The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-06-22
FOREIGN WAR-A REMEDY FOR DOMESTIC
AGITATION.

The Richmond Va) Examiner, which deals
with all questions in bold, dashing style, has
long editorial, which should have been enti-
tied, Foreign War, the True Remedy for Do,
nestle Agitation.
II sets out with the assumption that, whenever
public attention has been attracted to grave
questions of foreign policy, our institutions, 1.-THE
peculiar" one among the rest "have settled
themselves most firmly upon their foundation -
but, whenever "causes of outward concern
have disappeared, the public mind has turned
upon itself, becoming restless, DISCONTINUED, de-
structive. The Revolutionary War produced
the first union of the Colonies but the moment
it closed, they came near filling apart, by the
action of internal discords. The second war
with England concentrated the Confederacy,
binding the States with new ties but on its
close, domestic strife and animosities arose
and gradually became SO fierce, as in 1882 tc
threaten civil war Then followed an act oil
paciication, under which Abolition agitation
sprang up, which, from 1886 to 1912, wa:
somewhat held in check by the disastrous
monetary revcrses of the country These
having gone by, Abolition fanaticism ragged
with increasing fury; but the great event Of
Texan annexation drew off public attention
for time. A still further diversion was
caused by the excitements of the Mexican war
which aroused the patriotism of the whole
country.
Peace was the signal for the revival of the
Abolition controversy, which was only tempo
rarily allayed by the legislation of 1850
Since then the old questions of partisan dis
cussion have been obsolete, but an unoccupied
public mind has proved the DEVILS workshop
to be entered, occupied, and infamed, by Abo
lition incendiariesn From this survey the
editor concludes
"That unless the public mind of this coun
try is engrossed by striking, impressive for
eign policy, or some great internal calamity
sufficient to restore reason and sanity, internal
discussions are sure to arise, to agitate and en-.
danger, if not entirely disrupt, the Union"
The friends of the Union, now, he proceeds
must make up their minds, either TO see this
Abolition agitation go on till the States are
rent asunder, or to enlarge the limits of this
country and launch out On a brilliant foreign
policy"
"The present Administration must pursue a
bold and decided foreign policy, make our
power felt in every part and port of the world
assert, enforce, and establish, thoroughly
American and an exclusively republican policy
on this continent, irrespectively of consequences
and thus enlist the public mind for their own
country's policy and glory against the world
or the popular thought will coon become hope
lessly engrossed in sectional strife, and the
country involved, inextricably, in domestic dis
cord"
We have presented this brief abstract that
the People of the North may cat glimpse
at the thoughts of our Southern brethren. We
all understand that the great source of dis
senson and discord in this country has always
been Slayery-that from no other cause could
the Union apprchend any danger. Had it con-
tented itself within the limits originally assign
ed to it by the Constitution, there would have
been 10 such agitation and discord as the Ell
amiaer denounces. The vie thing would have
died and been buried out of sight. But 1t was
not 30 content-passivityw was not in its nature
it was inherently aggressive and antagonistlcai'
From the beginning it commenced struggle
to overleap its bounds and occupy new ground
the natural result was, resistance, and resist
ance was necessarily accompanied by agIta-
ton, excitement, and dissension.