The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1860-10-26
The Prospect.

GU article, ana concluues as follows:
We confess, therefore, that there is lit
tie prospect of Lincoln's defeat, according
to our reading of the signs. And still
hope springs seternaiSlthe human breast
and until the election Is over men will
hope that he may be defeated. The time
has come, when, in our Judgment. the
South should take speedily q decisive
stand, when differences should cease
among us, as far as may be, and we fhl
prepare with one accord to act together.
Is it desirable that the Union be pieserv-
ed? We believe a decided maiosty OF
our people are prclpred to say ''yes, if
sectionalism be debated" We saw so.
with all our heat 1--WE do not desire the
severance of the Co sfederacy; but if sec.
tionalism is to rui }a,l Must see that The
Union is at an eit. Bayonets cann;r.
preserve it, andN5SSsatriot desires tha,
bayonets should; for why desire tie I'm!
ION, II force alone can preserve it? 1t is
then assuredly no longer the Union our
fathers made-consent is its only, as it is
! its best, cement.
What shall be done? We think that
every true man, who sincerely desires
that the Union may continue Union of
consent, Union of equality, Union Of
fraternity, owes it to himself, to his coun-
| try, to ms family, to every thing he holds
dear, to make one more struggle to pre-
| serve 1t. We owe it to ourselves to use
every eXertlon to bring the North to their
senses we ought to propose to them tie
ld&t dtcrhdttre. We owe it to the North to
give them still a chance to conquer them
selves. 1t is duty with all of us, who
would preserve the Union, to give the
North every opportu atty to retrace its
steps, and to place no obstacle in the way
Unitedly we should present to them
moderate man--make them the final ten
der OF reconciliation. Let u.s. as one peo-
pie, offer them John Bell, as tue final test
of brotherhood. Will il be done? The
politicians we fear will not do it-our last
appeal is from them to The People. Let
them take the matter in their own hands.
Hear the noble words Of JomN C. BREcK-
iNRIDGE, delivered last December at Frank
fort:
"7hc.t first duty Of all ,cho lore Mcir con,try is
TO orertIrow The RtpuJHcan party: and with
this conviction should be untrue to Ken
tucky if did not plead for the union of
all opposed to that dangerous organization
and to fall 10 pieces on questions otIcss n,yg-
att',(c Wo, is dgcat is 10 surrender 10 its domi
nation ahd@ The fatal consequences that mar
enSue."
The great heart that felt the inspiration
which gave these patriotic words BIRTH
we do not doubt, would this day PROMPT
Mr. Breckinridge, it left to himself. to
Withdraw from the contest, in order that
last appeal be made TO the North. The
field should be left for either Bell or Breck-
inridge, and Lincoln. OF course it is out
Of the question, perfectly futile and idle,
to talk Of giving it to Douglas and Lincoln
because the South will not consent.-
Which then shall it be, breckenridge or
Bell? We could chceliully support Mr..
Breckenridge, but orr ,juagmcnt tells us he
is not the man for the emergency. And
Why? Simply because we ought not to
leave the North any oJport0itgtGr prGjuitcc
10 ShoO itScJ IN acts-we ought not, If we de-
sire to preserve the Union. Mr.. Bell is
the choice of the South, we think, though
we know he is not acceptable to the ex-
treme South. But surely he is SctG for
tie S0uh, his administration would not be
hostile to uS-all must know this. And the
question then is for tho South. do you not
prefer .N Bell 10 dis,mionI We believe
NuSV lIl'DOiliJ VI inc 'NOutuclll voters 90
prefer him to disunion.
At the North he would get nearly all
the Douglas and Breckinridge vote, be-
sides large number of moderate Repub-
licans, and he might be elected. But Mr.
Brcckinridge, from the unfortunate fact
that he is regarded at the North as the
head of party hostile to them, and is re-
garCled by vast numbers ofthe Democracy
as the cause of division in that party, and
as the tool of men who have broken up
the party for the purpose Of breaking up
the Union, would fail to get many Of the
Douglas votes, many of the Bell votes,
and would not get single Republican
vote. Give him the field against Lincoln,
and while we would heartily support him,
we feal sure that Lincoln would be elect
ed. We wish to prevent Lincoln's cleo
ton, because we wish to preserve the I'm
ion. Let us then make an effort to try
whether the North will accept nothing
but eternal warfare. Extreme men, North
and South, may prefer disunion to Bell,
but it seems to us that moderate men ev-
erywhere may accept him as the olive
branch. Let every eXertion be made by
the moderate men, so that if disunion
must come, our conscicaces may be coil of Of
fence.
TERRIBLE TRAGEDY IN INDIANA.-The