The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1857-12-09
From the Washington Union.
The Future of the Union.

FROM u Wesnin6lon Union.
The Future of the Union.
Some men apprehend danger to the
Union from the continual expansion of its
area, asserting that such expansion will
make the machinery of government too
complex and too oumbrous to operate
with safety and precision and that it
will destroy homogeneity and beges con-
fict of sectional interests. Others, the
extreme sectinalists of the North and the
South-insist that difference of social or
gauization and institutions must ultimate
ly occasion a dissolution of the Union, be-
cause, say they, this difference of %institu-
tions occasion hostile relations and differ
ence of governmental policy. The obvious
answer to the first objection is, hat our
federative system, leaving to the separate
States much the larger share of the ad-
ministration of the affairs of law and gov
eminent, enables the federal government,
systematically conducted to rule wisely
and efficiently almost any extent of terrific
ry. It's chief business is to attend to
our foreign relations, leaving to the States
the management of domestic matters, and
those relations are not necessarily more
complex or difficult to arrange with a
large territory han with a small one
hide ed, a great and powerful nation com
mands by its strength respect, deters ag-
gression, and, if it act fairly, will have
less difficulty in it's intercourse with other
powers than q small one.
The objection that expansion produces
conflict of interests is the reverse of true
for it is necessarily begets variety of pro-
auctions and diversity of industrial pur-
suits, occasions trade and intercourse be-
tween the most distant sections, and thus
superinduces mutually of dependence
and similarity of iHtirests. Neighboring
States, ever ~neighboring counties, have
little dealings or intercourse with each
other, because their pursuits and chief
productions are similar. Distant States
become absolutely dependent for the COM
forts and necessaries of life On trade,
which enables them to interchange COM
modities. Mississippi and Alabama do
not trade with each other. The similari-
ty of their products makes them rivals,
and a large crop of cotton made in the one
State depresses the price of cotton raised
in the other. Yet they both trade with the
North, and have much intercourse with
her. Their interests do not class with
those of New York and New England,
but coincide with them. Neighboring
Northern States are likewise rivals, and
nave little occasion for trade or inter-
course. Distant California finds COM
merce and connection with the Atlantic
coast promotive of her growth and pros
perity, and we of the East have not found
our far off sisters a troublesome appen-
dage. But soon railroads and telegraphs
will annihilate distance, and then the last
remaining objection to territorial enlarge
mont will be ohliterated.
If there was no slavery at the South,
there would be little occasion for Union,
for although her climate and soil would
be still adapted to the growth of those
agricultural products SO indispensable to
the North, yet she would nave no labor
with which to raise more than enough for
home consumption no surplus wherein to
purchase the merchandise and manufac-
lures or to employ the of the
North. Trade and Intercourse would
cease between the sections similarity of
pursuits would engender rivalry and COM
petition hostility and hatred would arise,
and disunion wind up the drama. Differ
of social institutions added to
of soil, climate, and productions,
are the strongest bonds of Union and
thus, domestic slavery at the South, and
growth and aggrandizement, in
of bugbears to frighten rs, become
guarantees of continued peace and har-
mony-except with Ishmaelitish isnas of
tranquility and good order of society, at
home and abroad.
Besides, every year added to the age
of orr country compacts, strengthens and
hardens our institutions, increases the
love of veneration of the people for those
and for that Union which can
secure their continuance. So long
as we grow and prosper, SO long as there
is less of poverty and more of happiness
and of comfort among us than in any ma
ton under the sun, disunionists will istrug-
gle in vain to dissolve our Union, infdels
hurl harmless missiles at our churches
and our religion, agrarians preach in vain
against the right of private property, dis
solute socialists leave untarnished the anc-
tity and the purity of the holy ordinance
of marriage, and rantiDg abolitionists but
lose their time in attempts to excite SER