The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-02-01

akaAOAA MOhNlNStss..-.s e.se fsEB v. !, 1861
Early Approximations of Dtsselution.
The fathers Of tae Republic seemed to hav,
. had very plain perception OF the probabl
disruption OF the Union by reason Of It's mag
ptsnde II has been n favorite theory OF on
later times, that wide extension and grca
diversity Of interests tended to Strengthen
rather than weaken the federal bond Ihi
would undoubtedly have been the effect il
fact, bat for the persistent efforts Of Northerf
agitasors 10 place the Southern section under
the law Of public opinion. long, system
attic effort has been made 10 degrade one
half the Union in the eyes OF the osner'
and Of mankind. The spirit OF mutu" w
tired and amnesty has been Piahteo Al. 'ee
hearts of the two sections, ana We ha'e
al length reaitys.. all the fears oil 'he round
are Of .b. confstierscy However strong ana
,o,,,n.c, the Union might have been rendered
NV sxpsusion, if fra'ernsl sentiments mad
continued TO peryade The people, IL is plain
,ba, evanston has has tened and ensured the
dissolution OF divided and alienated Con-
feaeraev. The necessity of union for self
,ro,ection which originally consolidated the
Co,onics and the infant States together, has
rossed away; each section Of the Confederacy
Is strong enough 10 defend itself against a
world in arms; hatred and hostility have
rendered association odious, and dissolution
results,
From a painful and present fear Of dis
solution, from rapid growth III national pros
peri;y and greatness, WASHINGTON wrote his
Farewell Address, warning against wnat con-
stantlv doomed up with gloomy portent in his
i'm ,rina,ion-sectionaI alienation aud geo.
graphical parties. Ii never occurred to him
that a free people would brook an admins
tra,ion OF The Federal Governmentb section.
nj organizations. He seemed TO consider that
the success OF n geographical party IN seizing
the powers OF government, would OF itself DC
n dissolution OF the Union and thus, that
very Farewell Address of his speaks trumpet
rougued the duty OF the South III the present
emeryeucy JEFFERSON entertained as lively
fear OF dissolution from the same cause, de-
claring that the Introduction OF the slavery
question into Congress "fell upon his ear like
a fire bell in the night He regarded the
introduction of the subject there as light
inr the flames OF u coufiagration which
must consume the whole fabric. so lar
from having ex tinguished the flame, what has
Congress not done to feed and magnify To-
He saw that the ediIiCe OF Union must disap-
nsar for he felt that the South was TOO spir-
tied TO brook an assault upon her domestic in
situations. These very fears OF JEFFERSON be-
come now lesson OF duty 10 the South for,
if we submit to what he thought our manly
instincts would rebel against, we are not the
people he esteemed lis to be. HENRY CLAY, as
well as his great compeers of - and 80, was
equally emphatic in his depreca lion of the
slavery agitation, as Il lover of disunion. His
most thrilling outbursts of patriotic eloquence
We're drawn forth by The lively apprehen-
sions OF disunion, which he entertained from
This cause. His estimate OF Southern spirit
was the same as that Of WAsHISGTos and JET
PERSON. He predicted inevitable dissolution
from the agitation, if il was not brought to
an end in 1850. II has gone on till 1861 and
the six seeding Gulf States have but accept
I'd the recourse indicated by Mr.. CLAY. The
departed fathers of the country look down
from their present exalted abodes upon these
seeding States, doubtless with regret, but
without one word OF reproach and every
word they ever uttered in depreciation of sec
tional warfare, and in prediction OF dissolu-
ton, is word of burning shame to the States
that linger and debate, and reN the spirit of
their people by leaving undecided the ques-
ton of which side they viii join.
There is no alternative for secession on the
part of all the Southern States, short of
popular declaration in good faith from the
North that they hate us no longer and will
agitate against our domestic institutions no
more. No scheme of compromise that does
not virtually convey this language from the
Northern masses 10 the Southern people will
be worth the paper il is written on. If the
Union can be preserved by an empty abraca-
dnbra OF words, which shall leave all the pre-
sent bad blood fostering in the bosoms of the
sections and the angry agitation now rife
widening and still widening the present gap
ing chasm of popular alienation, then WASH
ISdToN, JEFFERSON and CLAY were Indifferent
judges OF human character, and the Southern
people filter material for vassalage and serf-
noln than they esteemed them 10 be.