The Van Buren press., 1861-02-22
The People all Right.

Tho People all Right.
An unusual press of business has pre-
vented US from examining the late papers
So rs to select from them articles for our
column. The friends of our beloved coun
try in this part of the State. have much rea-
son to rejoice in the proof which the elec-
ton of last Monday gave-.hat an over
whelming majority of our people justly ap-
preciate the value of the Union. and are de-
termined to try every proper means for sus-
tanning it. With a patriotism of which we
may well feel proud, the "bone and sioew''
of our country have shown that in a time
like this, they rise above party, and know
no men but the friends of their country.
They scorn to wear the collar of any party,
they have administered to certain expect
ants and to certain men in high places, a
rebuks which will be long remembered
The London Times. says the Washing
ton Intefltgencer. is particularly severe on
the suggestions of retaliatory laws by the
Governor of Georgia. 1t affirms that Gov.
Brown sets out with a principle which, if
carried into action. will involve the Geor-
gians in war not only with New England
but with the British Empire, and every
Power in Europe. 1t distinctly declares
that every right of retaliation which tn e
Southern States have against Massachusetts
they have. also, against England. The fol-
lowing exeracts from this long and caustic
article will show its tone and spirit
In the history of the French Conven-
tion nothing more atrocious is recorded
than the proposal of Governor Brown, of
Georgia. that the penal code. and all other
laws of this State which protect the lives.
liberty and property of the citizens of 9TH
er States, while in this State, be repealed, >
so far as regards any State which refuses to
recognise the owners right to property in
his slave within it's limits. The only ex-
cuse for him is that he is probably writing
sensation message, and knows that his
counsels will never be adopted" =.
90 Such are the auspices under which the
Southern States are asked to destroy the
Union. which has lasted eighty years. and
given them place among the first nations
of the earth The world will Judge for it.
self what are the chances o. federation in
which Governor Brown shall be leading
spirit"
ARCHBISHOP PURCELL ON "THE RATTLE
SNAKE OF SECESSION. At the inaugura-
tion of the Catholic Institute at Cincinnati
last Sunday evening, Archbishop Pu rcell
made the following remarks:
Everywhere, throughout the world, the
clouds hang in darkness. 1t would seem
that the death kneil of our glorious Union
had already been he. that it was to be
1:snembered and torn INTO fragments. that
State would part from State. and cities from
the States to which they bel 1ng
"Oh what is the treason of those men
who thus sacrifice the noblest hope of man :?
And who is there that would not lay down
his life willing sacrifice to preserve the
Union of these States. A Union that is
m odeled after that of our Church, which
allows every man the largest liberty in do
ing right, and only restrains him when he
attempts evil.
"The Catholic Church is conservative,
and around the one idea of Union all its
principles revolve and gravitate. What is
the principle of secession but the carrying
out of the principle of private judgment
There is an incident recorded in Holy Writ
in which it is stated that whenever a dead
body was found upon the highway. all.
whose steps lead from the spot, were
brought to the corpse and made to swear
that they were not the murderers. If it
should SO be that our Union is to be served,
every Catholic in the land may come, and,
extending his hand over the bier, may say,
d" am guiltless of its death" When you
look around this hall. and see the beautiful
stars and stripes which adorn it, pray, Oh,
pray, that the hideous rattlesnake of seces-
sion may be crushed to death. even as the
Ever Blessed Mary crashed the serpent that
caused our fall" Tumultuous applause.
RECoNsTRUcrION." For the present,
at least, we repudiate this term. We strike
it from our vocabulary. We will have
none of it. &" Reconstruction % What
does it signify but that the Union is dissol-
we'd, the Republic destroyed, the nation ex-
tinct ? What does it assume but that we
have a country no longer? We are not
yet prepared to grant this assumption. We
hope that no other patriot is. 60 Preserva-
tiOn." not /" reconstruction. is, or should
be still the watchvord of every genuine
lover of his country. Words are sometimes
things; and this word reconstruction.
now flowing so glibly from the lips and
pens of precipitators here. is that hideous
thing disunion +; nothing less. Let patri-
OTIS shun it as they would the abyss to
which it points. While we are laboring
generously and manfully for the salvation
of our country. let US not thwart and stul-
tity ourselves by saying or implying that
we have no country 20 save.
STRONG TALK.-Ehe Hon. j. P. King, of
Georgia. has written letter on the crisis.
to q Committe in Augusta in that State, in
which he says:
The great difficulty in the way of an
effsctual accommodation is, that a great
ma jority of our leading men don't scant It.
Our government is too lepublican-too
weak and too free for them, because they
will not obey and submit to it Their
mind filled with strong and splendid gov.
ernments, and the whole country glistening
with bayonets and glittering with armor
and epaulettes. they wish the people hum
bled by being loaded down with taxes. and