Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1860-11-23
A Dish of PathOs and COnsIs-
fAncV

Our cotemporary or The Ohenanooah
esprit of Democracy" the organ of the
Breckenridge party in the late contest, is
evidently nearly frightened out of his wits.
s'Intervention" now is an obsolete idea, and
.tSecessioa" .'a monster of such hideons
MEN," as to "nake each particular hair to
stand on end like euills upon the fretful
porcupine." Listen to him. in anticipation
of war:
"We can imagine that we feel now upon
our brows the cold, damp breath of death,
and worse, the groans Of the wounded, the
wall of the widow, and the piteous plant of
the orphan will 60 out upen the air. Yea,
imagine to yourselves a pale, emaclated
mother, pressing to a milkless breast q
starving child"s
Now if that picture is not enough to ''har-
row our young feelings" and dissolve all ma
ture into tears, then there is nothing in the
pathetic. TO think the '<milk for babes
being dried UP because South Carolina Sc
cedes, is truly distressing. Wen have to
call for burnt brandy. 4;,.
Then again, upon the subject of Disu-
MON !:
''Disunion- the very word shivers along
our arteries and rests like nightmare up
on the brain. Go friend before you ask Vir-
ginia to 60 out of the Union, 90 burn your
house and home and see how ycu like this /;
if you like it, 60 kill ycur negroes and de-
stroy yeur crops, try this short time, and
then, after passing these two degrees, if you
are ready fer the third, gomurder your wife
and children, and then crazed by your own
actsy you will be in fit condition to ent
into such contest 2
Is not this preaching the terrific? It
sounds exceedingly we'll, too coming from
a paper that pot one month ago was willing
to dissolve the Union, &c to war with the
North, and break up things generally, pre-
vided the doctrine of s'Intervention" was
ret engrafted upon the creed Of the Demoe-
racy. 1t was willing to stake everything
upon the assertion of the abstract principl
regardless Of practical utility-of Protec.
ident and Black Republican Intervention
"when necessary" against therjg its of the
South-yet it thinks the very idea that was
supported and preached by it during the re-
cent contest is horrible rests like night
mare upon the brain.' What a commen-
tary upon the motives that must have gov
erned its course in the support of BrecAin-
ridge!
But once more:
"Should not the Cotton States pay some
respect to the wish of the border States -
All we ask of them is to try the remedies
under the Constitution for the overt act and
if they fail the Government will have failed
in its objects, and its overthrow will be a
duty"
Here our contemporary takes the very po-
sition that he aud his entire party embattled
during the whole canvass. He steps right
upon the platform Judge Douglas laid down
in response to the Norfolk resolutions, fer
which demagogues and pensioned presses
denounced him, and appealed to the South
to vote against him as an arch-enemy to
that section, and traitor to the Constitu-
ton
What has come over the spirit Of the
dream of these gentlemen now? If they
mean it as a candid admission that they did
wrong in opposing Judge Douglas, well and
good. Bat if they mean it as subservi
ent eringing before the rushing torrent Of
public opinion-now let loose from the res
traints of prejudice in view of the danger to
the country brought about By these ideal abb
stractionists-th we can feel for them 10
other sensation than that of pity for their
want Of manhood and that proud indivdu-
atty without which no one is capacitated to
grapp|e with the great ideas Of government
upon which parties are founded. We trust
it is the returning reason Of the people thus
family making its development, and the in
cipient steps to the formation of a great ma
tlonal party, under the strict surveillance OF
the Constitution, the mission of which will
be the wrestling of the government from the
hands Of the Black Republicans, and the
installation of Stephen A. Douglas as Pres
ident of the United States in 1864.