The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1861-05-10
England and France.

A foolish and senseless paragraph has
been in the papers for the last eight days,
10 the effect that England and France
had determined 70 join the Free States
in their work Of overrunning. subjugst-
ing and "wiping out" the. South. This
precious piece of "sensationY originated
in John N. Forney's Black Republican
Pres. and is being reiterated with evident
relish by such parties as desire IL should
prove true. As yet no authoritative in
dication has been given as TO the policy
Of the English and French governments
in reference to the unhappy difficulties
among the American States. That they
will send cruisers TO our waters to look
after and protect their vessels engaged in
commerce, is to be expected. But that
they will offer any armed interference 10
aid the North is simply absurd. Govern
ments, like individuals, are moved, in the
main. by interest, and we should like to
know what substantial or material inter-
est either Great Britain or France could
have in destroying the South, which is
purely an agricultural region, for the
benefit Of the North, which is largely
manufacturing and which completes sue
cessfully with the two great European
Powers in every market Of the world?--
Southern men who circulate such reports,
calculated to alarm very old ladies and
very young children, let their zeal out
strip even the probabilities and contin-
gencies Of the case-for these are decid-
ed'y in favor Of the assumption that, if
either England or France tender an arm.
ed interference in the affairs of the di-
vided States, it will be for the South and
against the North.
h6y- We learn that some of the citizens
of this place are censuring us for the ap.
pearance of one or two articles in our pa.
per. which originally appeared in the New
York Tribune and Webb's Courier and En-.
T0rer. We clipped those articles from
Southern papers, for. with the exception
of the New York Daily Express, which is
always sound, we take no journal frcin
beyond the slave line; and we reprinted
them for the purpose of showing our read
ers the hellish sentiment that is per.
vading the Northern mind, and the i'm
portance of uniting at once for defence
and self-preservatien. We don't suppose
for moment, that there is any misappre.
hension in the mind of any honest and
responsible man in regard to our motive,
and we should not allude to the sub ect, ex
cept that we were absent last week at
Nashville, when one of the articles ap
peared, and wish to say that it was select
ed by ourself and was in type before VIZ
left home, and whatever blame there may
be, if any, attaches to ourself, and to nc
one else. We e1it our own paper, and
are always anxious to meet any response
bilities growing out Of it's conduct. There
is much printed, no doubt, that should
not be, yet the files Of the Athens Post
now running through . period of nearly
thirteen years, bear us out in the asser
ton that no paper in the State, and Ger
tainly none in East Tennessee, has beer
more conservative in its general manage
ment, or freer from articles of an infiam
matory, vituperative and personally Of
fensive character.
Wealways endeavor toavoid as much a.
possible the publication of articles that
may be used for mischievous purposes
yet we regard it highly important that
our readers should, to some extent al
least, be made familiar with the sentiment
prevailing in another section of the
Union. The press of the State has re
sponsible duty to perform, and that duty
is made more imperative by tho persistent
efforts of individuals to mislead and abuse
the public mind in regard to the condition
of the country and the course to be pur
sued to relieve it.