Year: 1862

mean OF course, tlaC tnere SnOuld be no
party in the country in war times.
They might just as we'll say that there
should be no opinion, no principle of ac-
ton, no policy of Government, in time
of war. Parties in country are a neces-
sary result of opinions and judgments,
and just 50 long as there is necessity
for people who are interested in Gov
ernment affairs to form opinions and to
make up their judgment, there will be
parties. In time Of war, or Of other
great emergencies, of all other times,
it is that opinions have to be formed.
War at best is great calamity, and it
is an expedient to settle difficulties which
should be resorted to only when all 9TH
er means fail to accomplish the desired
object. This is an opinion, which is
entertained by many persons, and these
constitute Party. Others entertain
different opinion, and think that re-
sort should be had to the arbitrement Of
arms on the slightest provocation.
There, too, constitute Party. Thus
do parties ori ginate. So when a Ma
ton is at war, some Of it's citizens may
be of the opinion that it were best to
prosecute it in one way and for the ac-
complshment of certain objects others
may have different other objects in view,
and would, of course, favor another
mode of proceeding. Thus, even in
times of war, Parties become formed by
these conflicts of opinion and by the
different objects which the people have
in view by the existence of war.


1t will be understood without much
reflection that in war as we'll as in
peace, as the People Of a country will
not cease to think Of their interests and
of the means by which those interests
may be best promoted, parties will ex-
ist to carry out, if possible, the opin-
ions Of those who compose them in the
Administration of the Government.
This is as proper to be the case, as it
is but natural that Parties will exist
while there is necessity for the peo.
pie to differ in opinion in relation to the
best mode Of promoting their interests
by the intervention of Government. If
it were possible for all men to think
alike, or to not think at all, there
would indeed be no conflicting parties,
but as they do not, nor will not think
alike, and as they will think in times 70
war as we'll as in times of peace, it is
the sheerest demagoguery to pretend
or to presume that in times of war Par
ties should not exist, and should be en-
tirely ignored.


Suppose, as it might be fairly pre-
sumed, that q certain class Of persons
who are benefited largely by the exist
ence of state of war in country,
should obtain control of the Govern
ment and WELD it in such a manner as
to protract the war as long as it were
possible for the people to endure the
necessary exactions consequent upon
it's existence, would this not be suffi-
cient incitm ent to the great body of the
people to form themselves into an op-
posing element of power and take meas
ures for their security from utter ruin ?
Wars are sometimes il]egitimate and
unnecessary in their inception and or
igin. The existing war in this country
is case in point. 1t was wholly unnec-
essary as means Of preserving the
integrity, not to say the harmony of
the Union, for the Union could have
been preserved unbroken and almost
undisturbed by a mere declaratory act
of Congress atfirmatory of the Principle
that the Constitutional rights Of all the
States should be respected by the Gov
ernment and secured and protected from
all interference. This done, there
would have been no war. But even
without having done this by the domi-
nant Party in the Government, it was
still unnecessary and illegitimane for the
other Sectional Party to resort to war,
for it should have been presumed till
some overt aggressive act were commit
I ted by the Government itself: or till
tho Government had ner1ected or re