The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1861-03-01
THE WEEKLY PIONEER AND DEMOCRAT

They regard him as, of necessity, an enemy.
Nearly one-half the other section, if not more,
distrust him and his party, and feel an inclina-
ton to condemn all he does, and to support
what will most embarrass him, if he under
takes to carry out what the mob that sur
rounds him advise. He must sacrifice the
country or sacrifice his party. He takes an
oath to enforce the laws; but an oath to do
wrong or to do an impossible thing binds no.
body.
Let the mob, North and South, for no com.
promise, stand back. The men who build up
or preserve institutions always compromise.
1t is only the shallow and thoughtless that
shout no compromise.
A couple of crazy editors in New York city
stand at the back of the Northern mob and
scribble daily no compromise. They feel
wrathful when they think of South Carolina
and the Southern Confederacy. They sprinkle
the words treason and traitor along their col
umns in glorious profuson. They had just as
well spare their pen and ink. The Brigadier-
General of one paper, and the white-coated
philosopher of the other, might recollect that
successful rebellion is patriotism, not trea-
son, and the successful rebel is a patriot. They
had as well not waste words on the subject un-
til it is settled whether these men down South
are traitors or patriots.
1t is a very important distinction. Those
who called Washington a traitor got the worst
used the words. We are no defender of these
revolutionists. They are guilty of egregious
folly, to use no harsher term but they have
not acted without prOvOcati0n. Justice and
reason may bring them back in time; force
never will. We must have compromises
just and fair one-nothing else will do in this
emergency. The vast majority of this Union
are Tor any fair compromise to restore the
Union; and if Lincoln u Co, stand in the way
of it, they will find themselves deserted by the
North as well as the South. The revolution
will spread to the other side of Mason and
Dixon's line.
Let the border slave States stand firm in the
Union, and demand justice in the Union the
border free States will come to the rescue.
The people are ready now in that section; and
the no compromise will be found high and dry.
Remember, it is a compromise of disunion. 1t
is idle to talk about enforcing laws; it is absurd.
England did not commit half such blunder
when she undertook to subdue the colonies, as
an attempt to enforce laws in these seeding
States would be just now. 1t would not only
be blunder worse than crime, but both a
blunder and a crime.
In Louisiana, the Protestant Episcopal
Church secedes with the State. A pastoral
letter from Bishop Polk of that Diocese
contains this extraordinary passage:
Our separation from our brethren of the
Protestant Episcopal Church IN the United
States" has been effected, because zoe must fol-
lou our nationality. Not because there has
been any difference of opinion as to christian
doctrine or catholic usage. Upon these points
we are still one. With us it is a separation,
not DIVISION certainly not alienation. And
there is no reason why, if we should find the
union of our dioceses under our national
church impracticah we should cease IN fool
for each other the respect and regard with
which purity of manners, high principle, and
manly devotion to truth never fail to inspire
generous minds. Our relations to each other
will be the relations we both now hold to the
men of our Mother Church of England.