The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1862-01-11

| turc. 1t is region OF AOo,OuO square
miles trcnching upon eight or nine
Slave States, though nearly dcs.itue of
slaves itsclf-trenching upon at least
five cotton Sta es, though raising no cot
ton itself. The western part of Mary
land and two-thirds of Pennsylvania, are
embraced in the northeastern continual
tion of this remarkable region. Can
anything that passes under the name of
craftsmanship, be more preposterous,
than the notion of permanent peace on
this continent, founded on the abne-
cation of common and paramount gov
eminent, and the idea of The supercli-
Gus domination of the cotton interest
and the slave trade, over such NOUN
tain empire, so located, and so peopled.
As further proof of the utter impos-
sibility of peace, except under common
government, and at once an illustra ion
of the import of what has just been
sta ed, and the suggestion of a new and
insupcrable difficulty; let it be remem-
bcred that this great mountain region,
throughout its general course, is more
loyal to the Union than any other por-
ton of the Slave States 1t is the
mountain counties of Maryland that have
held treason in check in that State ; it
is forty mountain counties in Western
Virginia that have laid the founda ion of
new and loyal commonwealth it is
the mountain counties of Ken ucky that
first and most eagerly took up arms for
the Unihn; it is the mountain region of
Tennessee that alone, in that dishonored
State, furnished martyrs in the sacred
cause of freedom it is the mountain
people of Alabama, that boldly stood
out against the Confederate Government,
till their own leaders deserted and be-
trayed them. Now, is the ma ion pre-
pared, under any imaginable circumstan.
ces, 10 sacrifice these heroic men, as a
condition of peace conquered from them
by traitors? Will the nation sell the
blocd-we will not say of a race of
patrlots-but of even u single one of
them The Representatives of these
men sit in Congress; their Sena ors are
in The CAPT oil. Will the rebel Sta es
dismcmber themselves, that cotton may
have peace! Will the nation turn its
back on the five Border Slave S ates-
deliver over Western Virginia to the
sword-and cover its own infamy under
the ruins of the Constitution Never
never! Our sole al ernative-is victory.
To know this, is to render victory GER
tain.
Again: consider the question of boun-
Diary, as preliminary to peace. We have
shown, on a former occasion, that the
S ates of Maryland and Missouri stand
in such relations, geographical and
otherwise, to the nation, that they must
necessarily share its fate. Since we
gave expression to that opinion, much
has happened to strengthen i, and in
crease the difficulties Of any peaceful
division of the country. Amongst other
things, Congress has openly recognized
the revolu ionary Government in West
ern Virginia-and received Senator'S and
Representa- ives from States in open
rebellion the armies ofthe Confederate
States have invaded Western Virginia,
Missouri and Kentucky: and to conque,
a boundary extending from the Chesa-
peakc, the Ohio, and the Missouri, is
one of the avowed objects of those inva-
sions. Whatever may have been the
state of public opinion in any of the five
Border Slave States, at an early stage
of our national difficulties, at present
there is not, probably, single loyal
citizen in either Of them, who would
en- 'ertain, for moment, the idea OF
being attached to the Southern Confed-
eracy-or who would not dcnounce as
atrocious, on the part of the General
Government, any sugges ion that looked
toward the surrender of those five S;a'cs
TO the Southern Confederacy, as a con-
di ion of peace. On the opposite side,
it is most probable that every seccsslonist
in those five State would greatly prefer
the continuance Of the war, to peace,
accompanied by such division of the
nation as would attach the Border Slave
States to the Northern portion; while
the more violent portion of them would
probably, prefer the continuance of the
war, to tie complete restoration of the
Union on any terms. But these Border
Slave States are, and must continue tt
be the chief theatcl of The war, so long
as the issue of the war hangs in the lcas
suspense. We say no hing, here, of the
absolute necessity of the conquest of the
secession party, and the res Grafton O.
the Union and the power of the Nationa
Government, as the solitary condition
upon which the peace or safety of the
whole country is possible: What We
say IS, that in the actual condition O.
the country, of the war, and of the
avowed aims and recognized obligations
Of both parties, the question of boundary
, renders peace impossible, even if both par.
ties desired peace upon any other ground
We readily admit that there is hardly az
imaginable contingency, in which the
Confederate Government can ever con.
quer, or the nation ever concedc, any
boundary-that ought to be an allowable
basis of peace. But this only show.
how clear it is that the nation can con.
template no alternative but triumph o.
ruin and that the conspira.ors agans
its peace and glory have madly plunged
into wicked rebellion, which could hav,
no result but the subjuga'ion of thu
whole ma ion, or their own destruction
At first, their prctext was---the right 0
each State to sccede. Now, they seel