Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-12-27
The Cause of the Disturbance.

The cause OF Jno UlSCuT DaHCe'
These United States have just gone through
an exciting political campaign, resulting in the
lection of Abraham Lincoln to be President
for four years from the fourth of March next.
Three of the four candidates before the people,
were Union men, men in favor Of maintaining
intact the Inheritance left US by our Revolu-
tionary fathers. These three candidates re-
ceved, at least, three-fourths of the popular
vote Of the Union, and a majority of all the
votes of at least three fourths Of the States.-
1t cannot be doubted that the supporters of Mr..
Bell, and Mr. Douglas, in the slave States were,
before the election, openly and undisguisedly
in favor Of maintaining the federation OF States
composing this Union, in any event. They
held that all parties who felt aggrieved by the
action OF the majority, had their redress under
the Constitution, and that nothing short of
forcible violation Of the provisions OF that sa-
cred Compact would be sufficient occasion for
secession or revolution. Mr.. Lincoln and tie
Republican party held then, and hold to-day,
to the same opinion. They believe the Consti-
tuition to be made for the WkoIe people of the
Union, that all have rights under it that should,
at all hazards, be sacredy protected, the
South as well as the North, the West as well
as the East.
The supporters of Mr.. Breckenridge, alone,
Of all the candidates in the field, were largely
disunonists, socessionsts from the outset, lie
was put in nomination as the exponent Of that
idea, and his strength, at least at the South,
was mainly with that party The people, after
judging of the men and measures presented for
their support, decided by a large majority of
the Electoral College for Mr.. Lincoln; and by
large majority of the popular vote for the
Union, let the election fall where it might
What nextl South Carolina tears down the
stars and stripes, runs up the Palmetto flag,
and invites her sister cotton States to go with
her out Of the Union. She says she will not
have Mr. Lincoln President. She will not have
any President. She will have King. That
King shall be Cotton. She wants a Southern
Confederacy. Charleston shall be the seat Of
the New Empire-the great Metropolis of the
realm Of King Cotton. Hot-headed men all
through the South respond in brave words, to
the grand invitation OF South Carolina. They
say in speeches, in the marts of business, in the
press, that there is no longer any Federal
Union, for them, or their posterity; that they
prefer to take their goods and their portion,
and 20 out from their fathers house.
The unstatcsman-lke paltry and pettilog-
gers reason that is giren for all this turmoil
is, that mutitudos in the free States are bitter
ly opposed to the institution Of African Slave
ry, both on moral and political grounds The
fire eaters have suddenly become SO extremely
sensitive on this point, tha' they affirm they
cannot oonscicntously and with decent self
respect any longer remain in the same Union
with those who believe that Slavery is not only
politically curse and blight, but morally
/" the sum Of all vlllainies.' They cannot fra
ternize with men who disagree with them on the
question whether human flesh, and sinews, and
souls, are property by the law of nations, or
of God They pretend, also, that they have
apprehension that the shield of protection for
Slavery, provided by the Constitution, will now
be thrust aside, and the whole power of the
Federal Government be welded at once against
their pet institution,
Admitting that slave owners, slave dealers,
and slave breeders are a higher order of beings
than the free laborers of the North ,-character-
lied by Senator Hammond as the " mud-sills of
society," and that Slavery itself has peculiar
guarantees in the Constitution, we, yet, cannot
but believe that the true reason why the South
is now determined to break up the Union, is
entirely different from these,
At the inauguration of our National Govern
ment, nearly every State recognized and legal
lied Slavery. Gradually, however, change
took place, till in a few years it found legal
status only south of Mason & Dixon's Line
And as 1T has lost ground at the North, it has
continually endeavored to make up that loss by
acquisition of Southern territory favorable to
the growth Of the g peculiar institution" Its
policy and it's persistent oiferts have boen o
control the Federal Government. Florida was
bought for this purpose. To this account
should be charged the enormous expenditures
in prosecuting the Seminole war. The Louis
ana purchase was an ofshoOt Of tho same pol.