The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1861-09-13
communication.

docs seem to me, the index that Provi-
dence has giyen. and -the.dictate of sound
judgment now leave us no good ground
upon which to hesitate. The Northern
Federal Military Despotism has left us but
one choice; either TO conquer peace"
and indepcndenceb by manly resistance, or
to submit to It's tlictation in disgrace de-
graduation, poverty, vassalage, and utter
ruin. .rE
For proof; what mean all those 10000
hand cuffs Z How are we TO understand
those propositions in high places to free,
or take possession of our slaves, and to
conliscatc our other property todclray the
expenses ofstbis unhciy crusade against
the sovereign States OF the South? How
are we to construe the present tendency
in the North to ceatraiisation or CONSOLE
dation? Who, that has one drop of the
patriotism OF 'T6, would for one moment
yield willing obedience under such con-
t"ge"cics But in reality, thoy cannot be
viewed as cont'ngencies'ior we think. We
have just grounds to suspect that Lin
coins Goveinment intends, and his policy
Is ultimately TO obIiterate all State lines,
divisions and Constitutions, resolving all
INTO one great oe''tdt-t Republic, shall
sayD Would thatwe could say 1t in truth.
Ana That ther object Is to force this state
oil things upon us, and that with a ven
gcance' look at The facts. what civilized
nation ever was known TO Jorge chains or
handouts IN advance OF victory or even
afterwards 10 mahaeie her prisoners oil
war! An out we tune SOUTH are rebels,
say lhey' "eh' so were our fathers,
washington at their head, IN Ike sense,
anu Tor similar reasons. And some Euro
pean writers are now saying that the
causes which have excited the South to
rebel are lar more Justiiiable grounds than
those upon which our. predecessors revo-
lutionized. They also ask in substance
how can the North have the effrontery to
inauguratc such tremendous civil war 10
put down rebellion, when in fact their
very existence as a Government or Nation
dcnends upon or was founded in n Gor,,er
,otou;o,, e. H.. ;,,..;eaI,. IL -
e'''''' ~. ''' J"','ii'o'e 'i"h 'ne pres
eht one Nay my dear friend, this, so
far from being a rebellion worthy of that
name. is one of the most imnosip, rerob,-
-,
'g"' any "''',' ~ oo 'ooh" II" INC a"ha'S
Oh hiStory-whose consequences, relating
to posterty, are fraught with most impor-
tant results in point of na,;oualb, oor,r,,.
p,es, and other ,r;,.;,Z., I,;s roor,,
.,, In, ""''!t'' pco'!
"of'h ""i'c, ut this Perioa Oh 'le Crisis 10
stop to inquire who struck the first blow.
| Had you been tanning an individual. de-
nouncing tbroatooinc bo,ross;n, ord IN
yoro,s We n,oltroat;,, &c. n.;..
'"','"S way iii"'.ic"'ins MN lot lhirty
OF iofty years, ana ever ana anon threat
ening and attempting to change the rela-
ton of his lawful nronertv and had no
orfo,ho,ronoota1aa -
'''0 ''''e e''''e'' ~ oo "''''ue'
vi su''oeh' resented even 10 blows OF TO
blood, what jurist would think it impor-
tan: to inquire who struck the first blow!
This is very analopous 10 fine character of
,,o ,,ro,o,t oo,,a,, la,, ,,,o ~,
'"0 'no Nof'h
ana inc SOUTH ana VIII East iennes-
seeohs' III view OF al the iac's before us,
reoei aSaihs. !heNolce OF the whole State,
audloiy speaking from the Ballot-Box,
ana mus ihs'h,i upon us a secondary war,
iar more terilhc ana iratricldal than that
which mas already been so disastrous to
ooth Norm ana south 10 does seem to
me the iana'icism oi the North itself
would scarcely furnish a parallel to such a
course nope, trust, that interest,
sale'y, correct prinE'pie' ana above all,