The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1861-05-21
Ed TOR.
- Our Southern Brethren.o

EE- Some people hereabouts, and es-
pecially some very doubtful patriots,
have very curious ideas of fraternity
Their sympathy for "our Southern breth-
rem" is truly edifying, and even touch
ingly pathetic. The family feeling, it Is
probable, never reached so marvellous a
development in any other country. tits
certainly peculiar to have the fact of our
brotherhood urged as palliation for the
crimes and outrages of Southern people.
If stranger grossly, and without provo
cation, Injuries you, he should be treated
with the utmost severity, but brother
must be allowed to make an attack upon
your life and your property without ques-
ton and without resistance. The tories
Of the revolution were as much the breth-
rem Of the patriots as the rebels of the
South are the fraternal relatives of the
people now loyal to the government. But
the true men of that glorious old era
very decidedly repudiate the relationship.
In their eyes the fact of the former fra
ternal relation only aggravated the crime
Of toryism. How is it that certain indi-
viduals are SO anxious to regard those
who have plundered the nation, driven
loyal citizens from their homes with in
dignity and scourging, trampled upon
The national flag, and combined to de-
stroy the nation, as 81 brethren 90 Sym
pathy with such traitors, with such vio-
lation Of order, must involve an approx
al of their acts. This is the inevitable
conclusion. 1t cannot be escaped from.
The pretension that these outragos, this
treason, is but temporary mania, under
the provocation OF a violation of their
constitutional rights. and will pass away
IN short time, leaving them loyal citi-
zens, as heretofore, is not to be admitted
Neither the mania nor the wrong can be
truthfully urged in behalf of the con-
trolling spirits of this rebellion. Their
rights were never better protected than
they were ut the time of this treason.
The most undoubted evidence, and the
fullest in quantity, is not wanting to show
that the revolt, instead Of being the suc-
gestion of frenzy, was deliberately plotted
long ago, and consummated at careful
iy chosen opportunity. But even if this
argument of these apologists for treason
were correct, are we to suffer these hot
headed, ianatical, or crazy brethren of
ours, TO render the Republic a chronic
anarchy Admit the ri ght of secession,
or deal timidly with the traitors, and
this must be the result. Any settlement
which does not involve 4 DOWNRIGHT
crushing out Of rebellion, would not on
iy degrade and humliate the govern
ment, but would invite renewal OF the
conflict whenever "our Southern breth-
rem" might again fail to attain their
ends
1t is worthy of note that the same per-
sons who are SO prolific in expressions of
sympathy for our Southern BRETHREN"
have always been willing to apply any
amount of coercion" towards those who
have refused to worship the niger. Ii
anybody ventures to oppose slave hunt
ing among people whose every instinct
revolts at such human sacrifice, these
patriotic sympathisers with Southern
traitors are loud in declarations that such
feelings must be repressed, by the strong
hand of military power if necessary );
and they call, i'll the fercest terms, for
"the enforcement of the laws" The ell
oquent words Of sympathy with human
iiy and freedom which New England has
uttered. were the grossest treason in the
eyes Of these gentlemen, who so love their
Southern brethren A crusade against
a PHILLIPS and a GARRISON they would
have hailed with delight, and no amount
Of coercion" would have been amss TO
crush out those "anti- slavery traitors"
New England never received from them
word of fraternal affection, but their
terms for her have been those of re
proach Had she been tratorous, in the
interests of freedom, VIC should have
heard nothing about "our New Eng Gland
brethren" But when Southern slave |
holders seek to overthrow the Republic,
seek to annihilate the government and
turn us over to anarchy when by VIC
lence and murder they seek to crush out
al sympathy with, all love for, the Union
and the constitution, then We hear these
patriotic 8, mpathisers with rebellion dep
recating coereiye measures against them,
because they are our Southern breth-
rem ~ Such talk is the merest ,saIdle,
and exhausts the patience of loyal men
All who claim such relationship with the
Southern traitors had better 60 to Dixie