Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1861-07-25
The American Civil War.


tFrom Bells Weekly Messenger, (tngsh peper.l
To those who desire to follow the events
of the American civil war the present mo-
mont suggests itself as Il most fitting start
ing point We seem now TO draw near the
end Of the preparation for action. The
battle-ground has been settled for it is evil
dent that in Virginia will lie the chief strug-
giles Of the first campaign. The combatants
have now been masked in force, and stand
face to face in position so close together that
the first decided advance on either side will
certainly bring them into co lision. 1t will
then be our painful task to note the efliec's
OF that furious animosity which prevadep
North and South; an animosity which, in
the space of few short weeks, has rooted
ont every spark of kindly feeling engendered
in the long period during which generations
have lived together-an animosity so out Of
proportion TO the causes producing it as to be
to us utterly unntelligible. Every sign
leads us to fear that the struggle, now quick
ly approaching, will be distinguished by a
ferocity unexampled in modern warfare.
Listen to the reports Of Correspondents take
up either side of the Potomac; read the
proc!amations of the Government or hear
the words that fall from the lips Of leading
citizens; they all breathe the very spirit Of
hatred and revenge
The issue Of the quarrel Is now joined.
The North is determined to Sc, nothing in
this movement of the Confcderatcd States
but sheer rebellion, which it is resolved to
put down ut any cost. The South rakes up
her long list Of alleged intoerable wrongs
suffered at the hands of the North, main.
.ains its sovereign right to sece9e, and viii
fight to the last for her freedom and indepen
dencc. Such are the colours under which
each party grasps the sword. We are no
now about to discuss the merits of the posi-
| ton: thus severely assumed. We will only
remark that the ground of action of thu
North is at least clear and Ineligible, anC
is based on views of the Union, on which
fair case can be made out. Making sc
cession thus Synonymous with rebellion
trenches the question, and leaves no room 70
hating or indecision; it is the forcing de
vice of men who are teariully in earnest Oh
the other hand, the grievances brough
against the North are some OF them Ofmlno
importance, and others of doubtful Truth
but, taken altogether, they are so obviollsl
inadequate as cause of war, that one in
stinctively looks beyond to see ifthere he no
lotaerrea5ons in the background, which woul
not 50 creditably bear the light. So early u
last December, it was manifest that no conces
sion which the North could possibly max
with honour would satisfy the South; & tina
the South, by pertinaciousy insisting o
what she knew must be refused, inevitabl
Fl led up to her being forced into that line o
action which she had already determined t
follow. The Southern States could not con
plain of being excluded from their fair shai
+ of political power; the danger rather SCENE
, to be that they woMd monopolize it. A
though inferior to the North in wealth an
population, they generally contrived to f
the Presidents chair with a candidate @
A their own choosing, and to bully and domine'
G in Congress; even questions ofslayery-tho
on which its force was most directly measure
against the North-were more frequently d
cided according to its own views than again
o them. Stripped of its specious diguises, Il
!, real motive for secession is sordid one;
is simply an affair of money. Why shou
= the extension of slavery be cramped
: Northern Abolitionists? Why should hosti
tariffs any longer hamper Southern traffic
: Why should not their own merchants in the
own ships carry on their own commerce, al
drive profitable bargains in all the markets
IT Europe? Shut off theinterloping Of t
North, and New Orleans, Mobil
Charlestown, and a hundred 9th
ports, would shoot up into opulence o
~ granduer. Here, as elsewhere, money b
. been the root of the evil. 1t is clear tn
~ principles such as these were equally beyo
II the reach of an argument or reasonable c.
~ cession, and made war inevitable. L
;;nn chiefs Of the Snuth-none ever better {
lv served to be called conspirators-had ca
,e fully considered every prospective event
~ forehand; so that when the critical time
action suddenly came upon all, their a
were prompt and decisive, and stood out
favorable contrast with the apparent 81,
ry gishness and wavering Of the North. Mu
lct of the ground had, in fact, been already Gle
'ei ed by which the first steps Of the seoess
II were rendered easy and certain. In
u course of conspiracy long previously ex
'r- ing among the chief men OF the South, VIII
le, attempts were made fatally easy by its
nd Guiding some members of the United Stat
y, Government, considerable sums of pul
gh money had been diverted towards the Sou
ne and the army had been 80 distributed as
OF leave forts and arsenals comparatively
MS fenceless when the signal for their seiz
all should be given by the Confederate Stat
Try We applaud the rigid neutrality Of
British Government, but, since war has
fortunately broken out we cannot refuse
sympathy to the Northern side. Every
ify ing forbids us to wish success to cause
le, dertaken in the interests of slavery. I
he war, it is true, may probably do nothing
err rectly to free the slaves, but it will at |,
nd render the extension Of slavery impossible
| l. A..~.l 49,