The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1861-05-28
From The London Economist
The Probable Results of the
War.

The war will draw together the North
ern States as they have never been drawn
together yet--will teach them the alI-im-
portant character Of the slavery issue
will sweep the political horizon Of those
petty political controversies which have
long FILTERED away the attention of states
men, and diverted them from the really
great issues which were slowly maturing
beneath the surface Of society and, final
~, will impress them with the absolute
necessity OF closer union, stronger cen
tral power, suppression Of those repul
sive forces which keep State and state
jealous and apart-in one word, with the
duty Of turning the Federal Government
into a really supreme power. Such, we
think, may, and most probably viii be,
one result of the disastrous conflict in
which the United States are now engaged
As secondary and casual advantage,
the struggle will liberate from the author
I ity Of the Border States all those sections
which are already prepared and anxious
TO extngush Slavery. This would be
difficult to effect without the war. While
the State organization is still perfect, the
stronger party will carry the State. For
example, in Virginia the State has decIar-
ed for the South but Western Virginia is
almost entirely in sympathy with the
North. Again, in Kentucky there seems
10 be very large Northern party, and the
same is true Of Tennessee. Nothing but
war, probably, could dissolve those State
chains which bind the reluctant freeman to
the corrupt and corrupting domestic insti-
tuition in such cases as these. But war
will enable these fragmentary States, cha
I hng under their hateful connection with dis
tricts of quite different political tendencies
to achieve their liberty and seek the per-
lection of the Union. This would be in
itself no small gain. But the one gain
which compensates the North for the hor-
rors OF civil war is the growth Of genuine
4 Republican conviction 10 which it viii
probably give rise; the learning of the
great lesson, that there can be no hearty
political alliance between Freedom and
Slavery, and no genuine freedom without
strong central Government, and the sur
render of those atomic political privileges
which minister to local jealousies and gem
eral anarchy.
For the South we see no possibility Of a
good issue for the war which it, statesmen
have provoked and commenced Tae
greater their temporary success, the great
er their humiliation. Their policy seems
10 us able and mastery, but utterly short
sighted. To rouse by gratuitous insult,
The mettlc Of nation three times as num-
crous, and more than three times as pow
erful, to force them, by aggressive steps,
into struggle which the sympathy Of ev-
cry free and civilized nation will be with
the North, seems like the madness Of men
whose eyes are blinded and hearts harden
ed by the evil cause they defend Had
they been wise, they would have trusted
all TO delay and their own obstinate pur-
pose. As it is, they rush on a war which,
whether it end in their mere exhaustion,
or IN the horrors Of a seryile Instruction.
cannot but end in humiliating disasters,
which will excite no pity, because they
have been positively couried by the South
ern leaders.