Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1856-12-11

ihdi WOHoIOuies ol EUROPE anu ASIA, wen
knowing that such, and such only, are the
means and the consequences of their plans
and purposes, they endeavor 10 prepare the
people of the United States for civil war BY
doing everything in their power 10 deprive
the Constitution and the laws of moral au
,hority, and 10 undermine the fabric Of the
Union by appeals to passion and sectional
prejudice, and by indoctrinating its people
With reciprocal hatred, and by educating
hem 10 stand face TO face as enemies, rather
than shoulder TO shoulder as friends.
1t is 10y the agency of such understandable
interference, foreign and domestic, that the
minds of many, otherwise good citizens,
have been so inflanod into .he passionate
condemnation of the domestic institutions OF
The Southern States, as at length to pass in
sensibly to almost equally passionate hosIil-
" towards their ielow-ctizens Of those
States, and thus finally TO fall into tempora
rary fellowship with the avowed and active
enemies of the Constitution. Ardently at
tached to liberty in the abstract, they do moi
stop TO consider practically how the objects
they would ottain can be accomplished, not
10 reflect that, even if the evil were as great
as they deem il, they haue no remedy 10 APP
ply, and that it can only be aggravated by
their violence and unconstitutional action
A question, which is one of the most diff
cult of all problems Of social institution, pc.
litical economy and craftsmanship, they treat
with unreasoning intemperence Of thought
and language. Extremes beget extremes.
Violent attacks from the North finds its in
evltable consequence in the growth Of spir-
it of angry defiance at the South. Thus in
the progress OF events we have reached that
contamination, which the voice Of the peo-
pie has now so pointedly rebuked of the at
tempt, Of portion Of the States, by section
al organization and movement, to usurp
the control OF the Government of the United
| States.
confidently believe that the great body
Of those who inconsiderately took this fatal
step, are sincerely attached TO the Constitu-
ton and the Union. They would, upon de-
! liberation, shrink with unaffected horror
/ from any conscious act of disunion or civil
war. Bnt they have entered into path
which leads nowhere, unless it be TO civil
war and disunion, and which has no other
possible outlet. They have proceeded thus
Tar in that direction in consequence Of the
successive stages of their progress having
consisted Of a series Of secondary issues,
each Of which prulessed to be confined with
in constitutional and peaceful limits, but
which attempted indirectly what few men
were willing 10 do dircctly-that is, to act
! aggressively against the constitutional rights
Of nearly one half Of the thirty one States.
NORTHERN AGGRESSION UPON THE SOUTH.
In the long series OF acts of indirect ag-
! erosion, the first was the strenuous agita-
ton, by citizens Of the Northern States, in
/ Congress and ont Of it, of the question os
negro emancipation in the Southern States.
The second step in this path of evil con-
sisted Of acts of the people Of the Northern
States, and in several instances of their gov
ernments, aimed TO facilitate the escape OF
/ persons held 10 service in the Southern
States, and 10 prevent their eytraditon when
reclaimed according to law, and in virtue OF
! express provisions OF the Constitution. To
promote this object, legislative enactments
and other means were adopted 10 take away
or defeat rights, which the Constitution SOL
EMMY guaranteed. In order to nulliiy the
then existing act Of Congress concerning the
oXtradition OF iugiiives from service, laws
were enacted in many STATES, forbldding
their officers, under the severest penalties,
to participate in the execution of any act OF
Congress whatever. In this way that sys-
tom Of harmonious cooperation between the
authorities of the United States and Of the
several States, for The maintenance of their
common institutions, which existed in the
early years Of the Republic, was destroyed;
conflicts Of jurisdiction came to be frequent,
and Congress found itself compelled, for the
support Of The Constitution, and the vindica
ton of its power, to authorize the appoint
ment Of new officers charged with the exc
culion Of its acts, is if they and the officers
OF the States were the ministers, respect.
lively, of foreign governments in state o.
mutual hostility; rather than fellow magis.
ttnies OF common country, peacefully sub
sisting under the protection of one well
constituted Union. Thus here, also, ag
gression was followed by reaction; and the
did but serve 10 raise up new barriers fol
its defence and security.
The third stage of this unhappy sectiona
controversy was in connection with the or
ganization Of Territorial Governments, and
E the admission Of new States into the Union
When it was proposed to admit the State o
Maine, by separation Of territory from tina
+ of Massachusetts, and the State Of Nilsson
, ri, formed a portion of the territory cedet
, by France 10 the United States, representa-
tives in Congress objected to the admission
of the latter, unless with conditions suiteC
to particular views of public policy. TIL,
imposition Of such condition was success
fully resisted. But, at the same period, tn
question was presented of imposing restric
lions upon the residue of the territory cedet
by France. That question was, for the time
disposed Of by the adoption OF geographi
cal line Of limitation.
ACCESSION OF LOUISIANA.
In this connection it should not be forgot
ten that France, OF her own accord, resolv
. ed, for considerations of the most foresight
ed sagaeity, 10 cede Louisiana to the Unite
States, and that accession was accepted b
the United States, the latter expressly en-
gagged that "the inhabitants of the ceded ter
/ Ill ,,l -,