Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1861-02-28

Ii,
BUT CoNCEs5ioNs FROM THE 5oUTH.
On reverting to the history of the past, we
find that there are two kinds of Revolution
which are quite distinct from each other in
character. One is political and the other is
social. The political revolution affects merely
political measures and ideas, while the social
revolution reaches the depths of society and
changes its words, its manners, it laws and its
customs. The revolution of l776, by which we
became separated from England, was a political
revolution. Such kinds of revolutions occur
very often at the prestnt day. The changes of
ministry in England; the changes of party ad-
ministration in the United States, and the fire.
quent perturbatons in Mexico. are all instances
of political revolutions. They sweep merely
over the surface of things while violent social
revolutions, such as that of France Of 1889, and
of Italy at this time like great tempests, reach
the foundations of things and stir up the ee-
ments from their lowest depths. But the ten
dency of political revolutions is in course of
time, to effect social revolutions
At the close of our revolution of l776, the
United States consisted, as it had at its begin
ming, of two classes of States, which were wide
" different in their social condition, and which
were very differently affected by that revolution
With the free states there began a sort of social
revolution which slowly and gradually liberal
lied their notions in law, religion and manners,
leading them to do away, in great measure,
with those old forms, customs and ceremonies
in which former governments had installed
| themselves. Between the Federalist of our
revolution and the most conservative politician
of this day there is as wide difference as there
is between Monarchy and Republicanism. But
while change has been going on in the free
states the slave states, on the contrary, have
remained nearly in the same condition that they
occupied when they were still under the reign
of England. Slavery was their social condition
them and slaveryi their social condition now; so
that if the slave states to return to their for
mer allegiance to England to-day, they would
have TO undergo social revolution in order to he
rendered homogeneous members of the English
government for England herself, has become
solute monarchy which she was in at the time
of George ILL.,, to her present mild form of
limited monarchy. BY the act of our Revolu-
ton the slave states experienced only political
revolution, their social status remaining the
same, and in consequence their political ideas
are wholly out of accord with their social con-
dition. There is as wide difference between
their political and their social conditions as
there is between the poles, and it is as imprac-
ticabe to reconcile them as il is to bring the two
poles together. The effort to do so must prove
destructive Of all claims to wisdom or to high
personal character. The men who live under
such a state of things must always be the sport
Of two opposite principles, the servant Of two
opposite masters. The honest man must ever
find himself pleading Illicit interests at the court
of conscience, until in despair he may seek to
overwhelm conscience once and for all by de-
declaring his social condition blessing, while
his political notions alone are wrong. There is
no character so leevated that will not Ultimate
ly become destroy ed-that will not become
either hypocritical and double faced or arrogant
and boldly defiant, when subjected to such an
equivocal condition as this. Neither society nor
individuals could remain in a state of quiet un-
der it. \ restless, consuming fever would take
the place Of peaceful, vigorous growth and
the worst of all possible ways to escape from it
is to try to bring the free states into the same
condition, thus seeking by a companionship in
misery to assuage the poignancy of its sting
A social revolution must take place in the slave
states it is becoming every day more and more
impracticable to prevent IT, 1t is no longer
possible to conceal from the enlightenment of
the present day that slavery is an immortality, an
inherited abuse from former times, nuisance
, at common law in free Republic, an Illicit
! means of supplying the great demand for labor
o occasioned by the opening up Of new world,
which labor is no longer needed which has
y, ceased to be respectable, and which we can only
reconcile to our honor and our respecabty by
efforts to do away with it, There is no charac-
ter SO high or pure, no religion so holy, no iu-
- dietary so just, no executive so magnanimous
" no Legislature so uncorupt that can any longer
endeavor to sustain it, without becoming itsel
, degraded and the only way to vindicutc oul
d claims to serespect, is not by clnging to il a,
a blessing. but to abandon it and let it fall as q
curse. No; the social revolution which hu,
. been going on in the free states during the last
eighty years, cannot much longer be DELAYED
from reaching the slave states; and it remains
with them and them only to say whether it shal
re be accomplished in peace and by gradual meant
Al or through the violence of civil war.
We often hear it stated what kind of govern
Al ment the slave states would set up if they wer
to separate from the United States, some pre-
N ferring coniederacy and others limited mon
archy-as if it were in their power to decide
y by mere effort of the will, what Kind of gov
e ernment they would have The forms of hu
man government depend upon the condition O
the people governed rather than upon their will
= 1t is the condition of the governed that neces
states various forms of government and no
fl 4. a.. a