New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-10-23

men whom but q few days previously they them
selves had been treating az brethren SUN, oa,ead
threatened us with eternal enmity, ana
that all Americans should at once SNAKE , rno,
only for the purpose of making war upon y;
They required that we should hold ten ni hIn ~
people fighting for independence as ELL
surrectonary rabble and that we sa0ulS AZ.
recognize as bellige1ent power sarus Gnvernmert
IN MH'I cbact with 100000 soldiers, All this
Wills too The South, partly. by the accidental
onersfion of events, and partly, perhsps, tn!oue1
ltfe policy Of its leaders, was outsiE n's ssan
Gcrred;t and winning way to something IKE favor'
T. ary silence and secresy in which its proceedings
aro ,yTanped had the effect OF obyatlng an occa,
s;ons Of scandal Perhaps If the rulers at Richmond
had been as Ioudtongued ana demonstra'iye as the
Icrs Of Washington, they would have exposed
Lo,,sves 10 the same kind of criticism; but, as 1t
eos their savings and doings escaped noorety and
ensure together. When therefore, the Southerners,
without buster or bombast, but with stern and
quiet determination, took their position IN arTsy
acainst the Northern invaders, and when though the
weaker and less pTetentious party they succeeded in
repulsinR the grand army Of those who would not
even allow them the title Of beligerents, it was not
in human nature TO view such an achievement with
out q certain amount of admiration. The check in
Decd thus administered TO the gasconadug spirits OF
the North was calculated to do them good service,
and the defeat at Manassas has already proved uefu
| Bat the one great fact which swayed English
opinion was the decided and multiform antagolism
between NORM ana S0utn, WHICH Iulo ana events
combined to disclose. As the contest proceeded 1t
became perfectly plain that President Llncoln's
election had served as the occasion, but not the
cause Of the Quarrel. The rupture had oI1ginated
not in a single political reverse, but in incolnpat
Utilities of temper conflict of interests diversity Of
instiu and such other differences bave al
ways tended TO the disruption OF heterogeneous
/ States or unweldy Empires. The Secession had
been contemplated and threatened for some thirty
years past. 1t was defended by arguments as good
as have been usually advanced for national insurrec
TONS and if il was in opposition 30 the dictates Of
political wisdom it was in conformity with the pas
sons of human nature. The States Of the old Amer
lean Union would perhaps have been more prosper
ous az home, and certainly more formidable abroad
| If they had remained united; but the same may
be said of the States Of all the Empires which
have ever fallen to pieces. Union is strength
ALWAYS and everywhere, and the larger the popula-
ton that can he retained under these conditions the
greater will b. the result But it happens that
these considerations are not allowed to prevail
against influences Of more immediate kind. The
vision Of independence is more attractive than the
vision Of power The people Of the Southern States
are only doing what the people OF hundred other
States have done before them. They may be short
sighted, but they are determined. They may be
mistaken but they know their minds. They
NAV be wrong but they ten millions The
Federalists themselves admit night OF insurrec
ton but they deny that instruction can be justified
| in the present instance. That argument however,
can never stand II is absurd to say that rebellion
ia soered popular privilege but that it can only be
exercised with the assent Of those against whom il
would be directed. The Emperor of Russia might
admit the doctrine as thus stated. II people have
right TO rebel against Governments, 1t must be when
they think fitting, and not when the Governments
allow it.
So long as the instruction Of the South seemed
spiteful rebellion against the results OF particular
election we were compelled TO regard 1t as utterly
uniustiGabe. If meant only as has been asserted,
" bullet against ballot" we should look upon 1t
as wicked and REASONABLE act for never could the
North he charged. notwithstanding lts commercial
bias with want OF consideration Tor the nsttuions
of the South. IT, again. the question could be argued
OF pure grounds Of expediency, we should here also,
though not 90 decidedly pronounce against TIE reso-
Tuition taken by the South to divorce itself from the
North. But the actual case Is very different. The
last twelve months have shown that NortheiDers
and SoutbeIners are ar irreconclabe as Greeks and
Turks, or Germans and Magyars. This war viii but
intensity and perpetuate animosities which the very
nature Of things had long ago created. Sectional
antipathIes have proved as stubborn as national
lautipathies. They could not be assusged by COM
! promise, and they will assuredly not be abol-
| i,hed by conquest. The armies Of the North
NAV oyerpower the armies of the South, but South
and North can never be expected to amalgamate
again. II is for this reason, and because territories
40 rrodCious as those of the Southern States can
| never be retained by armed occupation, that we
think the policy Of the Federal Government wrong
III the whole case Of the war is TO be analysed, we
must needs say the Northerners have the night on
their aide for the Southerners have destroyed with
out provocaton, mighty political fabric and have
impaired the glory and strength of the great Amer-
Republic. But, as they have chosen to DO this, as
thew have shown themselves hitherto no less power
f than their antagonists the decision of so large
a population cannot be condemned and as we cannot
ntrsnade Ourselves that genuine peace Is likely TO
spripe from protraeted war, should rejoice TO see
he pacifcaton Of America promoted by other
means.
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