Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1861-04-27
From the Principia.
THE CAUSE OF TIE WAR.

"The curse, causeless, has not come" The in
testine war lie not without a most guilty cause.
What is that cause2
Is it the aRitations Of the abolitiouists? No.
There must be a cause lying back Of abolitionism,
There could have been no abolitionism, had there
been no slavery requiring to be abolished. And
aboli.ionism, especially in the hands of q few de-
spised, hated, and yillifed abolitiouisis, could
not have Influenced the politics Of tho nation, 30
as to have produced intestine war, unless the M
ton had itself been conscious that there was some-
thing in slavery and its operations, that laid a
foundation and necessity for political action, Of
some sort, against It.
If abolitionism is, in any sense, to be reckoned
among the causes OF the war, it is not the guilty
cause, unless slavery is in itself right, ard if it
ought not to be abolished.
The intelligent and consistent op2osers Of abo-
litionistU, who charge them with the guilt Of hav-
ing produced the a~gitatious Of the country, which
have now resulted in war, have been driven to
the necessity of defending slavery as a divine and
prOvidential institution, approved by the word of
God. This is the position Of the National Unity
Society, the latest organized machinery for fasten-
ing upon the abolitionists the crime of p~lunging
the country in confusion, dissention ard war.
But it is a position against which the conscience
and common sense of mankind 10 common with
the spirit Of true piety, revOlts. The people do
not and cannot believe any such thing
Abolitionism therefore, 1.-The condemnation of
slaveholding as sinful, and the corresponding de-
mand, in the name Of God and humanity, that it
be Immediately and Internationally abolished,
cannot be the guilty cau.e, or the real, primary
cause of the agi:ations that have resulted in war.
AS well might it be charged upon Christianity,
that it is the guilty cause of the domestic and in
testine ware that have been occasioned by it, and
that Christ himself foresaw and foretold, so that
a mau's foes should be those of his own house.
hold. The enemies Of Christianity have often re-
sorted to this charge, but ii has always been seen
to be unreasonable and unjust. The charge
against abolitionism is but a part of the sans
50 ,histry, employed for similar ends, to turn the
edge of divine ~reprOofs against wickedness.
Slavery then, and not abolitionism, or anti
slavery, in any Of it's degrees, phases, or mani
festations, is the guilty cause of the war. The
common sense Of the common people, in harmony
with the political science of the wisest statesmen,
is rapidly coming to see ard TO understand this.
Slarery and nothing else, has disturbed our ma
tional unity and peace.
Remove slavery, aud you will have removed alb
olitionism, and benceforwerd, you will have no
agitations, dissentions or wars, from that cause
Remove slavery. and you will have removed
the Only rea; ground of political discussion in the
nation, sufficient to produce instruction, rebel
lion, or intestine war.
1t is said that We were once on the verge Of in
testine war, on account of the Tariff. But the
difficulty was settled without a resort to armg or
to secession. And, if the whole truth were told,
it would be seen that slavery was at the bottom Of
that controversy, concerning the Tariff. Who
was the father OF the protective tariff, system Z
John c. Calhoun, who proposed, and vehemently
insisted on the first distinctively protective tariff,
that of 1916. What was his objecti To under
mine Northern commerce., by which the North
was becoming rich, while he complained that the
South was growing poor. By a protective Tariff,
he broke up some of the most lucrative branches
r of Northern commerce. and compelled the mer-
5 chants to turn manufacturers of Southern grown
cotton, for the benefit of slavery, The same John
, @. Calhoun, demanded, in 1888, the repeal of the
B protective Tariff. For what reasOnH Because he
a found that the North was still growing rich,
while the South was growing poor. Slave labor
could not compete with free labor. And so Nor
9 thern industry must again be ~deranged to check
y it's disproportionate prosperity. This was the
: real cause of the difficulty about the Tariff.
e Slavery is the guilty cause of the war. It's nat
ional tolerence is the great national sin, for which
God is now visiting the nation with His judg.
ments. God overthrow Pharoah and the Egyp
tiars for the sin of oppression. He removed, frs,
the Ten Tribes of Israel, and then Judah and
Benjamin, into captivity in Babylon, for the sin
n Of oppression. This he threatened by his inspired
prophets, before hand, and the Inspired histo.
g rians have recorded the fulflment of those proph-
IS ecies. All the ancient nations we're threatened
with overthrow by the inspired prophets, for the
same SIN OF oppression. And the history of these
nations proves the fuldllment of those predictions.
The known laws of moral and political cause
: and effect, established by the Creator, teach us
the same lesson.
. This nation is an oppressive nation. And from
y this oppression, and as q just punishment Cor il,
the nation is now involved in war. To deny this,
is to deny that there is any such thing as political
science. 1t is to deny that any instruction is 80
be derived from history. 1t is to deny the con-
neciion between moral cause and effect. 1t is to
deny an overriding Providence, the moral accoun.
liability Of Governments and nations, and the Di
vine Inspiration of the Bible. Men must become
D stark atheists or lunatics before they can hell
; knowing however they may wilfully deny IT,
4 that SLAVERY is TIE GUILTY CAUSE OF the WAR.
The SECESSION FLAG IN THE RIGnT PLAcE.-Th,
Hopkinsville Ky Mercury remarks;
The Rev Orleans Crescent says that some of thu
:. negroes have Secession Aags Avin0 on THAR d;rt