The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1872-04-11

= guage meant that the Democrat
party, North and STuth, East an
, West, would contend IN arms for tn
asserted rights Of the South, and f.
- her reasonable secession from th
Union?
The position of the Democratic par
ty in 1860, in brief words was this
!, A seeding State could not rightfull
be cOerced to the National authority
= while the Republican party declare
that the people of every secedin
, State might rightfully be cOerced in
z to submission to the supreme author
ity. This issue was decided in favo
Of the Union and the Constitution b,
the election, in 1860, Of the man of IN
!. people, Abraham Lincoln
The Democratic party refused t,
abide this decision, made under an1
in accordance with the laws, anC
forthwith proceeded to organize al
: armed rebellion against the nation.
The rebellion thus organized, wa
( emphatically a Democratic rebellion
so il is recorded and will forever
/, stand recorded in history. It doe,
not weaken the force of the statement
5 that many Democrats deplOred the
rebellion, condemned and opposed il
: and the party that organized it; nol
does il weaken the force Of the state
ment that many able and eminent
men who now adhere to the Demo-
cratic party deplOred and opposed the
rebellion. The fact stands never to
be successfully cOntradicted, that the
Dem lcratic party, as such, rebelled,
and for four years of conflict, by direc-
ton and indirectiOn, sustained the re-
bellicn. Pardon ME for stating with
so much minuteness the position Oc-
cupied by the two parties in 1860. 1t
seems TO me due to the occasion, and
to the truth Of history, and to the pa
triOtic people, that the recorded acts
Of these opposing parties be fairly pre-
sented, to the end that their respec-
tive claims upon the confidence and
support of the country may be justly
determined.
In the approaching election for
President and for Congress, the peO-
pie are to determine to which of these
parties shall be committed the great
trust of enacting and enforcing the
laws, and maintaining by law, and if
need be, by arms, the rights of the
citizens of the United States, and of
the nation. If the Democratic party
has repudiated the alleged right of
State secession; if it has Tepudiated
| the dogma that a seeding State can
not rightfully be coerced; if it has re-
pudiated the Democratic declaration
that it is unconstitutional to defend
the constitution by arms, or to en-
force it by laws, against the people of
the seeding States, l know not when
nor where or in what authoritative
| form this has been done. Let me not
be misunderstood. / am not unmind-
| full of the fact that thousands, and
tens of thousands of Democrats sup
ported at the polls, in the field and the
council, the war for the Union. Nor
| is it my wish to excite or revive re-
sentiment against any portion of my
fellow citizens who aided or abctted
the unnatural revolt against my c0un-
try. Especially is it no part Of my
purpose to condemn the body Of my
fellow citizens in the Southern States
the immediate theatre Of the great
conflict. Hundreds of thousands of
its young men rushed to the lifted
standard of revolt and bore themselves
bravely on every field of conflict, in
the conviction that their first allegi-
ance was due to the State, not to the
nation. Nor am 1 uhmindfal that
hundreds of thousands of the South
ern people who finally. supported the
rebellion, were and are patriotic citi-
zens, who yielded only to the force of
power, who resisted the treason so long
as resistance was possible, who clung
to the Republic, and cherished the
hope of its supremacy as good men
cherish the hope of better life in the
land of uprightness, and spoke for the
Union, against the madness of trea-
son, until their voices were hushed i'm
the roar Of battle, and the arm OF the !
country shortened, that il could not
save.
have said all that is needful to be |
said of the position of the two parties |
in 1860. 1t is my purpose TO demon
strate that in the years following, and |
now these parties divide, substantial |
Iy, upon tile same principles and the
same policy.
Ifthis be so, it is important that |
the people of the United States Un-
derstOod. and act accordingly. IL it |
is their purpose, as i believe it Is, to /
garner up and secure the results of
their heroic struggle for the national |
life, it is essential that they, in the |
words of Washington, "put none but
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. natural born, |
or naturalized-"upOn guard"
This great triumphant people can
not afford to commit their power to |
the men who affiliate with a party |
which doubts the right and duty of
Americans, native or adopted citizens, /
to defend American institutions, and |
maintain them inact and inviOlate.
I speak as an American, altOgeth- !
er an American, to American citizens, |
natural bOrnn and "naturalized.r L /
make no distinction among citizens /
of the United States on account Of ma
tivity, race or color.
Here, and now, | speak of parties, |
not of m ell. l would not indict Il /
whole people, nor all the adherents Of
any party. Principles and policy, |
not men, constitute constitute the
question before the people of the Uni
ted States.
Passing from the contest OF 1860, to
that of 1864, let US consider, very brief
ly, the declared condition of the two
parties.
The National Democratic cOnven-
ton of 1864, the final year of our strug-
ole for national existence, when our
heavens were filled with darkness
and the habitatiOns of our people with
resolved that the war for the 7
Union was a failure; "that it has fail
ed to restore the Union, that it had
prosecuted under the pretense of a
military necessity,a war power, high
er than the Constitution ;" that in its
prosecution, "the Constitution had
been disregarded in every part" and
that humanity, justice and liberty"
demanded "that immediate efforts be
made for the cessation of hOstilities."
Did this mean anything else than a
condemnation of the war for the Un-
on. the denial Of the right of the ma
ton the right to defend its life, and |
a demand, as cOwardly rs il was in
soleut, that thepeople of the Uni
ted States should surrender to the /
Democratic rebellion?
The Republican party, the party Of |
tue people and the Union, met this |
arrogant declaration and demand, /
with the resolve Of the approval Of
the determination of the govern |
ment of the United States not To com |
promise with rebels, or oifeC them !
any terms of peace, except such as
were based upon an unconditional
surrender OF their hostility, and a re-
turn to their Just allegiance 10 the Con-
stitutiOn and laws of the United
States, and that the government should
maintain this position and prosecute
the war with the utmost possible Wig
or, to the complete suppression of the
rebellion, i'm full reliance upon the
selt-sacrificing patriotism, the heroic
valOr, and the nniying devotion Of
the American people and its free in
stitutiOns.
Thank God the war was pr1secut-
ed; the nation was not permitted 10
perish by q fratricidal hand. IL still
lives, and it is to be hoped, viii live
until its grand example of the caplci-
ty of man for self government shall
he accepted by all uatiOnalities-
The war was prosecuted, under the
brilliant lead of Sherman in the South,
and of Grant in the wilderness Of
Virginia. The war was prosecuted,
until the people triumphed, and the
broken battaliOns of treason surren-
dered to the victorious legions Of the
~ =