The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-10-25
what are we Fighting For,

Try service, ana who, rs defenders Of the
Government deserve in return the control Of
the Government in their behalf. H*#*@*
Wha, are we Fighting For,
From the Louisville (Bow'InE Gretn) Courier.
Tho war commenced by the people O the
North against slavery was really a war
against The Constitution and against the Gov
eTAment based that Instrument. Slavery
was recogG iZ@tt in The Constitution aud fl-
rectly ana indirectly the right Of the owner
in his slave was fully Z gtlaran teed BY it. ANY
!ut- terence, therefore. by The Federal Gov
erDmeut with TIE Institution Of slavery or
with tilr right OF the owner . his slave, was
ia violation Of the Constitution aud as one
Violation .! the Constitution ae4uiesced in
WoalO open the WdV tor futUra il !raCriQpe Of
It, It necessarily followed that the success Of
this onii-Slayery movement would sWeeu
away all the 81 !egltrrs of the Coustitut ,on
ami leave the people or the country at The
mercy OF Il bare majority, whose whi and
caprIces would be subject 10 no restraint
Tie Constitution conferred upon the Fedora /
Government 40 power to il teItere vi III lave
~ in the States. or with the right OF slave
holders TO their property III the Territorts ::
and 50 II followed, that any such intrriereEC =
was All Assem- 5iaGe OF Un:els@at.d power.
which, II submitted 10, opened WiJe all the
fioodgates OF usurpation, and prepared the
way Tor u complete overthrow Of the Govern
1uenr - founded by our fathers. 80 the the ir-
TepTeSsIb!e conflict assumed proportions real
y Lss greater han the mere property interests
1 o.
movement would destroy, it Is true, s4,Oao,-
tpo,"J5 worth Of PFC pertF IL would do more
lor j. would overthrow the social in- tltuti ons
q fifteen sovereign States and leave graatdis-
tricts o. country noW covered with PROSPEROUS
towns and cities ana teemirg with evidences
oi agricultural wealth d 'Tesert waste huJ
above al these, IL WAS lore sten it WuUId Omen
the way for the overthrow Of orr cocstIru-
tonai government and the destruction OF lie
liberties OF the whole people. 1t the right. OF
the owner Of slave property Were taken from
him. what security could the owner of any
other pecles q property have? If the instl-
tutolS OF SlaVenol,ilDG States might be over
thrown by The exercise OF ULdeleglted poI,tr
toy thr Federal Government, what security
"5ts there .Cr those or an other State Iffhn
Gen era! G0ycrHIneE wcreipernlitted to do one
ACT for which it could fnd 40 Harrautiu ia the
Constitution, what limit Wo}id there Le Oh
lis power:
Ihe war on slavery was IaanGuraJed and
conducted by ahte sagacioue and ambitions
men, who cared nothing for Lha condition Of
the slave, ana Was not influenced bv any
moral, or social. or political consideration
but Wno preferred using it 10 conceal their
dt iEn G-3lnSt the Con~HtUtiOn and against
the Government Of Ike Constitution An
open attempt to change the torn2 Of orr Gov
ernm+nt. they knew would alarm and ;.rGuss
the whole People, and cover them with merit
ed in fanny. The liberties Of the Nortnman
We're dear the liberties OF the South
mantle freedom OF the poor man was Is
much cherished as the freedom of the rich
one All T3ted slavery alike. All equally
loved liberty. Ali were proud Of our Gov
ernment. All hoasted of the glorious inher-
Itance Won for them by the heroes Of the re-
vo!utiGn. Our institutions were REGARDED a
the gift OF heaven Il were folly TO prop0rc
openly 10 overthrow the tfoYeru1ent and Ta-
dHce The people TO siavery- 1t were folly %
propose to build Il deSD0tism on the ruins
Of The Republic and to rob the peo-
pie Ct the birth-right OF freedom. YET
this WAS what the ori-inat0rs Of the
antj-moyement desired to 10 for this,
abolitonism was conceived for this, the
anti slavery Iren OF the past generation Ia
bored not less earnestly than those Of to-
day In Dor. Keeping out OF view the objects
10 BE- acruHlp plished they sought to array the
North against the South, the n0n-slaye-
holder against the STAKEHOLDER one class and
one section against another class and an
other section. Ciamorlng against slavery IN
order 10 avert atten too fToin their attacks on
the Constitution, they proposed measures
Wnich they knew were unconstitutional
la.owinE that every Vot" recorded on y pre-
text fol an unconstitutional measure weak
ened the detcnces Of that instrument and tend
ed 10 teo purpose thev had IN view. Tue
property III tertsts 1T stake were so InGmen l.
oUs that it absorbed The attention Of the prr-
pie aud while tbos directly Interested in
negroes and slaYery We're considering the -
ciaI and economical results OF the proposet
measures. and showing By the most Concir-
give locic the disastrous effect upon tho
country Of the emancipation Of the slaves
the people 81 tha FREQ states and the non
eiiL ECitCtlNE> ~ tifF '1CNkp were ptinG fbUsh
that they had no concern in the question -
The Constitution was forgotten, The danger
to the Government was over looked. lkn
liberties of the people and the independence Cf
the States were ignored. Fatal rlistak he -
step by step the people were led on in ti,e
path marked ont for them. Finally the free
States in solid coirInD gave their sancrion ta
Policy that was III conflict with the Con
sfitHtion, not intending to destroy the Con
stitution, but TO cripple, ana limit and uit
TlateiY TO destroy slavery. They struck ut
slavery, and tney pierced the Constitution 10
the heart. They Eould have destroyed the
rights Of the STAKEHOLDER and their own lib
critics pershed They consented that one pro
vision Of the Constitution should be violated:
and soon II was announced that the whole
instrument was suspended They agreed,
never dreaming Of the consequences, thing
ing only 10 cliff the artificial weights" from
the shoulders AT the slave, that the Federal
0cYeTnment might usurp one power reserved
10 the States and soon IL had usurped every
power so reserved. They acquieseed IN the
usufpation Of undelegated and reserved pow
eTs by the Federal Government and then
they must needs stand by while all tho pow
ers delegated to the Federal Govern ment or
usurped by 1t, were psurped III turn by sin
gle department of the Government. Less
than a year has elapsed since the people of
the North, blinded and deceived by the arts
of the master minds of the conspiracy agains.
the Government, voted to disregard one pro-
vision of the Constitution, III order to enable
them 10 abolish, sooner or later, slavery in
the Southern States aud by Il regular, h,is
rapid process, as far as the free States
concerned, the Constitution has been swept
away, the rights of the States have been
biotted out, till power has been consolidated,
first, in the Federal Government and next in
one department thereof, the liberties Of the
people have been taken from them, and In
stead of Federal Republic, a worse than
Oriental despotism rears it's trightfsl form.
SO rapid has BEEN the strides of the Reyoiu.
ton that we can scarcely realize its progress.
II was only when the iron hand OF the new
Government Was laid on our people, when
the gates of Its fortress prisons had heeni
closed on the ar.t Of those they had ioyed and
Trusted. when hvsstiiag ayoasta aud msrce.
nary so!sise.s heiore their eyes and around
iheif hames, retHiaspsi them III ilse sivpfep 1T
kfetK kl hihEailsx.l. lisff ihsY s..,sa IL a a,I.