The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1861-07-05
A Southern Clergyman on the War.
Rev. DIR. breckenridge Rebuking Trea.
son.


language. lie traces tho origin and prog
rcss of the instruction, and demonstrates
not only that the rebel leaders are bent upon
the accomplishment of selfish ends, but that
the latent loyalty Of tho masses Of theSouth-
crn people needs but the protection OF the
Federal Government to be able to assert it.
self, to the utter discontinue Of JEFF. Davis
and his fellows. DR.. Breckenridge is the
uncle of the late Vice President Of the Uni
ted States, but it will be .een by the extracts
which we give below that he has no sort OF
sympathy with the treason Of his nephew:
TIE DEsPorIsM OF THE REBEL LEADERS.
What is now passing in tennessee and Vir-
ginia while we write, is full Of significance
us to what might DO expected If the army OF
the secessionists were driven out Of those
States. What happened, months ago, in
various Southern States in which that party
succeeded in establishing their dcspotism-
and what has recently happened in Mary
land, Missouri and Kentucky, where their
desperate efforts failcd-is conclusive rs to
the great fact that the mass of the commun-
ity everywhere needed only to have been
wisely and bravely led to have conquered
what seems to have been, almost everywhere
that it existed, faction of the minority
What made il powerful was its long previous
training-its activity and daring ut q mo-
mcnt Of great popular discomfort, mortifca.
ton and alarm-and the fatal conniyancc OF
Mr.. Buchanan, rendered decisive by the &C.
tive cooperation with tho revolt OF those
members of his Cabinet whose positions had
given them special opportunities to promote
its organization and its first acts. IL had,
originally, no element Of a national Increment
1t has noW no aspect Of a national reroii-
ton. And, in our judgment, the moment 1t
encounters signal defeat, a counter reroiution
piR set in, that will strip 1t Of all that did
not belong to it in its first stages; and, UNI
der just and wise treatment, will eventually
restore to the Union every seeded State, not
excepting South Carolina itself. For our
selves, and we believe in this we utter the
sentiments of the whole nation, we desire for
the people in the States now held in armed
opposition to the National Government moth
ing worse than their complete deiireranee
from The iron despOiism of a dsioydi and
frantic party, and their speedy and complete
restoration, in perfect equality and renewed
iraternity, to oil the glory of our common
nationality, and all the blessings Of our true
and regulated freedom.
TIE NATION FIGHTING FOR MISREPRESENTATION.
1t seems to remain, then, that the solitary
result of the war is the restoration OF the
seeded States to the Union, or the triumph
of the arms of the secessiOnists over the ma
ton. The more completely this great truth
is fixed in the minds of all parties, the better
for all. The more thoroughly the nation un-
derstands that IL is fighting neither for rem
gednoe nor for conquest, but directly for SELF
preservation, and remotely for the mainte-
nance OF its independence in the face of all
other nations, and for its future peace, secur-
ity and advancement in the glorious career
now threatened to be cut short, the more 1t
will DO disposed to prosecute the war forced
upon il i'm the manner which becomes such u
people driven into such conflict; and the
more completely those who are in arms
against the nation realize that what they
seek il probably not attainable, and the more
clearly the States and people now seduccd
or terrified into revolt 30 unnatural under
stand that the suppression Of that revolt
means, not their degradation, but their res.
toration to all that was won by the valor and
confirmed by the wisdom of their ancestors.
tho more certain will be the cure OF their
present frenzy, the moro rapid their deliver
ance from the decisions under which they
have erred exceedingly, and the more thor
oughly their overthrow OF the faction now
leading them to destruction.
TIE INDEPENDENCE OF THE Seeding STATES AN
MPOssIBILITY.
To all human appearance the establish
ment of the independence of the Confederate
States by the present war is impossible. How
much blood may be shed, how much treasure
may be squandered, how much suffering may
be inflicted, how much ruin, in ten thousand
ways, may be brought upon millions OF peo-
pie, and how near to the brink of dcstruc-
ton the country may be brought, can now
be known only to the Ruler of tho Universe.
But so far as any object ayowed, or even con-
ceiyable, which ever was or can be proposed
as q benefit to the Southern States, was ex-
pectcd to be promoted by secession, this war
renders that object unattainable. We do
not propose to enter into discussions from a
military point Of view, nor do we underrate
the difficulties Of every kind which the Cen
eral Government has to encounter hut 1t
seems to us perfectly inevitable that, with
out the special interposition of God for the
destruction of this great nation, the certain
ty is complete that the independence of the
Confederate States cannot be established as
the result of this war.
In the degree that this judgment may DO
supposed to be just, two conclusions, both of
them OF great weight, follow: the first
is the ,ciekedness and folly, not only of The
reroh itself, but of The whole spirit and method
IN which II has been prosecuted; the second is
the certainty that the fact itself, in proper
ton rs it becomes manifest, must weaken,
throughout the whole South, the purpose to
prosecute q conflict so ruinous and so boot
less. No doubt there are wars which may
be prosecuted to the last extremity: and no
doubt many thousands of secessonists may
have persuaded themselves that this is such
war. or may have 80 deeply wrecked all other
hopes that only this desperate stake is left
them; but the dictates OF reason and morality,
the Judgment of mankind. and the irreyersible
decree of posterity. Is different here. This
is a revolt whose complete success would not
have justified the war into which it has
plunged great country; and, therefore, the
certainty of its failure robs its continuance
of all pretext. And such, at no distant per.
iod, may be expected to be the judgment Of
the great mass of tho southern people; and,
by consequence, their peaceful and cordial
return to their loyalty, and to the exercise Of
all their rights ascitizens OF the United States
instead Of being preposterous dream-is
not only the most probable, but apparently
the certain result Of q wise and courageous
treatment Of affairs.
THE LOYAL SENTIMENT IN TIE SOUTH