The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-08-02

The people Of the Border States under
stand very well the unfriendly and selfish
! spirit exercised toward them by the
leaders Of this cotton State rebellion, be-
| ginning sometime previous 10 its outbreak.
| They will not fail TO remember their in
sOlent refusal to counsel with us, and
their naughty assumption of response
bility upon themselves for their mis-
guided action. Our people will not soon
forget that while declaiming against CO.
ercion, they closed their doors against
the expectation of slaves from the Border
States into the South, with the avowed
purpose of forcing us into rebellion
through fears Of losing that species Of
property. They know very well the eff
feet TO be produced on slavery by civil
war, especially in those States into which
hostile armies might penetrate, and upon
the soil Of which the great contests for
the success of Republican government
were 10 be decided. They wanted some
immediate ground for the conflict of arms
Territory where the population would
be divided. They knew, also, that by
keeping slavery in the Border States, the
mere friction and abrasion" to which
you so appropriately allude, would keep
up constant irritation, resulting neces-
sarily from the frequent losses TO which
the owners would be subjected. They
also calculated largely, and not without
reason, upon the repugnance of nom
stockholders in those States to free
negro population. In the mean time,
they intended persistently to charge the
! nvarthrp.ry of al 10 h. h., IL. rr
the Government and hostility to this in
stitution the origin of the war. By this
means the unavoidable incidents of the
strife might easily be charged as the
settled purposes of the Government.
] Again, il was well understood by these
men that exemplary conduct on the part
Of every officer and soldier employed by
the Government, could not in the nature
of things be expected, and the hope was
entertained, upon the most reasonable
| grounds, that every commission of wrong
and every omission of duty would pro-
duee a new cause for excitement and a
new incentive for rebellion.
By these means the war was to be
kept in the Border States, regardless
of our interests, until an exhausted trea--
sury should render it necessary TO send
the tax gatherer among our people, to
take the little that might be left them
from the devastations of war They
then expected a clamor for peace by us,
resulting in the interference of France
and England, whose operatives in the
meantime would he given TO want, and
whose aristocracy have ever been ready
to welcome a dissolution of the Ameri
can Union.
This cunningly devised plan for Sc
curing a Gulf Confederacy, commanding
the mouths of the great Western rivers,
and the Gulf of Mexico, and the Southern
Atlantic Ocean, with their own territory
unscathed by the horrors of war, and
surrounded by the Border States, hall
of whose population would be left in
sympathy with them for many years to
come, owing to the irritati0ns to which
have alluded, has so far succecde d
too we'll
In Missouri they have already caused
us 10 lose third or more Of the slaves
owned at the time of the late census. In
addition TO this, | can make no estimate
Of the vast amount of property Of every
character, that has been destroyed by
military operations in the State. The
loss from general depreciation of values,
and the utter prostratiOn of every bust
ness interest of our people, is wholly be-
yond calculation. The experience of
Missouri is but the experience of other
sections of the country similarly situa-
! ted. The question is, therefore, forced
upon us, "How long is this war 10 con .
tinue and if continued as it has been
on our soil, aided by the treason and
folly of our own citizens, acting in con-
cert with the Conlederates, how long
can slavery, or, if you please, any other
property interest survive in our States Z"
As things now are, the people Of the
Border States yet divided, we cannot
expect an immediate termination of the
struggle, except upon condition Of South
ern independence losing thereby control
Of the lower Mississippi. For this, we
in Missouri are not prepared, nor are we
prepared to become one Of the Confeder
ate States, should the terrible calamity
of dissolution occur, This, presume
the Union men of Missouri would resist
TO the death. And, whether they would
do so or not will not suppose for an
instant that the Government Of the
United States would upon any conditions
submit to the loss Of territory, so essen
tial to its future commercial greatness
as is the State Of Missouri. But should
all other reasons fail 10 prevent such q
misfortune to our people of Missouri
there is one that cannot fail. The Con.
federates never wanted US, and would
not have US. | assume, therefore, that
the war will not cease, but will be con-
tinued until the rebellion shall be over.
come. II cannot and will not cease, SO
far as the people of Missouri are con-
cerned, except upon condition Of ouI
remaining in the Union, and the Who'll,
West will demand the entire control o
the Mississippi river to the Gulf Our
interest is therefore, bound up with tn,
interests of those States maintaining
the Union, and especially with the grea
States Of the West, that must be consult
ed in regard 10 the terms of any peace
that may be suggested, even by the ma
tions Of Europe, should they at any
time unfortunately depart from their for
mer pacific policy, aud determine 10 in
tervene In our affairs.
The war; then, will have to be contin
ued until the Union shall be PRACTICAL!
restored. In this alone consists the fu
ture safety Of the Border States them
selves. A separation Of the Union
ruinous 10 them. The preservation d
: tine Union can only be secured by a con
inuation Of the war, The consequence
: Of that continuation may be judged Of b.
the experience Of the last twelve month";
/ | The peoplc of nv State are as competcu