The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-09-21

correspondence Not long afterwards
Josiah Quincy, whose fidelity to the
party which elected him was never
doubted, formally announced in Con-
gress the intention of his State to leave
| the Union, "peaceably if she could, for
cibly if she must" Their hatred of the
Union deepened, and their determine
ton to break it up grew tiercer, as the
resolution of the Democrats to maintain
the independence Of the country became
stronger. When the war of 1912 began,
they were virtually out of the Union,
and remained out during the whole of
that desperate struggle, not only refusing
all assistance to carry it on, but helping
the enemy in every possible way. twas
while England had her tightest grasp on
the throat of the nation, that the Hart
ford Convention was called to dismem-
Der it and this, Mr. Jefferson says, they
would have accomplished but for the bat
tie of New Orleans and the Peace OF
Ghent. John Quincy Adams in 1889, and
Abraham Lincoln in lS47, made elabor-
ate arguments in favor Of the hgal right
of State to go out. The later Aboll-
tionists did not attempt to conceal their
rancoreus hostility to the Union. NO
union with Shareholders" was one ofthelr
watchwords, and down to the opening of
the war, its destruction was the aVoWed
object of their Vaccinations.
There is one conclusive proof OF your
enmity to the Union, and that isyour I'M
wavering opposition to the Constitution
which held the States together. You
know as well as | do how absurd it is to
suppose that any man or party can sup
port the Union, and at the same time
trample on the Constitution; and you
certainly are not ignorant that you and
your predecessors, from the earliest times
have been anti constitutional in all you.
proclivites. Contemptuous disregard OF
constitutional obligations is not now the
mere germ of doctrine; it is part OF
your settled creed. Before the war, and
since, you have trodden under foot every
provision contained in the great charter
of your liberties. l do not speak at ran
dom. / challenge you to designate
single constitutional right of the States,
or ofindividuals, which you have not at
some time, or in some way, deliberately
violated.
The contempt for the Constitution, this
practical denial that an oath to support
it is sacred implies disregard OF all
laws, human and divine, and when
adopted, it left nothing to guide you ex,
cept the propensities, evil or good, OF
yonr natural hearts. Many of yon land
notably you YOURSELF, contracted no in
diyidual guilt, because you were
TOO PROUD FOR PETTY LARCENY,
Too benevolent for large-handed rob-
berry, and too full of kindness wantonly
to break into the tabernacle Of human
life. But generally, the moral princi-
pies Of the ultra-abOlitionists (if they
ever had any became so wholly per-
verted, that they saw nothing wrong in
the worst offences that could be commit
ted against their political opponents In
their eyes, theft and murder not only
lost their felonious character, but became
mertorious, if the victims lived south of
Mason and Dixon's line When John
Brown stole horses in the peace of (1od
and the State of Missouri, he was taking
lawful booty; when he sneaked into
quiet Virginia village on Sunday night
ana assassinated defenceless citizens, he
was Il hero; and when he died felon's
death on the scaffOld, to which he was
justly condemned. he became martyr.
You persist in misunderstanding the
anti-bellum attitude of the Northern De-
mocracy. We stood steadfastly by the
Union against all the attempts of the
New England party to break tup by Sc
cession. We sustained the Constitution |
against the ferocious assaults OF the Abb
olitionists; we labored earnestly to save
republican institutions from the destruc-
ton with which they were threatened |
by you; and as long as the Southern peo-
pie acted with us we gratefully accepted
their aid in the good work.
Your averment that the Democratic
party desired the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of
slavery, and yielded their conscienCes"
on that subject to the South, is grossly
unjust, ify you mean to charge them with
anything more than a willingness to pro-
tect the Southern as well as the Northern
and Middle States, in the exercise oftheir
rights. We had disposed
Of slavery within our own jurisdiction
according to our sense of sound policy
and Justice. But we had made an ex-
press compact with the other States to
leave the entire control of their domes-
tic affairs TO themselves. We kept our
covenant, simply because it would have
been gross dishonesty to break it. The
Abolitionsts took different view, and
refused to keep faith. They swore as
3olemnly as we did to observe the terms
Of the bargain. but according to their
code, it was a sin not to violate 1t. The
fact is true, that we did not think it right
o cut the tlroats, or shoot, or strange
he men or women of the South for be-
ieving ir negro slavery; but that Is no
of your assertion that we
Yielded our cOnscienCes to them.
Again; you charge us (the Northern
Democracy with having given bad ad-
vice to the Southern people. This CON
'istency, you say, assuring them that II
hey seeded we would take their part
against any attempt to force them back
nto the Union. This is a gross error
md you will see it when recall your at
ention TO the facts. In all our exhorta-
ions to Southern men against secession,
We were met by the expression OF their
ear that the AbolitiUnists intended, in
my event, to invade and slaughter them.
some reason for this apprehension was
yiven by the fierce threats of your lead
ng men, and especially by your almost
admiration of Brown for his
aid into Virginia. Certain Democrats
and very good men, too,l did then de,
,lare that lawless expedition intended
or purposes of mere plunder and pillage
,ouid not and should not be started in
he North, without such opposition as
you'd efectllally stop it. But this was
before secession, and it was intended to
prevent that movement, not 70 encour-
lge it.
You cannot, with any show of justice,
leny that
DEVOTION TO THE UNION
was one of the strongest feelings in the
leart of the Northern Democracy. we
lad always deprecated secession from
-ha Southern States with SO much earn