, 1861-06-25

:, DR.. Hreckfnrfdxe on rho War.
The forthcoming number OF tho Danvt1o
R<uieo contains another masteriy article
on "the present state Of tho country" BY
the Rev. Z. ]. Breck1nridge, D. D., IL D., IN
which he shows the difficulties and mlsca&-
cu1ations Of secession that he war Is one OF
selEpreae1Eatlon On the part Of the nation;
not aggressive and against the South, but de-
fepsiye and against secesslouIsts." Tbs yieHs
OF the distinguished writer are important, not
only On account Of his vast ability and feryent
patriotism, but awaken additional interest
from the fact that his political opinions are
those imbIbed from his eminent father, Gen.
Breckenridge, who was Attorney General Of
MI. JeHerson's administration and perhaps
sti1 increased interest from the fact that he
has stood almost In the relation of father to
his nephew, Hon. John c. Breckenridge, late
Vice-Presldent and candidate for the Presl-
dency, his father having died while he Was
quite young. We make the following extracts
ftom the Doctors paper, BY which the char
acter OF the whole may be Judged:
!. II we consider for o moment the signal
Becessionlsts, and the strange miscalculatlons
and abeuEd professions upon which their hopes
Of ultimate SUCCESS rested, 1t will diminish, on
one hand, all dlstrrst Of the grounds on which
their hopes Of establishing their independence
by terrifying the natIon into consent, or con-
quering It by arms, have been shown to be
fntile; and Will augment, on the other haud,
the just confidence Of the nation that 1t Is mas
ter Of the situation; and augment, also, the
confidence with which every man at the South,
whether loyal or disloyal, ought to contem-
plate the disastrous end Of this reYolt, as in
e1itable. To succeed In establishing, by
force, the Independence Of the South-using
that word in its large sense, as embracing al
the Slave States-nece8sa,ly involved, IS the
very first condition, the unanimity OF the
whole South In the movement Instead of
this such aline Of conduct VAS adopted as made
the actlon of every Southern State isolated;
and this policy was pursued in such manner
securing unanimity In any state-lnd as to
make the principles Of despotism supp1ant
the principles OF freedom, In every State. The
seeds Of utter defeat were thickly soWn in the
first open movement Of the conspiracy. To-
day, instead OF . completely united, there Is a
thoroughly divided South. And We feel PER
fectly satisded that II every arm was removed
from the fifteen Slave States, and every m7u
In them all was allowed freely to choose his
efde-and t1en the whole population Vas
equally and completely armed, and the ques-
tion fought out, the result would be the sup
preston Of the 1ebels- Born Of Southern pa-
rents, in asouthern State-neyer having owed
or proteesed allegiance to any other govern
ment than that Of the United States, and that
Of the Commonwealth Of Kentuck ckJ-neyer
having even resided, during life far from
short, except temporarily nnd for brief Pc
riods out Uf TIE Southland having been
obliged by our course OF life to acquirea large
acquaintahce with the people, the Institutions
and the interests Of the South the opinion
we have expressed may be fairly weighed
against large amount Of clamor. It would,
We are convinced, be vouched as true aud
sound, on the conditions stated, by more than
half million Of Southern nen-1eady upon
fair occasion, and il need required, to uphold
it with their lives.
2 Again, the second imperative necessity,
preliminary to any lagrsnt proceedings by
force, was the absolute certainty that the pre-
tensions Of the South would be supported, at
least by opinion, in the twenty States Of the
North, in such q way as to divide and weaken
all concerted movements, designed to precipi-
tate the overwhelming force Of twenty millions
Of people, upon eight millions-r the whole
South wss united-with four millions ofslaYes
scattered amongst them; concerning the free
dom or the servitude Of which slaves, the rev.
clutioulsts prcfessed that the chief cause Of
the war lay. Instead Of that, the uuanlmity
Of the North proved, from the start, to bs
complete, and It's enthusiasm so great, that
brief proclamation Of the President, after the
bombardment at Charleston, called three or
four hundred thousand volunteers to thestan-
dard Of the nation; single State {Ohlo) otf.r-
ing more men than were demanded for the
whole nation. With these two facts, nothing
can be more obvious than the utter incompe-
| tcrcy or the desperate recklessues3 OF those
| who precipItatcd their followers into 3 con.
| dict as unequal as 1t was wicked-and did this
! With bcastings and revflinZs as unseenly Is
| thty were un:ounded.
plete than that into which the leaders of the
secession party fell and slept, during their
lopg conspiracy Of thirty years, Of the true
character, and actual position and temper Of
the American people, and OF the force Of the
power they had themselves accumulated, and
the value Of the preparation they had made for
! the setting Of . great nation at defiance, They
/ had talked treason so long together, that
| they seemed to consider it 9 power OF itself,
and all patriotism extinct The natlon1
treasury made bankrupt, the small army put
totally ont Of reach, and the arms Of the
ee:zcc-the little navy laid up, or scattered in
different seas-the unhappy President delu-
Ged, 6educed, or terrihed-and secret baud
Of sworn allies made up Of desperate adven-
turers, disloyal soldiers, and corrupt politi-
cians eca!tered over the natioa; these, Is fir
as the public are Jet informed, seem to hare
been the original implements which wecc
deemed adequate for the first ataEt Of mill
ta1y revolution, whose object was the dis
memberment Of one Of the greatest Of exist
| ing nations, Of the most Wariike people, With
the finest and 1irmest nationality In the world.
| Their subsequent success-fouuded upon 8
| temporary frenzy in the public mind, aud up
en- tie military ardor OF the Southern people,
their devotion to their domestic institutions,
and their personal and State pHde-may ce al
loved to redeem, in some degree, the miscal-
culated force Of the conspiracy, from utter
contempt. It is not, however, to the force or
foresight Of the conspiracy, but 1t Is to the
disordered and perilous state Of the county,
itself due to causes which We have developed
IN publications hitherto recently made, tha:
the great political mud military movements
throughout the largest portion Of the South,
| subsequent to the Inauguration Of Mr.. Lin :
coin, are to be attributed. These move
ments--in mary points Of view most dsplo.
rnble, in mary others Illustrative Of noble
traits OF character Of the Southern people,
and which have given to the secession cause
most Of its strength and all its dignity-even
If they could have been foreseen as one ele-
Iaent Of the future, arc the far.hest pc35iblo
from excusiDg the revolt For great as they
may be ard unworthy Is the cause Of seces-
sion may be to then-their iradequacy to
achieve tho objects proposed by the war, Is
none the less certain m inldtquacy founded
in the nature Of things, and which wise lea.l-
| ere would have, and generous leaders would
Eot have sacrificed.