The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1856-10-16
. aolditt;al,
,- From the New York Economist
Shall we have DisuniOn!


the idea Of disunion is more freely canvassed
both North and South. 1t Is one which is
becoming more familiar to the public mind
whether for good or evil does not as yet
appear. It is unquestionably the case that
there is at the North very wide opposition
to what is termed the extention of slavery
Into free Territory, and this opposition par
takes Of the character ofa principle among
q large mass Of voters, but it is at the same
time very apparent that principle is not rep
Resented by the candidates in an adequate
manner. That is to say, whenever the
earnest advocate of free Territory reflects
upon The character Of the candidate, he finds
himself, in face of the fact, that that candi-
date has in his whole career been consis-
tent opponent Of the principles Of which he
is now made the exponent. The only hold
which the Republican party have upon Col,
Fremont is his letter tolerating freedom in
Kansas, which letter was the price of his
nomination, by pOrty whose principles he
had before uniformly opposed. That party
have devoted themselves earnestly and en-
thusiastically-a large portion Of it, no
doubt, honestly-to principles, to the en-
forcement OF which in the government the
Southern party say they cannot submit
They regard them as unconstitutional, sub
versive Of the Southern rights, and tyranni-
cal in their nature. Many have gone SO far
as to declare that the election of Col. Ere.
mont will be the signal of disunion. As
that threat is SO freely urged and SO con.
temptnously received, it becomes duty to
look the matter in the face. The party who
support Col. Fremont allege that the South
ern people have enjoyed too many Of the
Federal Offices that is to suy, that they
have predominated in the government, and
that it IL now the determination to change
that. '.t .. ..H..
The great cause Of complaint seems to be
that the South has "meddled too much with
the government" Admitting this be the
case, there does not appear to have resulted
any very great evil from the "medding. -
Mr.. Banks himself forcibly illustrates the
consequences, os follows: .s- a....
"For 75 years past the government Of this
country has been in the hands Of Southern
Statesmen, rho haze directed its policy. The
North has been busy in the mechanical arts,
in agriculture, and in mining, and has given
less attention to the affairs of the govern
ment than otherwise it might have done,
certainly less than it ought to have DONE
On the contrary, the South. having no litera-
ture OF it's own, having no science Of its own.
having no mechanical and manufacturing in
dustry Of its own. having but little or no
commerce OF it's own, having no inventive
powersor genius OF it's own, having, in short,
none OF the elements of power that distn
guish our civilization, has turned its atten-
tion chiefly, SO far as its leading men are
concerned, to the government Of the coun.
try"
He then describes the condition Of the
country so governed, as follows:
~ see before me, in imagination, repre-
scented by you, nation of27 100000 Of peo
plea nation hardly rs years Of age, bu,
which in that comparatively brief space of
time has produced results such as this toorld
neyer before pitnessed, and such as the mind
ofno intelligent man has heretofore been able
to conceive. (Cheers.)" 9 "1S
IfSouthern meddling with the govern.
ment has produced such very satisfactory re-
sults, it would seem to be the part of wisdom
to continue it. The great prosperity of the
country, its great wealth and aggregate hap
pness ofits people, seem to be very extra
ordinary reasons to urge why that success
fulgovernment should be destroyed and the
Union dissolved. In Europe, when, govern.
ments have been attacked, it is for their BAD
conduct, and the misery that has been there
by entailed upon the people. With2us the
reverse seems TO be the case. The issues of
the present election seem to be based on
thrusting Southern Statesmen from the d.
rection of public affairs; and Mr.. Fremont
70 the leader Of those who will have the oG.
ces at all hazards.
This object was avowed by Mr. Speaker
Banks in. his Wall street speech:
..But this is not whut | proposed to call
your attention to. Il is to the fact, what
will the people Of the South really do # the
election be given to the people ofthe North
erh States, and shch Of our Southern friends
az choose 10 join with us--and there are
plenty Of them who will do it. What will
they do, ask, when they are despoiled Of
their Offices Of honor and trust and emolu-
ment in, the army. the navy, and the Feder-
al government! Twill tell You what they
will do." s"a a''a ss's ~. ~ seig'N .
tits here unequivocally stated that the
South is to be '.despoiled Of ita Office" as .
consequence of Mfr. Fremont's election
Now it may here be remarked that, to sup
mort Mr.. Fremont, d Southern man, with
Southern connections, whose whole notorie-
" has been earned as an ofice-holder
through Southern inauence--in opposition to
Mr.. Fillmore, q New Yorker, OF MT. Bnch-
ans anan, a Pennsylvaaian--as means Of de-
priying Southerners Of Office, is certainly q
yery indirect mode OF reaching that object