Gazette and sentinel., 1860-10-27
The Present Distractions.

Inc great leader oil the Northern
h SIS which are now mastering and adj
vancing to seize upon the stronghuldS
of the Government, for our destruction,
prucloims that the battle of the sections
has already been taught, the victory
won, and that the inauguration of lin
coin. on the 4th of March, 1851, seals
the doom of the vital institutions of the
South. 1t has been stated That this
Seward was thrust aside in the nomim-
atiug Convention, because he was dis
posed to tcmporize with the South, and
lacked the necessary nerve to carry
through measures of Southern suhiu-
CATION. Lincoln was believed to pos
scss the decision of character and earn
cStncsS required, and to be fully equal
to any emergency originating in South
ern attempts at resistance Nor will
any one who has examined the Inca
mcnts of his ~COuntenamCc. as depicted
in the engravingS Of his admircrr, doubt
his being a proper tool to accomplish
the purposes of our enemies. The Jcau
ideai Of IA relentless, logged, frccsoil
border ruliian-a S%outhcrncr by birth,
and a Northerner in feeling and assoc
ciation-a fanatic in philanthropy, and
a vulgar mObocrat and IA Southern hater
in political opinions-he is the very
man for the occasion. If ever in pos
session of the executive powers of the
Government, he will neither turn back
from his work, nor do it by halveS-tit
chicftain of those who selected him
the author who first gave expression to
the doctrine of the ''irrepresSible con-
flict," now chosen to be the fnishcr of
that faith.
In the face of the grave difficulties
before us, it is d~iscouraging to observe
the petty policies and insignificant mo-
tives which absorb a portion of the
people of the South. 1t is distressing
TO see men who should appreciate the
dangers by which we are encompasSed,
and who should be united in seeking
safety, %wrangling W. the dead ideas
Of the past Democrat and anti-Demo-
Graf, with the small p%rcjudices and ieal-
ouSies of a bygone time-party success,
and party spoils and oifices,--which
will never be rcached-consume the
mortal energies, and qucnch the flow of
patriotism i'll the Southern heart, in
many places. 1t is a melancholy sight;
and there are men who, %pcrceiving the
impending ruin, and. the miserable d.
visions and distractions prevalent in
sections of the South, and p~aralyZing to
any thing like prompt and efficient re-
sistence, despair of the South and of her
deliveragce. To us, such persons APP
pear unphilOsophic, and lacking in ex-
perience. Men must be taken us they
are. Not all are wisc-not all are pure,
or patriotic. The small games of pcrs-
onal advantage and the little interests
that concern each in his narrow Cirle,
are too apt to fill the thoughts of all, to
the displacement of nobler objects and
aims. This is the dark side of
the picture, but it is one that is very
commonly seen. 1t stands forth in IA
strong light now. But we are Of those
who believe that there are better traits
which may be developed By events,
and that without difficulty. The dan
gers of our position are sufficiently
manifest, and an adequate proportion of
the people of the South are alive to
their existence to leave the whole lump,
and bring us into measures of resistance
and security against the North. But
there must be something to start tlc
.leayening. Some definite and decided
event must occur to excite the common
sympathy and develop the Southern
When that occurs, the better
parts of our human nature will appear.
The people of the South are brave and
generous people, and their cause is one
and the same. Whenever a definite
cause is made, it will be espoused as
common. 1t was so in 1912, when a
timid and shrinking spirit brooded over
the land, and many We're discouraged
at the low tone Of the country. 1t was
SO in lTI6, when there was only a prin-
ciple at stake, the most tritling pecuni-
AIRY interest involved, and when> war
was imminent, and the odds Of battle
As faint heart never won fair
lady, so the croakers of the present cri-
sis are not the men to succeed in inaug-
u deliverance. We believe
that the spirit of the Southern people is
Oh the rise, and that, with a little dis
Greet and statesmanlike courage the day
Of our redemption is at hand. "The
darkest hour before the dawn"--CAarl
L