The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-05-03

If it were possible for our citizens 10 fully CON-
prchcnd the magnitude of the crisis which is now
upon US, there would be more unanimity Of san;i-
ment among Us with respect to the proper course
10 be pursued TO meet the emergency. There are,
however, many honest and well-meaniDg men
who either will not cannot see that the country
is in imminent peril, and who fondly imagine that
the lurid war clouds that are now reddening the
whole horizon will speedily disappear, and leave
nothing behind but pure sunshine aud clear
blue skies. They are painfully conscious that
every branch Of business is paralyzed; that COM
merce is stagnant; that debts that cannot be col
leced; that gaunt hunger stares cur laboring pop
ulation in the face; but they, nevertheless appear
unable 10 grasp the fact that all these evils are abe
natural and inevitable consequences of the great
convusion which has broken up the framework
of our Government, aud which is destined to
end in permanent disruption of the Union That
man must be mad who supposes that this gathering
of armies in the North and in the South is moth
ing more than brilliant holiday pageant; or that
the taking of Fort Sumter, the seige of Pickens.
the scuttlng. of war vessels, the burning of the
navy yard at Norfolk, the concentration of troops
at the Capital, and the blood that was shed in our
streets, are but the incidents of a national COM
edy which is TO terminate happily TO all the par
ties concerned, amid strains of choral music and
general joining Of hands. Not so do we read
the history of the sad events that have already
occurred, or the horoscope Of the future. We are
painfully impressed with the conviction that war
between brothers-civil war--of all wars the most
L. I,
table, and that the people of this city aud State
in common with the people of all the Southern
States, must be prepared to meet the issue. Pur-
tan fanaticism, lust Of power, lust of dominion,
lust of commercial supremacy-these are the ele-
ments which the North has brought to bear against
the South. Northern journalists, with tho mai
ice of incarnate fends, have worked upon the
passions of the populace By every species of ap-
peal and every form of exhortaton. Bravoes and
bullies, ruans guilty of every crime in the deca-
logue, the scum and of-scourings of every vile
haunt that is known to the police of great cities,
have been organized into batalions, TO be
launched against the homes and fresides OF South
ern people. Humanity shudders at the diubolical
suggestions which are daily published in the CO.
lumns Of the Herald the Times, the Couricr, tie
Tribune, and the Post. Upon this devoted city
all the vials of Northern wrath have been poured
without STINT 1t is TO he ''shelled' ''chained -
'laid in ashes and left in such utter ruin that oy
the marble shaft erected to WASHINGTON is 10 be left
entire, 10 overlook the scene of desolation: whilst
the Westminster Democrat reminds the Pennsylva.
| MIA volunteers that Baltimore "has ALWAYS been
celebrated for tie beauty ofts women; that tthc
fair were ever the reward of the braven and thai
Beauty and Booty was the watchword at New
''Orleans." The people Of the other Southern
States are "to be starved out, 'drowned ont. y
Slaughtered without mercy" or Chung a:
TRAITORS" their slaves are melted to rise
against their masters, and sparing neither age MOI
sex, to emulate the awful atrocities which sonaI
lied the Instruction of the blacks in San Do.
mingo. Such is the benign and humane spirit il
which the North enters into this war Is it any
marvel that the people of the eight Southern State:
which have seeded are united, almost to man, il
defence of all that they hold dear; that the border
slave States deeply sympathize with them, ant
| that war, if once commenced under such circum
stances, would speedily crush out all neu
trality, and become of necessity war of sec
tons? Can we of Maryland hope to escape it:
ravages? We may open our railways and recon.
struct our bridges; but where is the trade to come
from if the railways are seized upon by the GOV,
are blockaded? Cut off, as we would be. from
our only avenues of trade, both coastiug and in
land, the anxietes which now Cypress cur people
would no longer cloud their judgment as respect:
the side which it became them to support, thu
duty which was devolved upon them, or the stalk,
which they have in the result.