Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-07-20
An English view 81 the American crisis.

An English view 81 the American Crisis
SECESSION CANNOT BE USDOxE-THE NORTH can NEVER
RESTORE THE UXIoS-PREsIDENT LINCOLN ENGAGED IN
HOPELESS ENTERPRISE. $50
From the London Economist, Jsne %.
The virulent and utterly unwarranted and Unex>
planned irritation against England manifested BY the
! United States Tor as we now call them, the Federal
istsl is the astonlshment OF all beholders Il Is not
confined Part or ODe class. tseens 70 De iet
equally by the people, by the press by the Govern
ment the diplonatsts and lstrange to say even By
| the English correspondents OF Londtn newspapers.
1t is expressed by official persons in most unoh-
| cial language, and by ordinary men IN wholly I'M
measured terms. This IL the more singular, as no
specific offence is assigned the of all this
| boiling indignation-no sssignable offence Of any
! Sort in fact, having been committed. We have, on
the contrary, most scrupul0usly and anXi0usly alb
stained from doing or saying anything which it was
! possible to avoid doing or saying. We have with
remarkable delieacy and forbearsnce, declined dis
/ cussing American affairs in Parliament. We have
| gwen utterance TO a nearly unanimous sentiment Of
regret at the quarrel between parties towards both
! of whom we have always endeavored to maintain
/ friendly relations. Beyond this we have literally
/ done and said nothing except publicly announcing
that we should recognize the exercise OF the usual
beligerent rights by the seeding States-a recOg>
| milton which even the Federal Government do not
argue that we should have refused to eight millions
of organized and selfNgOveTned citizens and which
! that Government, now that the war has actually
| cOnmenCeU. mas ltS6I pIdCICdAy ODllecu " ACC
ognze also. The irritation, however, though quite
| unwarranted is not unnatural; and, though never
vet explained by the Americans themselves, is Ia
truth applicable enough It is caused BY their Sc
cret conviction that most EagLShmea n their hearts
beeUs that secession cannot BE- prersed and that tie
dissolution Of The Union Is inevitable and accom-
plished fact The Americans really believe this too
but they cannot bear that we should believe It.
The thing is so unwecOme 10 them, even the idea,
that they are furious with all who so much as see
it or speak of it. They regard it a calamity so
great a humiliation profound, that they cannot
forgive for admitting It to be possible This IS
the true explanation Of their unreasonable anger
They can give no ether, and they shrink from put
tag anything 50 futile and pettish into plain words
| Now though they have not the faintest right or
reason to be angry with for entertaining the
vction they attribute 20 Us, they quite correct
10 slpposng tina. We do ertain il. We do JsieUe
the secession of the SGUe states to be fat Gcc0Ep6
a completed aud iYTeUersdb!e transaction. We be-
lieve i. Impossible for TIE North 70 lure back the
South into the Union by any compromise, or to
compel them back by any force If to hold to this
conviction be an offence il is one which cannot
help committing, and which we must proceed to JUS
| tify.
The Federalists themselves admit that the time
| for compromise has gone by. They are now as lit
! tie inclined for it their antagonists. They say
they IRE going TO subiue the South-so completely
TO defeat them as to force them back into the Union
and TO keep them in It by compulsion and re-
| straint. This achievement, which in March their
they have now worked themselves up TO the delu-
sion Of believing practicable and within easy reach.
| To such q point has fury blinded their naturally
shrewd intelligence. This, then, is the PROJECT the
feasibility of which we have TO consider. We ap-
peal to the nap: we remind our readers of the race.
The seeding States extend, from the North Of
Virginia to the South of Florida and Texas over Is
| degrees of latitude, and from Missouri to North
| Carolina over 20 degrees of latitude This enOr-
nous space is inhabited by a rough, scanty and
widely scattered population, and contains few
large towns. a traveller marches for days and meets
only occasional shsnties and log houses. Flying
columns might march for days and meet no foe and
no shelter. I he largest army would be speck
| in such desert. The best appointed army, with
the most skilfully organized commssarat might be
in despair at such roads, such rivers such forests,
and such distances.
Cleyerly managed guerilla bands might harrass
! an army of any size and any quality into speedy
ruin What then, would become of such a militia
as the United States army consists and must consist
sf-nearly all Ill disciplined volunteers and scantly
provided with the mGteridl of war 1t is obvious
| that anything like a conquest by land of such
country it is mere idleness to speak Of. The Con
fsderate troops might, possibly enough be defeated
| on the plains Of Virginia; but when they retired
SoEth, what General would venture to pursue them
| Probably the more rational among the Federal
lists will admit all this. But they will say-'That
| is not our plan, our expectation ne believe
that the Secessonist forces are inferior to ours;
that they cannot be extensively recrued that they
VIII QlSpefs6, especially bpc6d-
| lily and more certainly than volunteers, and in
| fact viii soon become sick Of the contest. More
| over trust mainly to our blockade. BY shutting
up all Of the ports shall ruin the planters-pre-
vent them efectually from buying what they need,
! and from selling what they must sell IN order to
raise the purchase money-and in six months COM
pei them to surrender at discretion"
Well: we will suppose them to be as successful in
dispensing Southern forces and in blOckading South
| ern ports they expect to be. We will fer the
moment put aside the two possibilities of the block
sde being evaded by fair proportion of enter
prlsing merchantmen, or raised by Confederate pri
vateers and cruisers-eUal If other contingencies
should interfere. Is t certain that mere defeat
| in the field added to all the incOnve, .nees and
privations consequent upon an interrupted com
merce I1B induce the Southerners % con
fess themselves vanquished, and submit to
| accept terms at the dictatiOn of the Con-
| querOr? Does any one acquainted with the tenn
| per Of the SOutherner-whO unites all the fiery
pride of the Frenchman with all the stubborn pride
! of an Engshman-believe that defeat aRd privatiOn
! will do. more than enyenom and exasperSt5 the
strife? Has it not been apparent from the beginning
Of the dispute that fanatical passion and not cacu
latng sense has guided the whole people; and that
now their cause has become elevated IN their eyes
into something that is quite patriotism and almost
| religion? And can really believe that such men
| (yho are to be counted by milhons,) because they
can only sell their cotton and buy wine and tea and
clothing by drblets will be persuaded to enter the
! Union as suppiant and defeated rebels, IN which
they refused 10 remain unless Jhey cOufu WleIu Us
| whole power and monopolze its whole emoluments?
The superior might of the North we do not for one
moment question they have a Preponderance in
wealth. in numbers in ships, in education; they are
as brave and may possess or create as able esders;
and all these resources will tell enormously in the
| long run. ..-.-. 800
Certainly at lesst-possibly even from the first
victory and success will incline 10 their side. BIT
victory Is not conquest success loH not necessarily en-
kIa The eRenltjS submission. And they are fighting,
not with savage Indians, nor feeble Mexicans, but
with AnglO-Saxons fierce, as obstinate, and as
rutamabe as themselves. Therefore, granting the
utmost that can be alleged as to the difficult and
the poverty of the South, and the numbers and re-
sources of the North we conceive that though the
FsderalSts may be UictOriOus IN the strife, they cannot
be successful IN their aim For this last object they
must compel eight millions Of free maintained to
selfgovernment and accustomed to regard them
selves as not only politically independent but potl
cally supreme-to she for pedes,-snd to sue to men
whom they have habituated themselves to look down
- ,H NnNa