American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1851-1863, 1861-12-21
> Northern conservative on the War.


Daniel 8 Dickinson, who vas once consid-
ed so true aud steadfsst a friend OF the
south, not long since made var speech
i the North from which we make a single
ztract:
"TLis was called The rebellion or secession
Movement. bur il was not rebellion Of the
aeople against the authority Of the L. States;
was simply the treacherv Of q few high Off
ers Of state whose bafcd ambition and
rcachery were the means Of plunging the
1uatry into all the horrors of civil war
The speaker then says the report, - drew
vivid picture of the ultimate fate aud iney-
able doom Of traitors, inStancing Judas Is
esriot aud Benedict Arnold as examples OF
vi bat goult ultimately befall those who were
low eudc8yoring TO overthrow the Union.
10 gain "A peace u must be conquered mo-
compromise, no concession must be made;
for the acknowledgement OF the Southern Con
frderacy would inauguT..te the reign Of auar-
chy."
Ne have a few words TO say about this re-
mark OF " Scripture Dick. as Southern men
used 10 call this old man, who has proved
himself to be a peridious old sinner, and
whose conduct proves that the great mass Of
the Northern people, including many of the
best among them, are Enthusiastically and uu-
reliable, and utterly unfit to be the political
associates or equals of the Southern people
Daniel :. Dickinson is the Northern man
whom the Southern people always swore by.
Whenever Southern man who thought the
onion ought not 10 be broken up as long as
could possibly be avoided, was asked for
violence of Northern soundness sufficient to
Justify our remaining in the Union, he always
named Scripture Dick" as the first of a long
list of worthless who would stand forever hv
the rights Of the South
But, alas alas lie, too, is only an uuprin-
ripled old mercenary. He stood up for the
lights of the South because that South filed
ais pockets with change; and the difference
between him and his followers in the North,
md the red -mouthed abolitionist, was only
his: The aboIitionists were like the man
whose goose laid him a golden egg every day;
hey were unwilling to wait and get the egg
in due season each day but wanted to kill
the goose and get all the eggs at once; to
grab what substance the South had at one
fell sWoop, 10y striking down the great pillars
upon which the superstructure Of our wealth
was created. If the negroes could be freed,
our strength would be impaired. Sampson
would be shorn of his locks, and hcuceforth
we should be yassals our great wealth and
resources would be at their command This
was the view Of the grasping, thieying cman-
cipatiou element, whose watch word was
81 lreecioHg.''
Eot so with " Scripture Dick" lie and
his coadjutors had more philosophy and good
II
forever, provided she would lay that egg of
gold every day
But when his section of country, in its
greed, overwhelmed him and his policy, and
made an effort to get the eggs II ittie faster
than before, he joined in with the abolition
hue aad cry to crush us out-just like the
man who killed his goose
=. To gain peace he says, 90 it must he
conquered; no compromise, no concession,
must be made; for the acknowledgement Of
the Southern Confederacy would marguerite
the reign of anarchy"
Truth well and fifty spoken, and Daniel
knows it right well. We look for nothing
else. That reign of anarchy is already
inauguratcd -; and it will reign supreme
in that fauatica land until some bold leader
can gather about him sufficient strength to
seize upon and take away from them their
liberty, and fasten upon their necks the yoke
of an autocracy. Such government. and such
alone-one that is irresponsible and has the
power, holding both the sword and the urse,
can keep that people in decent Subsection to
any laws or aUthority--let alone those Of
morality and christianity voluntary OBJ
servance Of which, by people, is an iudis-
pensable prerequisite, as well as a test, of
self-goveInment.
The South not only gave the North its
wealth, but it was the balance-wheel of the
machinery of the Union. But for the wis
dom of Southern statesmen, and the sober,
moral conservatism Of the South. they would
long since have gone into anarchy and ruin
When he says this revolution is not of '-the
people,, but the treachery of few high Off
GERS whose beiiied ambition plunged the coun-
try into war; he utters what he knows TO be
false. If the people had not been ripe for
secession, il could not have been brought
about No efforts of bafled politicians ever
yet carried any people into a measure against
have been accomplished, Dick and his crowd
would long since have carried the people of
the North with him, in his philosophic way
of allowing the goose TO live forever and lay
him a golden egg every day. He and few
more like him have been haffied 10 these many
wears, and no men ever made more strenuous
cxertions TO carry the people along with them,
neither did any ever fail more signally. The
people. there have gone their own way, and
Daniel and his crowd are now going with
them.
Dickinson not only now goes with the abo-
litionists for crushing out the rebellion bv
the most cruel war recorded in modern times,
but he has descended to telling palpahle lies
in order to keep up the courage of the north
era people. 1t is contest with them, not
only for the gold that fills their pockets, but
for the existence of free government. The
issue is fearful one, and we expect them to
Weld only with their dyiac gasps.