The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-09-18


the question as 10 the objects for whicl
we fought In the great conflict from 1855
: 10 1866, and % 10 what was accomplishe,
blythe final triumph Of the Union cause
The question Is, what was settled by th
war? What may those who fought for tn
Union Justly claims and what ought thos
= who fought for secession, faithfully to &C
cept as the legitimate results Of the war
An eminent citizen OF our State, MI
: Groesbeck. said some years ago, that eva
egislates." He regarded the new consti
tutional amendments as apart Of the legis
lation Of the war for the Union, and said
J. with sufficient emphasis, "and they will
stand" The equal rights amendment
are the legislation Of the war for tn
Union, and they ought 10 stand. Grea
wars always legiSlate. A little more thar
Q 0 hundred years eago, this lane
i. where we now are, was claim
ed and held by France. Genera
y Wolfe, on the plains Of Abra
y ham, settled that claim, and tht
result was the transfer Of the title ant
/ Jurisdiction OF this entire section OF thI
country TO England For q few years ii
chief ruler was the English King. Thu
] Revolution followed, and the question o
1 It's ownership was again the subject OF wal
legislation, and II became part OF III,
! United States, no longer under mon
3 archy, but underaflee Republican govern
D ment. -
need not enter into any discussion o.
the causes Of our civil war. We all know
that The men who planned the destruction
Of the Union and the establishment OF the
Confederate States, based their attempt on
construction OF the Constitution called
the State-rghts doctrine, and on the inter.
est OF the people Of those States 10 the ex.
tension and perpetuation OF slavery. The
doctrine OF State-rights was that eaGh State
was sovereign and supreme, and might
nullity the laws oil the Union or eecede
from the Union at pleasure. They held
that slavery was the natural and normal
condition Of the colored man, and that,
therefore, slavery in this country could
and should be the cornerstone Of a free
government
No man has ever stated the issues Of the
civil war more fully, more clearly, or
more accurately than Mr.. Lincoln. In
any inquiry as to what may fairly be In.
c!nded among the things settled by our
victory, all Just and patriotic minds In
sttncuvely turn 10 Mr.. Lincoln. To him,
more than TO any other man, the cause OF
Union and liberty Is indebted for It's final
triumph. Besides, with all his wonderful
Sagacity, and wisdom, and logical faculty,
dwelling intently, and anxiously. and
prayert1lly, during four years oil awful
trial and responsibility, on the questions
which were continually arising TO pcrplex
and almost contound him, he ut Lost be.
came the very embodiment Of tho prin.
ciples by which the country and It's lib
critics were saved. All good citizens may
now well listen to and heed his words.
None have more reason 10 do It with re.
speGt and confidence, and genuine re.
caro-, than those whom he addressed In
his trst inaugural speech as "my dissatis.
ned te!low.countrymen." The leader OF
tne Union cause was so just and moder-
ate, and patient and humane. that
many. supporters Of the Union thought
that lie did not go far enough or fast
enough, and assalled his opinions and his
conduct; but now all men begin to see that
the plain people, who at last came to love
him, and to lean upon his wisdom and
hrmness with absolute trust, were alto.
gether right, and that in deed aud purpose
ne was earnestly DEVOTED TO the welfare OF
the whole country, and Of all its inhabi-
tants.
believing that Mr.. Neutrality-suspicious. are
OF higher authority on, the questions Of the
war than those Of any other public man on
either side OF the controversy, desire TO
present them quite fully and in his own
language.
1nthe third year OF the war, and while
It's result was still undecided, MI Lincoln
made his memorable address at the conse.
Grafton o. the Gettysburg National Gene.
terry, on the 10th Of November, 1868. He
was standing on the field of the
greatest battle Of the war. He
was, no doubt, deeply impressed with
me heavy responsibilities which hehad
1orne so long. He spoke not as par
tisan, embittered and narrow and sec
tional, but in the broad and generous
spirit OF patriot, solicitous to say that
which would be worthy to be pondered
by all his countrymen throughout all
time In his short speech OF only two or
three paragraphs he twice spoke OF the
IobJects OF the war, once in It's opening
and again In It's closing sentence. The
words have been often quoted, bnt thew
cannot be too familiar. They bear closely
and iorcibly on the question We are con-
sidering.
Il -Four score and seven years ago" said
MIR. Lincoln, sour fathers brought forth
on this continent a new nation, conceived
IN liberty and dedicated to the proposition
that all men are created equal. Now we
are engaged in Q great civil war, testing
whether that nation, or any nation so con.
ceived and so dedicated can long endure"
And again, in closing, he said: at is
rather for us = y that we here
highly resolve that the dead shall moi
have died in vain; that the nation shall.
under God, have q new birth Of freedom;
and that Government Of the people, by
the people, and for the people, shall not
perish from the earth" :,
i No, statement Of the true objects Of the
war more complete than this has ever been
made. includes them Nationality,
Liberty, Equal Rights and Sell. Govern.
menE These are the principles for which
the Union soldier fought, and which It
was his aim to maintain and perpetuate.
4 ltany one supposes that that construc.
ton OF our National Constitution, which
IS known as the State rights doctrine, is
consistent with sound principles, let him
consider a few paragraphs from Mr.. Lin.
coins first message TO Congress, at the ex.
4 ira session of1S6l.s -I1-r
i Speaking ofwhat was called the right Of
peaceful secession--that is, secession in
accordance with the National Constitution
The said: 2
'This sophism derives much, perhaps
the whole, Of It's currency from the as
sumption that there is some omnipotent
and sacred supremacy pertaining to a
StateE7to each State OF our Federal Union.
Our States have neither more nor less
power than that reserved to them in the
Union by ythe Constitution, no one
OF them ever having been State
o@ Of the Union. The original
ones passed into the Union even before
they cast off their British colonial de-
pendence, and the new ones each came
into the Union directly from a condition
OF dependence, excepting Texas. And