Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-02-28
COLUMBUS, O., FRIDAY MORNING.

continue in such Union. 1t would be
doing violence to the platform of the
party to which II belong. We have
adopted the old declaration of indepen-
dence as the basis of our political move
ments, which declares that any people,
when their government ceases to pro-
tect their rights, when it is SO subverted
from the true purposes of government as
to oppose them, have the right to recur
to fundamental principles, and, if need
be, to destroy the government under
which they live, and to erect on its ruins
another more conducive to their welfare.
Ishold that they have this right. / aoill
not blame any people for exercising it
whenever they think the contingency
has come. You cannot torca-
big hold men IN this Unson, for the at
tempt to do SO. it seems to me, would
subvert the first principles of our gov
ernment under which we live." In
1858, Mr.. Wade again reiterated the
same sentiments in the United States
Senate.
+. Now, Mr.. Speaker, I doubt whether
there can be stronger arguments found
in any of the speeches delivered by the
leading men Of the South, in Congress
during the days of secession, than the
ones here used by Benjamin F. Wade in
justification of that act; and I have ev.
cry reason to believe that such declara-
tions went very far to encourage the
South in its attempt to get out of the
Union.
Again, I will refer to the doctrines oi
Mr.. Lincoln, enunciated as far back as
1S4S, and strictly adhered to, SO far as
know, till his death, on this subject. He
said: ..Any people anywhere being in
clined and having the power, have the
right to rise up and shake off the exist
ing government, and form new one
that suits them better. =
Nor is this right confined to cases il
which the people of an existing gov
ernment may choose to exercise it. Any
portion of such people that can may rev.
olutionize, and may make their own O.
so much territory as they inhabit. More
than this-a majority of any portion o
such people may revolutisnize-puttine
down minority intermingled with OF
near about them who may oppose theil
movements" Sentiments more revolu
tionary were never uttered by any Amer
ican statesman than the foregoing; ye
the Republican party has fully endorsed
every word, by the election of Mr.. Lin
coin, who never retracted them, to the
highest Office in the gift of the American
people. S
When the question of coercion was
under consideration in Congress in tn.
winter of 1861, Mr.. Benjamin f. Stan
ton, who was afterwards elected Lieu
tenant Governor of Ohio by the Repub
lican party, denounced the idea of co
ercing the Southern States to keep then
in the Union. The great Massachusetts
orator and teacher, Edward Everett, no
only opposed coercion, but was tn,
author of very able pamphlet discoun
tenancing the application of force as &
means of keeping the South in the Union
John A. Logan, of Illinois, now rant
ing and violent reconstructionist, de
nounced allideas OF coercion as calculated
to widen the breach instead of settling
the difficulties that were then convulsine
the country. Logan, in his headlone
way on the question, went so far as tt
intimate that if force were used to silence
the complaints of the South, that ht
might be found on the side of the con
federacy in the fight. Daniel S. Dick
enson said, prior to the election of Mr.
Lincoln, that if the Republican party
should be successful in his election, i
would be "throwing down the glove" t.
the South ; and he believed it would anc
should make war, for the election O
Lincoln meant the overthrow of slavery
by force.
In view of these sentiments, the Soutf
felt not only authorized to make an at
tempt to withdraw from the Union, bu
had the arguments justifying this ex
treme movement presented and advo
Gated by the leading members and papers
of the Republican party. 8
There were at this time two elements
in the North and South-one advocating
war and disunion, and the other peac.
and Union. The first was composed OF
the fire-eaters of the South and the ma.
jority of the Republican party. The
second, of the Democratic party Nortl
and few conservative men of both sec.
tions.
This was tested by the defeat of the
Crittenden compromise, a measure tina
would have restored peace and quiet t.
the country. This proposition was in
dorsed by the Legislatures of Kentucky
and Virginia, and was petitioned for by
larger number of electors of the Uni
ted States than any proposition ever be
fore Congress, and if it had been left tt
the people, as it should have been, i
would have received a heavy majority
in every State in the Union.
and Georgia left the Senate they pro
posed to accept that measure as a fna
adjustment of all the difficulties, if tn,
Republican members and Senators woult
vote for, and in good faith carry out it
intent; and had the Republican mem
bers voted with the Democrats and thu
have given two-thirds vote for thos,
resolutions it would have become par
of the Constitution of the United States
and prevented the passage Of every or
dinance ofsecession except in South Car
olina. This proposition was defeated by
unanimous radical vote. While tn
whole Democratic delegation, true to tn
great doctrine of compromise, sustained
the proposition. thus proving beyon'
the shadow of doubt their patriotic in
tentions and their love for the Union
the whole Radical party in Congress
unrelentingly and vindictively demand
ed as their ultimatuue. ga little depletion
and ga little blood letting and thereb,
demonstrated disunion and blood
thirsty sentiment that banished all hop