Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-07-03
Letter from, the sou,h.

4 ACetC1 AECA3- tAAC .-CotAAs :.
We find the following letter 10 late num-
Der of the. Boston Courier, preceded by the
remark that it was written by "a distinguish
ed citizen of Tennessee, doubted Union
man."
TENNESSEE, June 9, 1861.
Yesterday our people decided the question
of secession at the polls. and though four
| months ago, the 9th of February, they
| gave majority of over Ga, 600 against it,
| now, from appearances, the majority is as
| great the other way-the Middle and West
| being nearly unanimous for it, and overcom-
| ing the heavy Union vote of East Tennessee.
| My last letter to you, written before the
/ outbreak, expressed an apprehension of this
/ result. The commencement of hostilities
/ precipitated it. Then, too. the tone of such
Northern papers as the Tribune, Times Herald.
| Courier and Enquirer, ". Y. Post, &c, aggrava
ted the evil ten-fold, not by creating alarm,
but by arousing indignation. The newborn
zeal for the Union, by men who have never
| tired of mocking its friends, can hardly be
! mist AIKEN for anything else than partiZ4n de-
| votiOn to favOrite administration. Against
| dreadful odds the Union men went into the
| contest, like the Old Guard at Waterloo, and
| apparently with like success. Their good
| names reViled, their motives impugned,
| their lives threatened. they tOiled on unre-
expedient.
But let US not look mournfully upon the
| past Present duties and future prospects
concern us more. The first thing now is, to
| stop this useless and expensive war. Moth
| ing is to be gained by it and everything to
be lost. Then to convene a National Con-
ventien. with plenary powers to settle the
| terms of peace, SO as to place our future in
ternational relations upon permanent ba-
sis Gather up the fragments, if possible,
that nothing be lost.
Mr.. Russell, of the London Times says the
Great Republic is no more The Edinburgh
ReUie,g, assuming the same thing, says: The
South will follow the broad path of CONNER
cial freedom, uncontrolled by Northern pro-
tectiOnists. The North will follow the high
er track of social freedom, unfettered 10y
Southern Shareholders" Aud it might have
added England will reap the benefits. Her
great rival is humbled into two most profit
able and dependent stipendaries-as between
as, you will unquestionably be the gamers
The higher track of social freedom" is more
significant than the writer was probably
aware. 1t is freedom from AbOlitiOnism
which, as you will have no more slavery. will
as little trouble itself with the Institution in
the Southern COnfederacy as it has done with
it in Cuba or in BraZil-and so, having no
food, it will die of inanItion, and with it all
its pestilent brood of schisms and isms. 1t is
freedom from the Republican party, which.
having performed its office of breaking up
our Government by eXscinding every State
in which ii did not receive popular vote in
November, will now dissolve and give you
little more trouble. 1t is freedom from
class of charIatOns and sciOIists who, in our
sectional strife, have, by their partizan eX-
ceSseS, supplauted your statesmen and scho-
lars. But how will you hold the extremes
the East and the West of the diminished coun-
tTy-togetheT? VIII the attenuated geo
graphical ligament between Pittsburgh and
Lake Erie be strengthened by more powerful
moral, social and commercial ligaments? Or
will you weld Canada TO the weak point? AS
for US, our broad path of commercial free
dom" is unrestricted permission TO trade
with England, she generously bringing to
our does whatever we wish TO buy, and taxi
ing in our fields whatever We wish to sell,
making merely reasonable charge for trans
pUrtatlOn both ways, and protected by our
Constitution, which forbids US from either
protecting any branch Ut homo industry, or
granting any bounties for the encouragement
Of our Own commerce or any other domestic
enterprise. 1t Is more, it is a constitutional
right to secede from the Government when
we please, either with cause or without, thus
inducing Cuba and other contiguous couu-
tries, for sufficient consideration, to unite
their destinies with US, seeing that if they
are dissatisfied they can return to their foT-
mer allegiance at pleasure.
This Is the lot that for the present, at least,
we must accept. Then why fight? Will
that help the matter? We're it not better to
yield with what grace we may to the inevita-
bic necessity, aud trust that our children
will be wiser than we, as our fathers GER
tainly were, and will from our bitter expe-
riences learn a lesson of wisdom and states
manship adequate to the restoration of our
extinct nationality? Would victory 10y eth
side he any advantage?