The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1861-01-24
initiating. or even al unsatisfactory treaty is .


chronic cause Of foreign war.
The chapter of wars resulting from unjusti6a-
bic causes would ampl'fyitSef iu proportion to the
number of nex Confederacies and their irrits-
oility. Our disputes with Great Britain about
Oregon the boundary Of Name. the patriot in,
suTrection in Canada, a1d the Island of San j o.
an; the border stIIfes between Texas and Mexi-
co, tle iueursions of the late William F" alke'
into Mexico aud Central America; all these
we're cases 10 which prevented by The
lmperi durability of the Federal Governmen
only.
lhis government not only gives fewer causes
for war, whether just or unjus than sm aller con
federac,es would bat always has greater ability
/ TO accommodate them by the exercise OF more
coo ness and courage, the of more varou:
end more liberal means, and the display, il Eeec
BE- oi greater force Every one knows how pla
cable We oursclves are 10 controversies with
Great B,isaia, Fraoce and Spain, and yet how
exactiDg have been 10 our intercours: with
4 New Grenada, Paraguay and San Juan de Mic
araSua
Mr. President no oae will Dispute oar fore
! IA hers maxim, that the common safety of all is
/ the safety of each of the States. Wbile they
remain united. the Federal government combines
all the materials aud all the forces Of the several
States; organizes their defenses general
! principle; harnoniZe aod assmuia'e them with
one system; watches for them with single eye,
/
agents under the control of one executive head.
| A nation 80 constituted is cafe against assault,
or even insult.
War produces always a speedy exhaustion OF
money, and severe strain upon credit. The
| treasures and credits of small confederacies
would often prove inadequate. Those of the
Union are always ample
| have thus far kept out of view the relations
which must arise between the confederacles
the selves. They would be small and incon-
siderable nations bordering each other,
and therefore, according TO all politi-
cal philosophy, natural enemies. 10 addition to
the many treaties which each must make with
foreign powers and the causes Of war which
they would give by violating them. each OF TIL
confederate must also maintain treaties with
all the Others, and SO be liable to give them
frequent otfense. They woaid, necessarily, have
different interests resulting from their estabsh-
ment Of different policies of revenue, of mining,
manufactures. and navigation; of immigration,
and perhaps the slave trade. Each would stipu
late with foreign nations for advantages peculiar
to itsel, and injurious to its rivals
IT, indeed, it were necessary that the
Union should be broken up, it would be in
the last degree important that the new con-
federacies to be formed should be as nearly
as possible equal in strength and power, that
mutual lear and mutual respect might in
spire them with caution against mutual Of
fense. But such equality could not long be
maintained; oce confederscy would arise in
the scale OF political Importance. and the
others would view it henceforward with
envy and apprehension. Jealousies would
bring on frequent and retalia,ory wars. and
and these wars, rom the peculiar circum
stances of the confederacies. would have
the nature and character of civil war. Dis.
solution. therefore, is. for the people of this
country perpetual civil war. To mitigate it,
and obtain occasional rest, what else could
they accept but the system of adjusting the
balance of power which has obtained in
Europe, in which the few strong nations die
tate the very terms on which sll the others
shall be content to live. When this hateful
system should fail at last. foreign nations
would intervene, now In favor OF one and
then in aid of another; and thus our coun-
try, having expelled all European Powers
from the continent. would relapse into an
aggregated form Of its colonial experience.
and. like Italy. Tursey, India aud China.
vention and rapacity.
Ii, however, we grant to the new confed-
eracies an exemption from complications
among each other with foreign States. sill
there is too much reason to believe that not
one OF lncn coutl ioHsS tlidtntatu Icpuoi-
can form of government. Universal suf-
irage aud the absence of a standing acmy are
essential TO the republican sysem. The
world has vet TO see a self-sustainlng State
OF that kind, or even any confederation
of such States, except our own. Canada
leans on Great Britain not unwilling!y, and
Switzerland Is guaranteed by interested mon
archial States Oar own experiment has
th,s "a hao,, SncraSsful. baeauSa nv tho
continual addition of new States, the inf1u.
ence of each OF the members of the Union
is constantly restrained and reduced No
one, Of course. can toretell the way and
manner of travel; but history indicates with
uuerring certainty the end which the sever
al coniederacies would reach. Licentous-
ness would reuder he inolerable; aud they
would sooner cr later purchase tranquility
and domestic safety bv the sanction and sur
render Of liberty, and yield themselves up
to the protection of military despotism.
Indulge me, sir. 10 one or two details un-
der this head. First, it is only sixty days
since this disunion movement began; already
those who are engaged in it have canvassed
with portentious freedom the possible re-
combinations of the States when discovered,
and the feasible alliances of those reco,nbi-
nations with European nations; alliances as
unnatural. and which would prove ultimate
ly as pes,ilential to society here as that of
the Tlsscalans with the Spanisrds. who
promised them revenge upon their ancient
enemies, the Aztecs.
Secondly This disunion movement ari-
ses partly out of dispute over the common
domain of the United States. Hitherto the
Urion has confined this controversy with
in the bounds Of political debate by refer
ring it with all other national ones, to the
arbitrsment of the ballot box. Does any
one suppose that disunion would transfer the
whole domain to either party. or that any
other umpire than war would, after dissolu-
lion, be invoked?
Thirdly. This movement arises in an
other view, out of the relation of African
slaves to the domestic population of the
country. Freedom is 10 them, Is to ali man
kind. the chief object of desire. Hitherto,
under the oper alton of the Union. they have
practically remained iguoraot of tho contro-
versy. especially ofits bearing on themselves.