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State of Maine
Resolves in favor of harmony and union
Resolved, That we the people of the State of Maine devotedly cherish the constitution and laws of the United States, and have ever been willing to assist in maintaining the National Union, and to respect faithfully the rights of all its members.
Resolved, That in the present attempt to coerce the government of the United States, and the will of the majority of the people thereof, to the will of the minority, by treason most foul, and rebellion the most unjustifiable, it is the right and the duty of the state to proffer to the national government for its own maintenance and for the suppression of this treason and rebellion all the means and resources which it can command. Resolved, That while as a member of the family of the states, we are ever ready to review our course in reference to any seeming infringement of the rights of sister states, still we can never so far forget the pride of our sovereignty, or the dignity of our manhood, as to hold parley with treason or with traitors.
Resolved, That whenever we shall see the sentiment of patriotism and devotion to American liberty manifested in the slave-holding states, we will vie with such states in the restoration of harmony, and will tender to such, every fraternal concession consistent with the security of our own citizens.
Resolved, That it is our right and our solemn purpose, with "our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor," to defend to the last our Federal Government, and the strength and the glory of our national capitol, by whatever hands assailed,as the only hope of our own and of the world's freedom and progress.
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Now let's see, was this legislature composed of anything but Northern Democrats and Republicans? Did Maine vote for Breckenridge?
Cheers,
Richard F.
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Joint Resolutions of the General Assembly of the State of Ohio, passed January 12, 1861.
RESOLVED by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio, as follows:
1. That the people of Ohio, believing that the preservation of the Unity of Government that constitutes the American people one people, is essential to the support of their tranquility at home, of their peace abroad, of their safety, of their prosperity, and of that very liberty which they so highly prize, are firmly and ardently attached to the National Constitution and the Union of the States.
2. That the General Government cannot permit the secession of any State without violating the obligations by which it is bound, under the compact, to the other States and to every citizen of the United States.
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There are more from other states, all to the same effect.
I consider this point settled.
Richard F.
You've posted a lot of examples of Republican repudiation of the position Williams describes -- but to achieve elenchus, you'll have to demonstrate real unanimity within the GOP, not the proclaimed unanimity of the GOP platform, which was written before the secession conventions sat.
I agree with you that the national Republicans, being under the titular leadership of Abraham Lincoln from the moment be was nominated, opposed secession and promulgated the formula seen in the Ohio resolution, which we can call simply Unionism. If the Republican Party generally, and not just its victorious faction, felt the same way as shown by competing resolutions that weren't adopted, and by contemporary records and letters, then you will have refuted Williams as regards the Republican Party.
The question remains, was this Unionist sentiment and platform shared among the GOP, or was it a position laid down and held to by the Lincolnian faction? Did Lincoln leverage this position thrice, in order to make it the political religion of the United States and the shibboleth of centralizers and Statists everywhere?
The language of the GOP platform is revealing.....the last graf appears to call for the suppression of free speech, as well as of States' Rights. Very interesting. It would seem to offer essential evidence of Republican extremism before the fact, with respect to an appetite for suppressing and repressing the South. If I were a Mississippian contemplating my options in 1860, I should certainly have seen that sentiment as a gun pointed at my head, in the event of a Republican political victory. Again, very interesting. Thank you for that post.