Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1860-12-28
Secession Played out.


y considered opinion that the secession NOV
ment of the South is about to end in smok
With all others, we have shared in the gener
anxiety As to the result of the late treasonsb
!, language of the South. For the first time v
: came seriously to entertain the idea Of di
solution as possible. We confess to havir
been staggered, in the last two months, in o,
faith in the stability of the Union. We hay
carefully noted all the plans proposed b
Southern men. We have studied closely th
7" Southern advices. We have placed ourselve
d in their position, and considered calmly an
limpartially all the modes and avenues {
secession; and, finally, we have deliberately
and satisfactorily to ourselves, come. to thes
conclusions:
' 1st That dissolution Of the Union vii
not, in any event, be accomplished.
I'd. That no Independent Southern Confed
eracy will be formed.
: Sd. That no State will attempt secession
but South Carolina; that her secession vii
be but nominal; that no Federal forts will b'
! taken; that the revenue will be collected II
, Charleston as before; and that, before fou,
years are over, South Carolina will be repre-
sented in Congress as usual, and will TAKE
part in the next Presidential election.
Our reasons, which We have not time here
to elaborate, are:
FIRST The necessary delay in the prelimin.
ary steps to secession, dissolution, and the
formation of Southern Confederacy. During
this delay-mark 1t these States will resolve
to abide IN the Union.
Second The herculean task of uniting the
conflicting interests and plans of the Southern
States on general plan for Southern Con-
federacy. This, alone, will be full work for
four or five years. While all this is doing
mark it!-these States will consider them
selves in the Union.
Third. The enormous outlay Of money
which their plans will involve, and the utter
impossibility of hitting upon any uniform
method of raising it. The adjustment of
Revenue system, alone, for the New Oonfed-
acy, will require the debates and labor of q
General Convention for two or three years
and, to crown all, they can never raise the
money required by any known system of
revenue. Itwould bankrupt the whole South
in five years to pay the expenses of such .
government.
Fourth. The slow but steady uprising of
the Union sentiment among the masses of the
people of the South, which is already begin
ming to manifest ITSELF We predict that this
Union sentiment will, in two years, crush to
atoms the last vestige of the Disunion party
South The planters already regard theg great
grievance which is making all the trouble
viz: slavery protection in the Territories-as
pure abstraction, not by any means worth
all the sacrifices involved IN revolution. Mark
this prediction
Fifth. The severe pecuniary distress now
settling slowly down upon all the South,
which their present foolish and wicked actions
are every day aggravatlng. One or two more
turns of the financial screw, and the South
will suddenly become dumb, with a pain and
trouble which will cause them to drop all
their secession movements like hot potatoes.
Mark thisl Ina year from this time, scarcely
Southern journal will maine secession.
Lands, negroes, credit, business, spirits, will
all be, within that time, completely prostrate'
Sixth. That dark and fearful shadow, which
continually turks on the Southern horizon,
and W lich is now looming up in portentous
shapes, here and there, all over those States.
We mean the dreadful possibility Of servile
insurrection. Already, Southern men are
becoming alarmed. Their position is indeed
.frightful Their sober men know that seees-
sion means finally negro insurrection. They
admit it, and shudder. This alone will pre-
vent all secession. The negroes themselves
are aware of this, and are waiting impatiently
for secession, and their masters know it.
Their only safety is in the Union.
In view of these facts, with the plain i'm
pracsicability of any successful secession Of
the slave States, what course lies before Re,
publicans9 Why, plainly this: A firm,
decided, moderate adherence to your princi-
pies, yielding nothing after the election which
you deemed right before the election, and
paying no attention to the shallow, silly cry
of compromise. If you did right in voting
with the Republicans, stand up to it like men
If you did wrong, go back to the Locofocos
but don't come sneaking around, apologizine
for being Republican, and proposing to sell
out your principles at half price. We are
cheered, every day, by hearing the brave
manly expressions of sentiment which come
in, from all quarters Of the State, from tht
farmers. Man after man of them has said tt
US: Just assure US that there is to be NJ
backing down at Washington on the part o
our men there, and we are satisfied. Nineteen
twentieths of the Republicans Of Iowa say
no compromise. We tell them, as our belief
that there will be none.
Seurn CARoLlsA SECESSION ORDINANCE
n The ordinance passed by the South Carolin
v Secession Convention, on the Goth inst
declares that "the union now subsistin
c between South Carolina and other State.
;; under the name of the United States Q
!. America, is hereby dissolved. ,
q, The "United States of America" neve,
Il theless ''still lives" and South Carolina
h still member thereof unless the people Q
. the Hother States" agree to tho dissolutio
# of copartnership, which they are not read
!. to do Just yet. When Mr.. Lincoln takes hi
lie seat if not sooner, will be carried int
e effect that plank of the Republican pla
d form which says "the Federal Constitution
III the iohts of the States. and THE UNIO