The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1862-05-28
Northern Conservatism.

i go tne coutnTen Contederacy, thus dlEcour-
ses on Northern conservatism
"The people OF the North are divided
into Two parties, in the presen, war, as in
the peace preceded 1.-The conservatives
and destructives. The latter are our old en-
emies. the Abolilionis,s, who are crazy peo
ple-honest, perhaps. in their fana,icism.
but fit only for a straight jacket. The for
mer our old friends, who used 10 declare
that they loved US better than themselves,
and that, before an army Of invasion should
march against The South, it should march
over their dead bodies. II seems TO be sup
posed that they have changed their charac-
Ter, and been merged by The war into one
seethlng cauldren of Aboliiionism This,
however, is grea. mistake. The war has
not changed their character but only dis
covered il 10 the world. II has shown them
TO be the salsest, the most treacherous, and
the most hypocritical of mankind. But for
conservative money and conservative men,
it could not be carried on a single day -
Conservative cities have provided the cash
and the soldiers. conservative generals have
led their armies, conservatism has, in fine,
proved the most formidable of our enemies.
We are not aware of a single Abolitionist
general who occu2 pies conspicuous posi-
| ton in the Federal hosts Mcclellan, Ros
encrans and others are somewhat ultra in
! their conservatism, and M'Cook who said
that il he had an Abolitionist in his army
he would cut off his ears, is the same who
procIaims, The South mus. be subdued or
exierminaied.' The conservatism of these
men is still, however, conservatism: only il
does not mean, as we formerly supposed
the preservation OF the Constitution and the
rights oil the States, but the conservatism OF
Northern commerce and manufactures, at
/ any Cost whatever TO The Souih-at the cost
of every lie and hear,hstone in its limits
at the cost of converting its whole territory
! into one vast scene of blood and tears
That is what Northern conservatism means
and Eothing else. II is, in worl, the
most deiestable avarice-a love OF money so
passionate and absorbing that il would nur
der whole people 10 fill its pockets. That
| is Northern conservatism! In what is it
better than AboIilionisml ln
/ We publish the above choice bit of abuse
because it demonstrates that while the
| Northern radicals are charging the conser
yalives with giving aid and comfort 10 the
enemy, the Secessionists, on the other hand
denounce these same conservatives as the
most formidable Of their ensHies.
The Northern conservatives are hated by
both the Abolilionists and the Secession-
! lists because they stand as wall of fire
around the Constitution TO protect it from
the reasonable assaults of either of these
revolutionary factions. The Secessionisls
cordially hate the conservatives because
their loyalty to the Government remains
unshaken, and because they are the most
I potent and active enemies of treason. The
hatred of the Abo:it:onists for conservatism
is equally intense, and for very much The
same reason, because il resists every al
tempt to convert war for the maintnance
of constitutional government into an engine
for its destruction.
When this rebellion was ihaueurated by
the Davises, the Toombses, the Benjamins
and the Whigfalls of the South, they had
not the most remote reason to apprehend
the slightest infringement upon their Con
! stitutional rights. The Republican parry
although in a minority of the popular vote
had obtained control OF but one branch OF
the Govefnmeni-the executive branch
The Congress elected with MIR. Lincoln was
Conservative Congress. The Senate vas
largely against the Republican party The
Cabinet and foreign appointments of the
new President were subject 10 the approval
o. the Senate. His was the very cypher
OF a function. The victory OF The Republi-
car party would have proved barren vic
tory, and ils fruits limited to the patronage
J under the exclusive control OF the President
and The Departments. Moreover, the Con-
gress which expired with the incoming
! President, though it defeated lie Critenden
Compromise by the joint efforts of The Re-
publicans and the secession conspirators,
adopted an amendment to The Constitution
protecting each Stale in The right 10 regu-
late its domestic institutions and also rec
commended 10 the Northern States the re-
peal of their unconstitutional personal lib
eny bills The South had nothing to fear
from the New administration. Had the
Souihren Senators remained faithfully at
their posts, and Southern representatives
reformed TO Congress, the Republican party
would have been poweress 20 carry out any
of its offensive doctrines, and al the end of
four years it would have been succeeded
by Democratic Administration. But IN
stead of conhning their opposition TO the
limits prescribed by the Constitution, the
Southren Senators went home to inaugurate
rebellion and put their cause TO the ar5i-
trament OF the sword. They became rai-
tors to the Government and traitors TO the
Northern conservatives who stood by them
| so Long a. thax claimad noihino mnr.