The Placer herald., 1861-06-08
Who are the Friends of the Union?

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tons of the hour, there is nothing perhaps,
SO utterably absured as the cry of "Union"
among the anti-slaverytes. TLey are not
only disunionists in fact, tut they are striv.
ing, with all their might, to prevent any
restoration of the Union, and to crush out
forever the Union sentimemnt both in the
North and South, for if civil war takes place,
if blood be shed, if all the bad passions and
local prejudices and sectional latreds of the
country are let loose, who will venture to
predict the end of these things, or dare to
hope for peace and fraternity again among
this generation?
This journal has done more to strengthen
and preserve the Union sentiment than all
the journals of the North together, for
while our large circulation in the South has
always been made available against the mar
row creed of sectionasm, as embodied in
the Charleston Mercury and similar presses,
we have constantly labored to show the
north the real condition of southern socie
ty and thus the immeasur; bic folly and in
justice of anti slaveryism. The position of
The DAY Book is now, and always has been,
eminently national as well as Democratic,
and its doctrines are the only doctrines on
which this government can be preserved
and American nationality rendered indivi
sble and eternal. We hold this TO be a
white mans government, founded on princi
pies of equality, and therefore everywhere
where within its jurisdiction all men, wheth
er of the North, the South, the East or
West, are entitled to the same protection of
person and property. This is our position
"a position founded on basis Of everlast-
ing truth, endorsed 10y the Supreme Court,
and in the main 10y every administration
from George Washington to the last hour
of that of James Buchanan But we have
fallen on strange times. A party has come
into power by purely sectional vote that
is attempting to reverse the entire past pol
icy of the nation, and to carry on an "anti
slavery administration at Washington. An
"anti slavery" party is necessarily an anti
southern party, which has no more right to
exist an hour under the constitution than
has monarchical party.
Hostility to "s|avery" Is hostility to the
South, to the social welfare and prosperity
of every man, and every woman, and cry
fireside in the fifteen States Of the Union,
ton at Washington is per xe and in the ma
ture "f things hostile to these people. This
slavery" this relation, this social subordin
alton of negroes to the white citizenship,
existed in all the States, save one, when the
Union was founded and every administra.
tion Of the government, from the days Of
Washington to those of Mr. Buchanan's has
stood on perfect y neutral ground, neither
neither endorsing nor conflicting with the
social order Of the South. But now a par
ty confined to one section, based on h"stiIi
ty to this condition. is in power at Wash
ington, and places itself in conflict with
southern society Are they not disunionists,
necessarily disunionists! The people Of
Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, &C., of course
desire union with those of the North under
the Constitution, and on the terms that the
Union was formed; but i, is contradiction
and abuse of language to talk of union
when their own government places itself in
direct conflict with them. 1t therefore fol
lows that any man in these States is a Union
st or Disunionist jus! as the Adminis:ra
ton itself may determine; if it will occupy
the position of all other Administrations
from 1888 10 1861, they are all Uni"nists,
or if it continues in its present anti south
ern position, they must al! lie Disunionisis,
of course ~ Y. Day Book.