Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-11-09
NUMBER 1870

Minister of the then United States Of America You
: slu remember the enthusiasm with which he was
deservesy greeted, audthe applause that followed
every aneeuonste alusi0n to our RepubiicEn kiu-
, folks with whom, nevertheless there va Al fl,ek
mor2ent, lss there has besn often before one az
those Irritating questions In which nrch yas s.3
;, lly asked by Young Brother Jonathan ard s1l5lv
r conceded by old John Bull Wen. the FnoIisS.
ulen respected the giant Republic in its spnsra-s
unity and its fsncied strength, and no true Eor-
lshman VIII be mean enough to eult in the n,r--
Of its separation and the horrors Of its civil var
{ But even then, when Mr.. Dallas was our auest
n never conceived nor do understand how far
thinking statesman euud conceive that fourth part
of the earth could long be held under one imperial
form Of government. That separation between
: North and South America which Is now being
brought about BY civil war, have long foreseen
and ioretold 10 be ineTifaoei and venture 70 pre-
dict that the younger meH here present viii live n,
see not two, but at least four and probably more
4 than four separate and sovereign commonwealth
arising out Of those populations which year ago
united their Legislature under one President ~
carried their merchandise under single flag Aud.
so far from thinking that these separations will -
injurious to the future destinies Of America or IN
fict blow on that grand principle Of seif9oyarn-
ment IN which the substance of liberty eOnsists I
believe that such separations will be attended with e.
happy results TO the safety of Europe and the de-
/ velOpment Of American civilization. II IL could
have been possible that, as population and wealth
her mighty seaboard and the fleets which her in. !.
ereasing ambition, well as her extending com
merces would have formed and armed, could have
remained under one form Of government, in which
the Executive has little control over pODf-
lace exceedingly adventurous and excitsble 1hv Il
then America would have hung over Europe liks 4
ga herring and destructive thunder-cloud No single
kingdom N Europe could have been strong enough
TO maintain itself against 3 nation that had once
consolidated the gigantic resources Of quarter OF
the globe , ..
And this unvieldly extent of empire would have
been fatal to the permanent safety and deyelon
meat of America herself. as the experience Of an
history tells empire too vast 70 maintain the
healthy circulation Of its own hfe-blood ever has
been, since the world began, to the races over
which 1t spread By their weight, the cid colossal
empires Of the East fell TO ruin, Il was by heroVy5
vast extent Of dominion that Rome first lost her
liberties, under the very armies that extent of do
mlsn compelled her TO maintain, and finally render
ed up her dominion itself to the revenge Of ths
barbarians she had invaded. The immense mouar- --
ehy founded BY the genius Of Chsrlemagne fsu to
pieces soon after his death, and those pieces are
no the kingdoms OF Europe But neither the empires
OF the East, nor the commonwealth Of Rome, nor r71
the monarchy Of Charlemagne could compare in ex-
tent and resources with the Continent Of America,
and you will remember that the United States
Claimed right to the whole Of that continent, and
the ultimate fate Of America under one feeble r-s
ecutlye--the feeblest Executive, perhaps ever
known IN a civilized eoBluunity-wOuld have bean
no exception to the truths Of history and the laws
OL DuL proportion a9 America sn4fl
become subdiFided into different States, each Of M
which Is large enough for greatuess-arger than q 20
European kingdOm-her ambition will be less for
midabe to the rest Of the world, and do not doubt
that the action Of emulation and rivalry between one
Free State and smother speaking the sane language
and enjoying the educated culture which inspires
an affection for all that enlghtens and exas human
Ity. viii produce the same effect upon art and com
meree and the improvements in practical govern
ment. which the same kind Of competition nroluc-
ed ia the old commonwealth Of Greece. Heaven
grant that my convictions may not be erroneous /
am not, then, of those who say that the iopepd
ing separation Of the American States proves the
failure Of her experiment of Democracy Any
other IoTm OF Government would have equally fall
ed 10 keeping together sections Of q community so
geographically cast with interests antagonistie 10
each other But this may say, that when we see
liberty and law alike suspended in the moment Of ~
danger, printing presses destroyed by an unresst-
ed moo or the opinions Of public writers sthed By
q Democratic GOvernmeRt,-when we see an
American President so bewId5red by his own ar
mics, or so despaiFing of the skill Of bis own Ger
erals, that he offers to the Italian Garibaldi the
command Of American pstriots-I think without
yanIty, We may say tk2t in those arts Of good gox-
ernHeut which can preserve freedom in the hour
Of danger, and enable nation TO right itself hy the
brains and hearts Of its own children America has
more 10 learn from England than Eugland has to 20
earn from America Let us, then, turn our eyes
pack to our own country, humbly grateful for the
blessings We enjoy, and manfay resolved to defesd
md mAintsin them s