The Van Buren press., 1861-05-22
From Ne,c York Nsaos. Mes 4A.
Symptoms Of Reaction Against
Civil War

Civil War.
Now that the false alarm is subsiding, SO
industriously circulated by tho Republican
Press. of Southern army being about to
invade Washington, not . small portion of
our people are becoming ashamed Of the
excitement Of the last two weeks. The
attack upon Fort Sumter by General Beau
regard, was an unworthy aud unnecessary
undertaking-an act Of madness of which
citizens Of only two States could have been
guilty. namely, South Carolina and Massa-
chusetts. The shameful frauds which had
been previously practiced by the Lincoln
administration. and the false promises. con-
cerning its evacuation. which had been 90
freely made, by members of his Cabinet.
J rss'sps be regarded as palliatipg circum-
Ist.nces. Two wrongs cannot make right
ana history will condemn the Southern army
Tor foolish precipitation. of which It
should not have been guilty. A blunder in
policy, as unstatesmanlike as hasty, it was
provoked by the President, in order that he
mtgAt acquire pretert for inaugurating sosr.
1t would have been, however, insufficient to
have acquired for his measure any general
sympathy, had not the bugbear Of an inva-
sion been added to an exaggerated view, and
garbled presentation of public errors.
The news which has been, lately, received
from the South, shows that most of the
rumors which have been propagatcd, for the
purpose of keeping alive the war fever in tho
Northern mind, have had but flimsy foun-
dation in fact, while some of them have
been entirely false. The story of the occu-
patton of Arlington and Georgetown
flights, by Col. Lee, on the strength of
which. superhuman efforts were made to
expedite re-enforcements to the National
capital, was manufactured out Of whole
cloth. The route to Annapolis. at which
our Seventh Regiment was said to have
been attacked, with loss of sixty men. in
open ; no collision whatever has taken place
nor has there ever been the slightest proba-
biiity OF any conflict there. The army of
sixty thousand men, with Gen. Davis at
Its head, between Richmond and the Capital
never existed, not even in the minds of
those, who. for demagogcal purposes, in
vented dispatches to that effect to deceive
and mislead our citizens. There are no
Confederate State soldiers, nearer the seat
OF Government than Norfolk and Rich
mond, unless 1t be an unavailable force of
couple OF thousand men, merely keeping
guard at Harper's Ferry. 1t is not to be
wondered at, therefore, that the questions
begin to be asked, whether it has been wise
and prudent for Government to assemble
such large number of troops, at such vast
expense; and whether the war that is about
to Uegln, might not, with a little care, have
been avoided
Ihe masses of order loving people in the
4 NORTH, are not in favor OF the wholesale
hangings, slaughters and bombardment Of
cities, which are daily advocated in the
columns OF such incendiary sheets as tho
Tribune. Times, DC. They cannot see the
necessity OF continual TRADE of abuse
against ten millions of people who are each
and every one of them told that they are
traitors and rebels, and that their lives arc
to be sacrificed, and their property confis-
Gated. The jubilant boast that slave in.
surrections are impending, and that daugh.
, !, terS. mothers, and children, are to be the
, prey of black, barbaiou hordes, does not
eilclt their sympathy and they do not like
to hight to bring about such result. Nei-
ther do they comprehend the sagacity or
humanity OF policy, which would, with
out an attempt at negotiation, precipitate
hostili;ies south of the Potomac. The wild
discourse in so many Of our daily journals.
in favor Of co-ercing the South with an ar
my of several hundred thousand men. and
at an expense of several hundred millions
of dollars, they shrink aghast from. They
Justly inquire. why there should be so great
a cost, for what could be obtained by reas-
enable concessions, and proper amount of
Cancellation.
There is a reaction taking place here in
favor OF peace. Battles may occur which
will renew excitement lut in the mean
while a large portion of the community
would be willing that the slaveholding and
i,o e1a,- h,1.3 Al
future in different paths, until they can come
together amicably. rather than plunge head
long into vortex, which the mismanags-
ment of an abolition administration haa
prepared for the nation.
LoDGING UNDER DIFFIcULT1Es.-Kuow-
Ing that you wish to keep posted on all
) matters of vital importance, transmit you
the following rich experience in the life q
one of our. .so-called sample mem
Arriving late one night, during last sum.
mcr. at goodly city Of Alabama, tired and
exhausted, he hastened to his hotel.
and, as particular favor, he request.
ed good, comfortable quarters, which he
was toli ne should have. The polite clerk,
after attending to the wants Of the numsr-
Gus guests, started our friend, with an At.
tendant, IN search Of his room, which pro-
we'd to be up many flights of stairs, through
long and winding passage ways going from
one wing to another. and from right to lsft.
till our hero arrived at No. 1O7. He ocou-
pied but little time over his evening devo.
tions: He retired at once, but not to sleep.
Not for him was "tired natures restorer.
balmy Sleep"
Inc truth must be told, startling as it il
the bugs were too numerous too strong
and voracious to permit him to rest in
peace. SO. resuming his garments, ho
made for the Office, in no very amiabls frame
! OF mind, and addressing the clerk. the fol-
J lowing conversation ensucd
Stranger-Say have you . good strong
porscr about the house
Clerk eagerly Yes, we have the strou-
gest one in the State.
! Stranger-Is he intelligent?
i Clerk-Oh, yes-quite intelligent for .
porter.
StranSer-Ono point more. Do you
consider him fearlcss-that is, bold. coura.
geous
Il Clerk-As for that maffar Luo- r.