Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1860-12-11
The Great Want OF the Times.


The Great Want OF the Times.
The signs OF the times Indicate most
dangerous approach to that crisis Of fac
tional hatreds in which violent action
al politics are wont to eliminate. When
ever the political parties of country
run their factional sentiments so high as
that their attachment to their party
creed exceeds their love for the common
country, there is always danger to the
State, and danger of the worst kind.
In such case there is no possibility of
wholesome legislation; for whatever
measure may be proposed by either
party is sure to be opposed by their op
ponents, not at all upon their merits Of
the question itself, but simply because
it originates with "the other side of the
House, fact which receives but too
simple illustration from the many inc
stances in which our Federal Legisla3
ture has made abortive attempts At leg
islation on questions most vitality con-
nected with the welfare Of the country.
Nor is this all but the division of SEN
timent, if not kept within the bounds OF
friendly federation, is most likely to
beget desire for territorial divisions
and disruption of the constitutional
bonds OF union. This too, we are at
last compelled to admit, has become an
imminent danger to the United States.
Our politicians have become SO section
alsed that the great majority of them,
OF ell classes, would actually prefer the
rain of the contedelacy to the sacrifice
of their pet theories. Each partizan
boasts of his devotion to the Union, and
makes "the Union his watchword but
if asked to show his love for his coun-
try by making concession in favor OF
his political opponents, he at once re-
fuses with such declarations about the
sacredness ofhis principles IS convinces
you that in his regard there is very little
that is sacred about higher principles of
the Union.
The systematic cultivation of this an
tagonism of parties has resulted in COM
plications between the Northern and
Southern States of the Union which
battle the skill as much as they excite
the fears of the wisest patriots Of the
nation. The South is already in state
OF incipient revolution; and the North
stands awe-stricken at the aspect of the
fearful evils that may issue from the
rampant excitement which it has aroused
Argument, SO long bitter and hostile,
has now given place to deeds; and threats
are now substituted by earnest acts fully
realising all the menaces of angry debate.
No one now doubts that the South
means all it has hitherto said, and that
the language of liz ''ire-eaters" has
been 10 a large extent representative OF
the sentiments Of its people. 1t is a
f.uitless hoping against hope to suppose
that tina states who talk most promi-
nensiy ri secession viii DO anything less
than make G resoiute attempt at per-
for.nin. 10 set. What would be the
result Of such 81 attempt it is impossi-
BILE to conjecture even with any degree
of probability. We have nothing iu
the past history of the country by which
to judge of the course that widespread
civil outbreak would take. To suppose
that it would be unopposed is out OF the
question /; the federal government would
have no alternative but to employ ita
forces against the movement. And Just
here is the point of danger. The moment
the federal troops were brought into
action, the whole country would be
plunged into civil war of the most
frightful dimensions, a war which
would spread carnage and ruin over the
whole surface of the most splendid coun-
try in the world. There is but one way
in which the catastrophe could end, and
that is by carrying the sword to the last
man !; for in such q strife there would
be no surrender while a fighting man
remained.
The. consequences of such An out
break are SO far reaching and moinen-
tous that it is not surprising that tor a
time the popular mind should fail to
realize the magnitude of the crisis
on which we are verging. To us it ap.
pears that the great question that should
now occupy the attention of the press
and the people Of this country is-what
would be the result Of violent attempt
at dissolving the Federal Union There
is nothing that could prove more effect
i've in cooling the extreme heat OF the
Southern excitement, on the one hand,
or in srousing the Northern mind from
it's comparative apathy on the disunion
question on the other. The pressing
want of the country is the advent of
great patriotic statesman. A man un-
committed to any party, and without
sectional bias. b pacificstor who should
come between the contending factions,
telling faithfully to each the disastrous
results Of conflict, and placing between
them the terms of such mutual concess-
ions a. would result in permanent paci.
ficstion. Il there no great mind in our
nation, unsullieG by sectional hstreds,
who shall arise as the saviour Of his coun-
try, and turn the mind of the people to
such regard for the supreme blessings
conferred by the charter Of tho Union, as
shaii make them ready to surrender
every prejudice that prevents the har-
,nony OF all sections Of the country 7
Let US hope that the exigencies of the
times may evoke some such spirit from
the midst OF the people, aud that he NAV
succeed IN laying Cancellation platform
on which both North and South v;ll
consent to stand, and grasp each others
hand II g Ero,n..:., S'