The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1861-09-04

doctrine goes down L Will go with IL.
There were causes of irritation be ween
the sections ] admit. I deprecated them,
and labored long and earnestly to get rid
of them. But it was not done. Those
causes of irritation, although they may
have suggested to Southern States to re-
quest becoming guarantees, they never
justified armed rebelIiou IN any shape or
manner. Aud what was The cause of ir,
riration +? The only real, practical cause
of irritation was the non-execution of the
fugitive slave law But that did not af-
feet the Cotton States so called but Mis-
souri,, Kentucky, Virginia, Maryland, and
Delaware, and perhaps one or two other
States were the only ones ever injured by
it. The Cotton States. SO called, never
lost fugitive slave from the time of their
existence to this day To be sure they
had question about territories, but it
wa, so entirely ideal, a mere abstraction,
and so, practically, not real grievance.
But if it had been they had the Supreme
Court and both branches of Congress,
and practically had control of the ques-
ton. The fugitive slave question was
the only practical question therefore which
annoyed theu, and that Question was not
The cause of the rebellion What State
first seeded ? South Carolina began to
scrape liut before the votes were counted
She had no practical grievances whatso-
ever Look at Virginia Though poll
ticians cajoled, cheated. and defrauded,
and bulies held bowie knives at the
tlroats of her citizens to coerce rebellion,
it was long time before they could com-
pei that State iuto anything like Seces-
sion And when they did so nomiLally,
the State Government was revolutionized,
one part flew away from the other, and
organized their government, rather than
allow it to go into the bottomless pit of
Secession. Maryland, when she gets a
chance, votes against it Missouri-her
citizens are pouring out theft blood like
water and their treasures without stint,
rather than be drawn into Secession.
Look at good old Kentucky, whore her
Governor and Senators have labored to
bring her out of the UBion-aiter all at
teupts to seddce her from her fidelity 10
the Constitution, she gives more than
sixty thousand majority for the Union.
Now, | inquire of all cllizc ms in the Free
States. especially my Democratic fellow
citizens, whether they are troubled about
the integrity of Keutucky-whether they
think it is necessary TO stay up the hands
Of rebellion in Kentucky So emphatically
condemned there? And now | repeat
that that the only practical cause OF dis
sention was the fugitive save question !;
and that appertained to States that could
only be drawn or dragooned into the folly
of Secession. Gen. Butler has had this
que>tisn on his hands As long as the
Constitution was acknowledged, all con-
servative citizens admitted that it was :be
duty of the Free States to restore the flu
gltlve who was fleeing from the service
of his master Gen Butler has found
the restoration Of the fugilives impracti-
cable in many cases. The master had
thrown off tie Constitution What was
the result? lie was otliged to receive
hundreds of coutraoands, AID retain them
do not knew what he is going to do
with the question but | suppose be is
going to do WIKI them something as the
Lrlshman was going to do with the Wild
ow Malunes pig. "Did you steal the
Widow Malone's pig, Patrick p asked
tie priest. That | did" What made
you !" "Think, when you will stand, you
hera,ic, in the Great Day, when | shall
be there, and you will be there, and the
Widow Malone will be there, aud the pig
will be there" "And will your rever-
ence be there ?" Yes" 'And tie Wild
ow Malone be there 7" "Yes." "And the
pig there ?" ''Yes." well, I should say,
Widow Malone, take your pig Now, |
do not know but Gen. Butler is going to
take as long a credit as did the Irishman,
But, when we have constitution, end
when they acknowledge its force, have
no doubt but every just citizen will be
for seeing il complied with. Now, [
have just as much confidence in the mass
es of the Southern people as in the nass
es of the Northern people. Both are
alike. The masses are honest. To be
sure, their institutions, their means OF
communication. render them more exclt-
able. more easily lead, aud more relying
upon their leaders for public information,
and therefore more liable to be misled
than Northern people. Nevertheless.
have confidence in the Southern people
and the result of the great conflict in
Kentucky assul es me that the Southern
heart is with the people to the core
Though terrified into seeming Secession
with the exception of one or two States
in the South, am well satisfied that il
the question of Union or Disunion were
4 submitted &c the people to. day an over