been
allowed by National Convention
to slide out Of the Union, the effort
of that section at self government
would have been an abject fizzle.--
Tho North would have been tho
nation, and would have outgrown
and overwhelmed tho South in a
few years. The secession princI-
Pile would have disintogratod the
South. Slave labor would have
proven less profitable year after
year. The Southern people would
have been obliged to pay for thoir
own postal facilities, and for their
custom houses and harbor improve.
ments, which they never have
done. The Norch had been hold
ing tho South up by the tail for u
generation, and the South was so
sure that it was tho larger part of
creation that tho experiment of let.
ting it drop would, wo think, in all
probability, have cured the soccs-
sion madness and put an end to
slavery. Tho process would have
required more time than tho war,
but il might not have been 80 cost
ly. But this is all speculation now.
We had to pass through the Red
Sea ofwar. Before tho war We on.
doavored to avoid an appeal to
arms. When the Southern traitors
insisted upon war, we advocated
giving them war enough to cure
them of their blood.letting mad.
ness. We do not regard consistens
cy as tho chief Of virtues, If We
were inconsistent, we should not
regard the fact as disreputablo,-
Now there is no inconsistency in
being q peace man in times Of
poaco, and q war man in war times,
but thoro is good sense and good
citizenship.
Those who wore warliko in peace
and peace mon in war, and hung
out white flags in tho North, and
decorated themselves with butter
nut and and coppcrhcad badges, TO
show their sympathy with, and
sycophancy toward tho rebels, at
tho very time whom the armies of
the nation were trampling the lie
out If tho robellion--these are the
mon now leading aud managing
thu DomOnrniic Marty and whO