Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1861-07-18
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The ReVOlutiOn--A Contrast not a
Parallel.

The following passage is from the no.
bic article of our historian Motley, in
the London Times. 1t meets and an
swers most popular mistake, on the
subject of Secession, viz /: that it it just
what our fathers did in the revolution
whereas nothing could be more widely
different, in some respects more exactly
opposite:
| THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.
But it is sometimes said that the A.
merican Republic originated in secession
from the mother country, and that it is
unreasonable of the Union to resist the
seeding movement on the part of the
new Confedcracy. But it so happens
that the one case suggests the other on
ly by the association of contrast. The
thirteen colonies did not intend to Sc
cede from the British empire They
we're forced into secession by course Of
policy on the part of the mother coun-
try, such as no English administration
at the present day can bcimaened capa-
bic of adopting. Those Englishmen in
America were loyal to the Grown; but
they exercised the right which cis-Atlan-
tic or transatlantic Englishmen have
always exercised. of resistance to arbi-
trary government. Taxed without be.
ing represented. and insulted by meas
ures taken to enforce the odious hut not
exorbitant imposts, they did not secede,
nor declare their independence, On the
contrary. they made every effort to avert
such a conclusion. in the words of the
/ forest born Demosthencs as Lord by.
ron called the great Nirginian. Patrick
Henry-the Americans 'petitioned, re-
monstrated, cast themselves at the foot
of of the throne, and implored its inter-
position to arrest the tyrannica hands of
the ministers and Parliment But their
petitions were slighted, their re,non-
straDces procured only additional violence
and insult, as they were spurned with
contempt from the foot of the throne
The Boston massacre, the Boston
port bill. the Boston tea party the bat
tie of Lexington, the battle of Bunker's
Hill, were events which long preceded
the famous Declaration of Independence.
1t was not till the colonies felt that re-
dress for grievances was impossible that
they took the irrevocable step, and re-
nounced their allegiance to the Crown.
The revolution had come at last. they
had been forced into it, but they
knew that it was revolution, and that
they we're acting at the peril of their
lives we must be unanimous in this
business, said Hancock. we must all
hang together Yes replied Frank
lin, or else we shall all hang separately.
The risk incurred by the colonists was
enormous, but the injury to the M, ther
country was comparatively slight. They
went out into darkness and danger them
selves, but the British empire was not
thrown into anarchy and chaos by their
secession.
THE CAUSE OF THE SOUTHERN REBELLION.
Thus their cause was the reverse Of
that adopted by the South. The prompt
secession of seven States because of the
Constitutional election of a President o.
yer the candidates voted for by their
people was the redress in advance of
grievances which they may, reasonably
or unreasonably, have expected, but
which had not yet occurred There is
the highest authority of the Vice Pres
ident of the Southern Confederacy, who
declared week after the election of Mr..
Lincoln that the election was not cause
for secession, and that there was no ccr-
tainty that he would have either the
power or the inclination to inva'le the
Constitutional rights of the South. In
the Free tates it was held that the reso-
lutions of the Convention by which MIR.
Lincoln was nominated were scrupulous-
ly and conscientiously framed to protect
all those Constitutional rights. The
question of slavery in the Territories, of
the future extension Of slavery, was one
which had always been an open question
and on which issue was now joined
But it is no question at all that slavery
} within State was sacred from all inter-
; ference by the General Government or
by the Free States, or by individual in
, those States, and the Chicago Convep-
tion strenously asserted that doctrine.
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