Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1861-01-18
From Washington.
Correspondents of ihc Ohio stato Journal.J


WASHINGTON, D. G.. Jan. l3, 1861.
The tide runs steady towards disunion here
as well as in all the slave States-thcre is not
the slightest doubt that Hunters speech on
Friday in the Senate, shows where Virginia
is slowly but surely drifting-out of the I'm
ion. believe there is ne doubt that she will
vote herself out in State Convention before the
end of February. What then ? The grand
object of the Gotten States will be accomplish
cd. They will have dragged out the largest
of the border States from is connection with
the Federal Government, and set an example
which they think Maryland, Kentucky and
Tennessee must follow. l am not sure but
they are right. With Virginia out of the
Union, the whole power of the secessionists
will be tnrned upon Maryland to get her into
traitorous position, so that the capitol may
be surrounded by enemies and "a foreign fer
ritory." Will Maryland secede? This is a
very important question, and no man can alb
solutcly answer it. Both parties are exceed
ingly confdent-the Unioaists and the seced-
ers. To-day have no donbt the Union men
in the State are decidedly in the majority, but
this secession farce is an epidemic. We can
predicate nothing of the future upon the state
of things to-day. A month ago, Virginia
stood very large majority for the Union, but
to-day unqucstionably the majority are for Sc
cession. So, a month hence, by the time the
disunionistS are ready for bold strike ma
jority of the peop'e of Maryland may be ready
for the act of secession. With Maryland join
ed TO the new slaveholding confederacy. the
Cotton Stale disnnonists imagine that the
theatre of the war Immediately to break out
would be here, in the District, or in Maryland
and Virginia.
And here let me notice an important fact
which has been divuged by prominent seces-
sionist here. The plan of JEFF. Davis, Wigfall,
Toombs &Co., is to make the war commence
on the northern bordcrs Of the Southern Confed-
eracy. The idea is, that in such an event all
the cotton and sugar States can go on with
their raising of cotton and sugar, and not feel
the war; while the border States must feel the
full force of it, and bear the brunt of the con-
fct.
That the cotton State leaders are working
for this end, is plain as the nose upon mans
face; but the border States do not comprehend
it. Undoubtedly it is the best policy for the
nearer home to the North and West. A Vir-
ginnian said in my hearing, IF the free States
pursue wise course, they will by means Of
their vessels of war, carry the war into the ex-
treme Southern States, and let the contest 60
upwards towards Washington. By this course,
the weakest and the most guilty of the seeding
States would be made to feel the effects of tine
war, and it would not take six months to bring
the whole of them to a sense of their stupen-
dous folly."
But serious talk, like this, of tremendous
civil war, war of sections, almost curdles
ones blood. But the question is-how oan it
be avoided? South Carolina persists in her in
solent attempts to disgrace and humble the
Federal Government. 1t insults the national
flag with impunity. Can the people OF the
free States endure these insults much longer
Will they tolerate such conduct longer than
to the end of the present administration 1t
would seem as if they could not. But suppose
it were possible to separate peacably from the
Slave States; how long could war be avoid
ed The Southern Confederacy would at o once
demand return of fugitive slaves, and the
Northern States would not accede to the de-