Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-02-06
Prom he Rsnabiiean Banner
sfethsd;s.a ana .sses,.s Ss..

II is one Of the strongest evidences Of ths
inherent weakness of the secession cause ira
its friends are attempting TO ideally is WIN
large religious denomination in the South ans
to bolster. il ppoby sciting the lsIi0n'of tha
Church, in peacefully separating from it:
Northern associates. as precedent for a disso
luton of the American Union and the estab
Iishn mt of Southern Confederacyl 1t i:
said the Methodists; of the South secedea
and prospered, and therefore the Southern
States can secede and prosper. This is the
argument, ard all the argument, and superficial
as it is, it is used, and to some extent, We
learn, successfully, to- induce unthinking men
to favor disunion, without looking beyond the
mere surface to sec if there is really any anal
ogy in the two cases.
But let US call the attention of all such to q
few points to show the dissimilarity of the two
cases:
1st The church has no sword.
2nd If it had, it is but charitable TO suppose
that her christian spirit would prevent its use.
Sd. If she had undertaken to use the sword,
she would have been restrained by the Federal
Government, that not being religious ex-
ercise," as guaranteed by the Constitution.
4th The Constitution had provided tribu-
nal for the oedeea5Ie adjustment of her disputes,
and she was not LETT to an appeal to the God
of battles" as a last and only resort.
9Th. The disunion Of the church did not in
volve any nice questions in reference to the
collection of revenue, the smuggling of goods
across the line the right of secession, the policy
of coercion, the restoration of fugitive slaves,
the status of territories, &c, &c.
On the other hand, the establishment of a
Southern Confederacy is thing not provided
for in the Constitution, and pre-suppOses de
stsuction OF that instrument. Secession in the
estimation of nearly all our statesmen is reyO-
luton The Federal Government has never
recognized the right of secession, but has de
cided against it, and which decision was APP
proved by the people of all the States except
one.
If secession was permitted, there being no
tribunal to which the parties can appeal for a
settlement of questions about revenue, the ter
ritories and other public property, with the
revolutionary feeling which now exists, both
parties having the sword drawn, with only a
line designated by marks on the trees for fif-
teen hundred miles, between them, no reason
able man can contemplate any thing else but a
commencement of the war between the two
sections. When this war commences, what
may the friends of freedom, who have read
history to profit, expect?
All men who are not carried away with the
about it-that it viii be the bloodiest the world
ever saw, and with ii will end civil and religious
liberty. All history proves that such reyolu-
ton as that knows no stopping place. Two
great governments fighting about the proper
construction of a treaty, or an insult to the
national flag, are likely, after a few trials of
skill in arms, and the loss of a few thousand
men, TO settle the dispute by a new treaty.
But who supposes that such revolution
as this would be settled by treaty? Would
the South yield, if the revolution once COM
until the rights which are claimed
under the Constitution were conceded Never.
Would the North surrender and give up the
Territories to slavery until it was completely
Everybody would answer, no!
Then when is this dreadful conflict to end
During the progress of this Revolution doubt
less the country would be split up and divided
into small governments, sustained only so long
as they could defend themselves by military
power against neighboring States.
Disunionists for years have been talking
about peaceabte secession, and are actually now
talking about peaceable separation, when
drawn swords are cleaning in the sunlight in
almost every State in the Union, and when
secession implies a dishonorable sur
render of the right, the alledged violation of
which has produced all the difficulty.
Now, we submit, does the separation of
the church, when all her disputes were set
tied peaceably by law, even if the Church
has prospered, justify the feverish anxiety on
the part of many to try the same experiment
in our civil Government, all matters of dis
pute having to be settled by the sword?
In the Middle States, where the best blood
will be poured out like water when this revolu-
ton commences, there are thousands and thou
sands of men VINO have been watching with the
most intense interest this terrible revolutionary
tornado, as it comes up in the distance, and
who believe it viii sweep every vestige of law
from the land, and leave the superiority of the
4 I'd a,
physical strength in practical sense. In other
words, thousands of our people believe to-day
that this hasty, precipitate, separate State Sc
cession, will rob their children of the best Gov
eminent the world ever saw, and leave them in
slavery. -. t-.
Believing these things, and believing as we
do whether well or ill-founded) that the whole
difficulty can be honorablv settled and that the
Northern people mot the politicians) will yield
what we have agreed to be satisfied with, is it
not natural that we should insist that all honor
able means of adjustment be exhausted before
Tennessee is placed in position where her in
fuence as pacifcator, would be destroyed?
At time when the public mind was calm
this attempt to bolster up secession, by refer
ence to the history of the Methodist Church
South, would do no harm, because deliberate
thinker must at once draw the distinction be-
tween the two cases-between the separation
Of church under and controlled by the Con-
stitution, and the separation of States, which
destroys the Constitution, and leaves millions of
men with drawn swords, standing in deadly
hate and knowing no law but the law that
might makes right. Is it reasonable to sup
pose that separation, under such circumstan-
ces, would have resulted in the prosperity of
the " E. Church South?
And what is it that we are askingg Not that