The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1861-07-18
LETTER FROM VIM. G.. PoMERoY
SrEELvILLE, Mo-, June IL, 1861.

ED DEMocRAr,-Dear Sir: Your fovor of the
25th of May is received. In reference tC
your suggestions touching the present war, l an
at a loss for an answer. rhe object of this war
on the part of the Federal Government, is to sup
press what at the North is termed rebellion The
manifest object on the part of the South IS, tc
dissolve her connection with the Federal Union
and establish Southern Confederacy. How far
the opinions of mankind will justify the South IN
this revolution, remains for future events and fu-
,ure historians to disclose. The Causes that i'm
pelled the separation. are well known, not only IN
this country, but in Europe. government de
f,cto now exists in the South, composed of eev-
en- States, and .trange it may appear, each Pow
er, contending for the same form of government
and each protesting devotion to the principles and
measures enunciated by Washington, as ineorpo
rated in the paramount laws of the land. If it i:
not the design on the part of the South to discard
any of the cardinal principles of this government
ahen of course their action will be the more close
" scrutinized, because of the reproach that must
eventually fall upon one, if not both contendine
elements. The high protective policy. enforced by
the revenue laws since 1916, probably has much
to do with the present difficulty, but, to my mind
this can be no just cause for revolution, because
the evil would sooner or later, be corrected, and
justice in this respect given the South. But, the
long continued camor, and frequent legislatio
at the North on account of Slavery, probably had
more to do in producing this struggle. Slavery
was recognized by our Fathers in the formation o
this Republic and existed centuries before. The
South insist that the North do not, have not ad
m;nistered the government according 20 the true
intent and within the spirit and meaning of those
who framed its organic laws-that in the free
States there has for many years existed an anti
slavery party, whose sole cohesive principle was a
bitter hostility to the slave institutions Of the
South-that this party gradually increased until
political parties began to court its aid, and from it
rapid progressed in numbers, and increase in ha
tired to laveholders-that the public mind became
inflated with prejudice, and that politicians, dema-
Cogues, and sensation preachers, pandered to this
infatuation exciting the Northein mind against the
South. until the sacred ties of Union in sentiment
and "Union Of hearts, were entirely broken up.
and nothing left the South but contention and bit
ter strife. The South insist further, that the
North has enacted unconstitutional laws i'll many
States prejudcial TO the true interest of the South
that the North have violated a SC lemn compact,
by refusing to enforce the 3rd subdivision of the
Cd section of the 4th article of the Constitution,
which provides that "no person held to service or
labor in anv one State, under the laws thereof,
Gaping into another shall, in consequence of any
law or regulatian therein, be discharged from such
service or labor, but shall be delivered up. on claim
be dae." That the North has failed to enact laws
providing for the delivery of the slave who owed
service 20 his master under the laws of the State
where the slave had been reared-that the North
has at repeated times refused the master aid. and
permitted lawless citizens to deprive him of his
property-that when Congress interposed for the
relief of the master, by the enactmens OF the tu-
gitive slave law, the North trampeled that law un
der foot, and in some States nuifed it by legsla-
tion-that the North hold that slavery is unconsti-
tutional, except where it exists in more of
the original States that signed the original articles
Confederation in l77S, and so holding, disposed
to treat it accordingly. The South alledge, the
North has inaugurated the irrepressibe conflict as
between free and slave labor-that the North as
sert 'our government cannot continue to exist as
fathers made it, part slave and part free-that
house divided against itself cannot stand. that it
must become all one all the other-that slavery
must be confined and restricted so that it will eat
ont and destroy or consume itself,' and that the
decision of the Supreme Court, as pronounced in
the Dred Scott case is the North held for nousht
and ridiculed as farce. These, and many other
things arc alledged by the South as against the
North, and assigned as causes for revolution. The
North, it is said, insist that slavery is SIN. The
people of the South aver they unwilling longer
10 live in the 50 me Confederacy with community
so inflated, and ask permis sion to withdrnw peace
ably, aud take all the sin of slavery on this
continent on themselves, willing to render an ac-
count to a higher tribunal for their treatment 10
the slayes and, if so adjudged, for the institution
of domestic servitude. The many sayings of
elimination and re-crimnation, upon both sides
have long since divided churches colleges, schools
neighborhoods and families-the Missouri com
promise, the compromise of 80, and all former
pledges have fallen-States, too, have passed or
dinances of secession, and Union, the bes'
government ever devised BY man, broken up, two
mighty armies now arraved in hostility, and no
nundn SdBdclty can contemplate tiic ciu VI 'Hc
present strife. The sentiment once so happily
expressed, "a union of hearts, no longer applies
with force;-this kind of Union is broken. and it
will require perhaps age to re-unite the hearss
OF the American people in friendly intercourse.
Father and son. brothers, relatives, old associates.
and fond acquaintance, have become enemies and
arc already encamped in opposite armies. Who
can contemplate the horrors of civil war, and who
shall yet achieve the bootless victory? While
regard it as true that the people Of the South
have we'll grounded complaints against MAJ of
their Northern fellow citizens, and while l regard
many of their allegations correct in the main,
vet cannot believe these aledged causes sufli-
cient to finally dissolve this government until
there is, at least, fair opportunity given for re-
construction upon an honorable basis. A govern
ment like this should not be dissolved for light
and trivial causes. Yet. what will tho Union be