Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-04-26
THE UNION.

Slaveholding politicians aware of the exag-
gerated estimate placed on the value of the
Union by the People of the free States, neglect
no opportunity to magnify its Importance to
them. From their speeches and writings one
might infer that those States are mere depend
encies of the South that without the Union
they would sink into barbarism and that the
South barely tolerates association with them,
more from regard to the events Of the Past
than the necessities of the Present. They are
constantly training Southern People to magni-
fy their own Importance; to imagine that they
have more courage, more honor, more chivalry,
than any other People; that in Slavery, they
enjoy an institution which gives them rightful
prominence and q prosperity unsurpassed !;
that cotton, in the growth Of which they fear
no competition, is the chief material of North
ern commerce, and an absolute necessity in
modern civilization, 50 that the civilized world
is really tributary to them. The Union is not
the god Of their idolatry they allude to it as q
burden, as an instrument of oppression, as an
evil to be tolerated, not good to be cherished.
Hence the prevalent characteristics of the
Slayeholding caste are, selfsnfhciency, kind
of provincial pride, intense scctionalism, AFRO
gance, and an undisgused belief that in suffer
ing the Union to stand they are comforting n
great favor upon the North, for which no
equivalent can be rendered.
On the other hand, the politicians Of the free
States have been preaching Union, ever since
the Farewell Address OF General Washington.
They worship it more than they do Truth or
Justice. With them, the Union is an end, not
a means and the People are warned against
the deadly crime OF even calculating its value.
No sentiment is 80 holy, no right 80 sacred no
interest 30 vital, that it should be permitted to
weigh against the maintenance Of the Union!
Ii is easy 10 SOC what an advantage the Slave
Power fuds in this difference in the training
of the two sections. One is forbcaring slow to
take offence, easily appcasod, perpetually anx-
ious to save the Union the other, aggressive,
impatient, implacable, disposed on the slightest
proyocaton TO dissolve the Union.
IL Is time that we should divcst ourselves OF
Of reason alone. The Union we regard not as a
necessity, or an end, but as subscribing certain
interests Of equal importance to both sections
not that these interests might not be secured
without it, but thus Ear they have been quite
effectually promoted by It, For example, il has
served to prevent the reproduction on our con.
tinent Of tho unfortunate political system Of
Europe, with it's alien, antagonstc kingdoms
and empires, it's intriguing diplomacy, its great
military ornaments and its exhanssing wars.
IL hos served 10 promote uniformity in Ian
guago, customs, and manners to prevent bar
assing and injurious restrictions on social and
commercial intercourse to exclude foreign in
trigue, and to secure for us rank among the
first nations Of tho earth. So far, then, a. IL
has subserved the great interests Of unity Of
language, unity Of Government, Free Trade,
Peace, Power, and Exemption from Foreign
Influence, we value the Union, and would re-
joice to see IL maintained. But in all these re-
spects the South IL just as much interested
az the North, the West, as the East To mag
Nifty its benefits to one section, and disparage
them in relation to another, Is trick Of poll
ticians, for the advancement Of sectional ends.
In regard to the pecnntary value Of the
Unien, as we lately showed, the free States are
not dependent upon il. u is not the Union
which has given them temperate climate, q
soil Astounding in agricultural capabilities
and mineral wealth, lakes and rivers inviting
toinsernal commerce, q sea coast with ample
harbors necessarily favoring vast foreign
commerce, water power and steam power, and
the intelligence, tact, and enterprise, requi+
site 70 tnrn all these natural advantages 10 tho
best account. u is not the Union that has set