The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1861-08-28
The Fatricidal War.

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modification AID deep despair. Vel may We despair
Of popular liberty in presence Of the sight the veria
sees to-day 4 republican people. whose liberties Were
won by & rebellion, whose independence was achieved
bE d secession. parrot a. glibly d any minions Of OLD
world tyranny, the rebels and "tle rebellion IS the
phrases Of odiam and reproaeh. Those who profess
70 held sacred tie popular Will, TO reverence the desire
for sslfgoreFnfnsnt, proceeding to drown the popular
viii Il bleed and to answer the desire for seIfgoTern-
meat b bupshery and slaughter
If shat Il nos passing ID America took place IN any
Of the od weird empires, Il would be at least intelligi-
BE. Il the citizens Of nearly balfa IN empire five times
as large as all Europe, with an ananiHitg never sur
passed, and rarely equaled, declared By free poll. ID
open day, BY universal suffrage that their interests and
theE feelings demanded the substitution Of the imperial
goyernrea. b. enc Of their own choice; and thai the
Imperial government marched its armies to crush the
demand ii tile blood Of tie rebels, It would be moth
ing new among democratic systems
Bat in q great confederation Of republican States, in
a system based Or the viii Of the ~people-bazed upon
the right Of rebelion-that All this should happen that
We nov see-;hat no tyranny or despotism Of old Eu-
rope ever drew the sword more saTagely TO put down
.re5eliear AID tFample Oh the voice Of the people,
than this same central government OF arepublie&R con
feIeradoa-it i enouga to wiring the heart Of ans man
who belieYedin the greater humanity and federation Of
popular governments Wen mas tie advocates of les-
potc monarchy laugh in bitter motkefy ar those WHO
believe that a people ruling themselves would never
spill blood il popular sub5agatton, and that such murders
were done only by kings and despots q Oh Europe,
Il is hideoas sarcasm on rspuJicanlsm to hesrtbe
journals Of the northern States Yelling for the b.oodos
the rebek7-for their utter suHugaeoa and destruc-
item VI meaH 70 conquer them, SAYS 4 republican
journal in New Yo7k-'D2t merely 10 defeat, but to
conquer, TO s~u55ugate them. But aHeu the r~e5elious
traitors are oyernhelned I'll The field, and scattered like
leaves before the angry wind, it must not be to return
to peaceful and contented homes. They must find
poverty Al their fresides, and zee priyation IN the an1-
ions eyes Of nlethers and rags of chiIdzan.n Vas ever
more hellish sentiment uttered2
Where in the annals Of despotism or the records Of
lis butchsries, sAal. we seek Tor a parallel to this2-.
Where-eyeu against rebels who hai hot 4 particle Of
justification: II the subjects Of the most legitimate
sovereign that ever held q sceptre had acted as the
southern States have done. would these sentiments not
be iHf4rais= If uttered Oh lis part? Yet, infamy Of
infamies are they when uttered hy republicans against
brother repubHcans-uttered BY the descendants Of
tie rebels Of re, against men who, with fr greater
ananinity, nos demand the seIfsame right those rebels
claipcd-sslfgorernment
We shall be told that the south had no right to Sc
cede; therefore. var upon j i justita5le. When Eng
land made var upon her rebelious American colonies,
she said they had no right to "secede, y and YET, there
fore, that was Unstable. We shall be told the south
ezhibi: no wrongs to justify rebellion. The very
same vas held By those who sought to crush the colo
in their struggle for selfgOyernment. But why
should we be called upon by republicans to consider
these points 1t all? Have We not been told, j. the re-
principle, that the subjects Of a State them
selves, and no enc else, are to be judges whether they
provocation, justification OF right?
Yet let us consider that the case Of the south. a.
regards its rgAtto secede, Is FIR stronger than was that
the American colonies to rebel Under the old
nonarchicaI systems no such right was ever tolerated;
Do such principle ever heard of-as .the voice of tie
population" determining thejustiee, Legitimacy, or dura-
Of a government. The American colonies origi-
mated under that monarchical system. They had never
claimed or possessed the attributes Of independent
sovereign States nor had their connection with the
English crown originated IN a compact having for il
object mutual benefit and defence.
What, Oh the other hand, is the position Or The
southern States IN the present cascs They are not
mere colonies, counties or districts Of any State. king
Or empire. They are 4 number Of sovereign,
Independent States" 50 styled in law and 50 proved in
Their political system-the political system Of
whole United States Of Americas based on the
principle IF tile right of rebellion deter
.1 a.. 80 -. -E I--,,E III $1,000 )
dependent, sovereign States, Of their Own and the COM
non welfare, interest and protection, fcderate with
certain others to Till end.
A number Of these States declare that faith has not
kept with them in the compact of eonfe Iteration;
md that the cause and purpose Of their federal assoc
with certain others 10 longer urge it, c%ontfnu-
,nce, but on the contrary demand its termination
Whether they possess the right to so terminate the con
lection, is neither asserted nor denied BIZ the deed Of
This silence Is claimed BY each side in the
quarrel as favorable to its own case. Upon which side
he construction may be said to weigh, IS, no doubt, a
and intricate question fol- political doctrinaires and
lair-spItting controversialists.
But what We have to say IS this, thetit Is something
than mournFal, it is monstrou=, tits an outrage
md disgrace to humanity. that, gu ! point which
be ruled either way, the shocking spectacle mast
re seen of torrenas Of blood being made to flow in the
the subjugasion, Of those Independent States,
merely ask for self-government and freedom to
their own destinies, We say it would be de-
lorable, even if those southern States we're mere colo
or outlying districts Of a despo,ie empire.
we say that, ii the flee Of such 4 %naninou deter
for seeession-right or wrong, according to
construction feonsttutiona techniealties -this bloody
var to force union on the southern people at the point
the sgord-to sabre them into brotherhood, and
them into 'libertyn'-is a Blot upon humanity.
We cannot pause to weigh the niceties of the rival con-
Of the silence Of the deed of union with re-
crence to the right Of secession.
We turn in disgust from all this, denying that the
oroof al best can be plain enough to reconcile Us to
butchery-butchery to be done, let US remember,
by kings, autoerats or tyrants, but BY republicans,
of popular liberty-thenselves the offspring
# rebellion! We have often enough and clearly de-
Jared our anxiety that the great republic Of America
night be saved from ACKNOWLEDGMENT; but far greater
s our anxiety-for the sake of the hideous reproach
t involves to popular liberty-that it may be solved
that terrible crime Of forcing its federal embrace