Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1867-12-20

hoped to see emanclpaliO0 curing the
present century, are not only free, but
hold In their hands, by the refusal Of the
late rebels to co operate with them IN the
work of reconstruction, the political power
of the South. Virginia, the great mother
OF Presidents, and market of slaves, reor.
ganizes her State government on the basis
Of that rightful political eq 1ality between
slave and master, which Jefferson, her
most distinguished statesman, was one OF
the first and foremost to assert. Apoliti-
cal party, not then in existence, has pre-.
vailed in every Northern State, ruled the
destinies of the Union for six years, over
thrown opposing institutions by DEGREES
as revolutionary of antecedens conditions
as were ever issued by Gar or Emperor,
and enforced their changes by armies as
powerful as were swsyed by an Alexander,
Cesar, or Napoleon, and is now recon-
structing the Union on basis OF uniyer-
sal suffrage, which secures the ascendency
of the same party, and of its ideas, ultl'
mately, not merely in the transient poll.
tics, but In the fundamental constitution
and laws Of the lately slayeholdiDg and
rebellious States. Never before In the
worlds history has there been 30 sublime
q vindication of the power or an IDEA 10
mould parties, Tevolutionlze governments,
raise and mass armies, overthrow institu-
tons, and change the social destines oil
races. In the fullest sense our great strug.
gle was, on both sides, a war OF ideas.
Though 1t took the form, at least In our
minds, of struggle between government
and rebellion, yet the rebellion was Itself
a government, as thoroughly representa-
tive, ana as skillfully organized, as the ma
ont II
powerful ideas of the superiority Of the
white race over the black of the greater
fitness of an aristocratic class than q
working class to govern; Of the material
ACKNOWLEDGMENT and pecuniary profit OF
slavery of the sovereignty Of each State /;
of the dread and supposed danger OF set
ting free four millions OF untutored slaves,
and giving them rights approximating
those of their late masters, II not fully
equal; and of Christianity and code OF
morals and ethics In which the above ideas
were assumed to be sound, and In the
light of which the freeing q slave was on
par with stealing horse, and general
emancipation was deemed to be wholesale
massacre. These ideas inspired the pro.
slavery party, prevailed throughout the
Democracy, were endorsed In the cleo
lions of Pierce and Buchanan, and were
represented In various degrees In 1860, in
the nominations, not only of Breckinridge
and Lane, but also of Douglas and John.
SON, and of Bell aud Everett In the ag-
gregate, they polled a larger popular
vote than that cast by Dir. Lincoln. But
on the question, how these ideas could
best be made to prevail, their upholdera
were divided. The Breckinridge- Lane
wing said "Out of the Unioni" The
other two factions replied, "No; in the
Union" But otherwise the ideas that uE-
derlay the three parties were the same.
The measures Of the Republican party
were confined to preventing the extension
of slavery, by annexation, or in the Terri
tories But their ideas were deeper, viz. /:
that the respects in which men are I'M
equal are incidental and secondary, COM
pared with the great and important senses
In which they are equal; that slavery Is
wrong, unchristian, Improbable, quarrel
some, tyrannical, anti republican, and bar
barous; that it quenches freedom Of speech
and of the press, suppresses education,
perpetuates ignorance, and promotes bru-
tality that it wastes land, Expresses labor,
debauches craftsmanship, and undermines
republican government; that 1t Is insatia-
bic in its requirements, deceptive In Its
supposed profits, Improbable and inhu
man. That while, for tho sake of the other
interests involvedin the Union, and peace,
1T might be tolerated, 1t was only as we
would tolerate the serpent coiled around
| cur child, fearing to strike 1t dead, not fol
/ the sake of the serpent, but of the life II
| endangered. Abolitionists and Republi
| cans differed only In the intensity with
4 which they held these ideas. These were
the ideas which obtained the asoendency
/ in the election of Lincoln. 1t was in vain
therefore, that Republicans pointed to thu
moderation of their platform. The Soutl
looked behind their platform, and graspet
correctly their fundamental idea, tina
slavery was wrong. "With this idea Ii
the ascendency," said they, "platform'
will advance from the limitation to tht
abolition of the wrong" Doubtless they
saw truly. Dir, Seward had said, at Cleve
| land, many years before, Slavery mus
be abolished, and you and l must do 1t. ;
Mr.. Lincoln endorsed the doctrine Of thu
irrepressibles conflict. It may be claimed
that the anti-slavery idea barely suficed tt
elect Lincoln, and that the idea which mus
tered into the field the armies of the Union
was the love of the Union, and not hostili
ty to slavery. This Is true. But as the
anti slavery idea had frstto obtain ascend
ency In the government before SLAYER!
would seek to destroy the Union, 1t was
after all, the prior triumph of the anti
slavery idea that arrayed the onion sent
ment on the side of freedom. Until thi
triumph the whole force OF the mer
Union sentiment, in the Northern States
had been devoted to ,. securing concession nos !,
TO the demands of slavery. The firf
/ 81 fho ~ Iyttf q a n
"Great Northern Uprising" consisted 1
the anti slavery sentiment, and their agree
ment to fight shoulder to shoulder. Th1
4 was characterized by the noble stand take
| by Douglas, Benjamin I. Butler, Daniel |
Dickinson. Edwin NJ Stanton, John a
Logan. Andrew johnson, John A. Du
General w. T. Sherman, Daniel E, Sickle
aud q large wing Of the Democracy, who's
Unionism had previously led them int
conciliatery policies towards slavery.
Upo1l the accession of what were style
] the "War Democrat" to the Union eaus
r the allied Republican Union parties ca
: ried on the war during the first two year
| The Secession party OF the South receive
81 a similar accession from the previous
j Union sentiment of that section, includir
3 such staunch, original opponents of sece
!. sion as Alexander H. stephens, CLINE
] John Bell, Foote, and, indeed, near
, every prominent Southern Unionist g
y cept John NJ. Bolts. In both the Unio
# and the rebellion, while the candidates
8 lected for the Presidency represented Il
|. distinctive idea of their respective section
l. Mr. Lincoln representing freedom, and d
/, Wis, slavery, the candidates for Vice Pr
r. ident on both sides were chosen for the