Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-11-20


part shall agree that if it is not granted they
will unite with South Carolina in her resistance.
This viii at first sight appear startling PROPOSE
tion andthe last one that would be proposed by one
who avowed it as his leading object to prevent the
threatened dissolution of the Union. but believe it
to he the only consideration under which South
Carolina would listen to such a proposition, and /
must plainly add at least my own conviction. that
under no other condition ought she to listen to it.
that her retrocession from her stand a seeding
State resuming the sovereignty which she had tenn
porarily ceded to the Federal Government on con-
ditons which have not been observed. would, unless
it were grounded on good securities for the future,
be fatal calamity to all the rest of the Southern
States. The dangerous faction which has now got
the reversion of the executive branch of govern
ment and very powerful support in the House OF
Representatives, would be emboldened by such
regeneration this to abandon all measure in its
aggression under the conviction that all talk Of re
sistance was mere talk and nothing else. On the
other hand such demand made in concert by the
fourteen Southern States, each its sovereign ca
paeity, and making the grant of that demand the
condition under which alone any of them would
hold herself bound any longer by the Federal COM
pact is mode of appeal which would compel re-
pect and consideration on the part of those who
at present believe that the South has been all the
time crying wolf, wolf without any real purpose
of resistance, impose what you will on her
| Other solution of this problem, see none men
may talk Of coercing South Carolina by military
force, but he is blind who does not see that the first
attempt to do would bring out many other States
| in state of revolt who would require coercion
States which could never be conquered by any force
the Federal Government, with the sympathy of only
half its constituent States in its favor could produce
States say, which could never be conquered,
though they might be destroyed. And if they could
that would not be a restoration of the status quo.
strong majority Of States holding crushed, and sui
len and browbeaten minority in unwilling subsection
would be no Confederation no Federal Union of Re-
publics. No Government but a military imperial
despOtism could standup fora day under such cir
cumstauces and that despotism, under all the circum
stances would be attended with such ruin and des
olation least of the Southern States the world
has never yet SENIOR thought Of Imagine communi-
ty of shareholders and their slaves ruled over without
hope of resistance by a fanatic Government, such
as would then hold sway in the North, the negroes
liberated and encouraged 10 revolt against their
former masters. l will not trust my pen to depict
the horrors which must result from the domination
of victorious North over a conquered South inca
| pable of resistance.
Well, the conquest and repression of recalcitrant
States by military force will not bear thinking Of
What next will DO proposed. To let things take
their course To aequiesce in South Carolina, Ala
bama and few other States remaining out of the
Union while we remain in it, hoping that after hall
the stones of an arch are removed the rest can re-
tain their equilibrium, hoping that We, the remain
ing States, while mere helpless against Northern ag-
gression than will be treated with the cOnsid-
Grafton which is not shown now,-poltical MIcAw-
BEERS dreamily waiting for what may turn up
Does any one think that ahopeful course to adopt!
| If not what then? l confess | see no other con-
celYable course than the one have recommended
l only ask my readers to read it over again. not
reject it because there many strong objections
against it unless they propose against which
/ there Hare not more and stronger. If they can !
shall be more than willing to abandon mine and con
tend heartily for theirs.
/ have not yet done with this subject though time
and space compel me todesst for the present.
have much to say about the necessity of the State
putting herself in position to say whatever she
has to say in a manner to compel respect matter
in which believe that delay is most mpolitic and
even dangerous, but am informed that the columns
of the UNION ANDAEERCAN are unusually crowded and
must reserve these and some other topics for Sc
cond paper in Tuesdays issue. D.. W.
4