Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1861-11-30

without personal labor. Never in the
whole history Of the world was any
thing criminal treated with such for.
bearance and leniency, as Southern
slavery and its adjuncts have been
treated by the people Of the North,
those most opposed to it having al
ways, with almost no exception, re-
stricted themselves to the mildest of
moral suasion, and the very few who
have resorted to opprobrious epithets,
have met with popular rebukes from
their neighbors, such as shareholders
have seldom or never suffered. The
South has been loved by the North as
we'll as if slavery had not existed there.
The North has always conceded to the
shareholders more than their fair share
of political power. Yet, ever since the
revolution, every white man at the
South, whether Shareholder or non
slave holder, has been conscious of in
justice to the cnslayed Airico-Ameri-
can-the black man, with usually more
or less rhite blood in his veins. And
for seyenty-fvc years, at least, the
white Southerncr has been growing
to hate more and more ali the rest Of
mankind who express or imply any
sympathy with this slave, or any sense
of the injustice he suffers. Here is the
broad basis of popular hatred in which
the shareholders rebellion stands
For tiendish malignity, the annals of
even religious wars cannot equal it
The ambitious leaders are borne up by
1t as neither superstition nor patriot
ism ever bore up any leaders. OF
course, mere indepennencc, or being
let alone, was not the object for which
the war was commenced. 1t was re-
yen9e, conquest, the reconstruction Of
the government in such a way that
sympathy with the slave could he pun
ished, and the peculiar hatred gratiiied.
Only those who have made it their
special study, can have any thing aD-
proaching a true conception of the
depth and extent Of the hatred towards
the n orth, which has caused this war.
1t is not founded on misconccption or
Ignorance, but is most intense IN those
who best know the North. 1t could
not be diminished, but only be incrtas-
ed 10y letting every body at the South
know exactly the truth about the feel
ings towards them at the North. They
hate us the more the less we hate them
Our crime in their eyes, is, that we are
sorry fog thcir injustice to the black
man. They can never forgive us for
showing by our wealth that such in
justice is NOT, on the whole, profitable.
They would extcrminate from the face
of the earth every man who will not eli
ther participate in their crime, or cor
daily approve Of it. Such is the h2-
tired which naturally and necessarily
grows out Of slavery, surrounded by
communities VI here all are free, and the
freedom of all is a cherished principle.
1t is like the electric wrath within
Lcyden jar, intensified by the accumu-
lation ofthe opposite electricity with
out.
1t would be easy to bring almost in
Vulnerable proofs of the existence and
Overwhelming prevalence of the senti-
ment above described at the South,
yet, thus far the war has been manag-
ed by the government as if no such
sentiment existed as the governing an
inns of the war. Every thing seems
10 have been done on the supposition
that the South has been misled by con
spirators, has acted on q misconcep-
ton, and will come back and apollo
gise as soon as it is Gisabused. The
obvious theory at the bottom Of the
federal campaign of 1861, is, that if
the government maintains itself, de-
tends its capital, shows Christian mag
nanimity and forbearance i'll all its ar
mics, and above all takes care that the
"institution'' Of slavery shall receive
as little damage rs possible from its
military operations, the Southern peo-
pie will discard their rebel leaders, will
return to their loyalty, as doubtless
they would but for the hatred which
fills their hearts.
disappearing entirely the cause Of
lHc Nl%i, any Filo tHtSIPHs Oh Tue cue
my, we have every reason to be thank
tul that nothing worse has happened
to our cause; but what have we to
hope for the future? As long as we
do not strike at the cause of the war,
nothing. Every dollar we expend on
the plan of restoring the stGt,as quo
ante boJSatn,, is SO much given to the
rebel cause. AS long as Slave proper
ty is not stricken away from under
them, it really makes little difference
to the Southerners whether they. take
Washington or not. If they take it,
they thereby perhaps stir up lie i'm
passive North to more aggressive hos
tility. If they do not, they tire rs out
Eby our enormous expenses, and we shall