The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-12-13
SATURDAY MORNING, DEC. Is 1862
The Southern Rebellion the Imme-
diate Cause of Slave Instructions
and the Abolition of Slavery.

and the Abolition of Slavery
The Southern rebellion was q blow at
che very organization Of our society
Every man and woman in the Southern
States, who was concerned in il, became
another Peter the Hermit, preaching TO The
excited slaves the overthrow Of the sys-
TEN which held them in bondage Every
masier who encouraged enlistments in
the rebel army, virtually shouted TO his
slaves, revolt revolt / have, myself, SET
you the examplel The shareholders who
for so many years had been preaching
obedience and submission to their labor
ers, presented themselves, in the dread
full act of secession from the Federal
Union, as SO many wild and frenzied in
cendiaries to those who shonld.have seen
at all times in their masters, moderate
and orderly conduct. BY a system Of
falsehood and calumny, as unfounded
and gratuiious as it was senseless, the
Southern leaders in the hearing of their
slaves, charged the Republicans with the
deliberate intention of setting than free,
and then with folly equaIled by their
wickedness only, raised the standard OF
revolt. Every part of the South swarmed
with rebel soldiers troops marched to
and fro, filling the South with excite
ment; the peaceful agricultural pursuits
of the slaves were broken of, and plant
ing operations suspended. BY the vol
untrary, atrocious, uncalled for, and ut
terly stupid calumny of the leaders, by
whom the people Of the South suffered
themselves to be bulled and domneered
over, the negroes were led to believe
that Mr.. LINcoLN's Administration had
come into power, for the purpose of set
ing them free. The devil never coined o
blacker lie in hisinfernal work shop. Ter
rible is the punishment of this great sin.
The rebels are doing the very thing
which they accused Mr.. LINCOLN of in
tending 10 do. They are themselves, un-
Intentionally, perhaps unwittingly, act
ing the part of practical, immediate, RADI-
CAL Abolitionists, and in all probability,
their efforts, SO far as the complete de-
struction Of slavery is concerned, will be
successful. Secessienism is Abolition
ism. Abolitionism, as generally under
steod, was the dogma of small party,
living mostly in those States which are
furthest removed from the presence of
slavery; Secessionism is the act of a large
party living among the slaves, and con-
sequently is infinitely more potent in de-
stroying slavery. 1t does the work in
several ways.
Itexcites the slaves and makes them
restless.
II suspends their ordinary labors by a
great domestic CONFUSION, and makes
great numbers Of them idle, and conse-
uuently demoralized and insubordinate.
IL brings upon thousands of them who
have hitherto been well provided for, the
most painful restitution of both food and
clothing, and the instinct of self-preser-
walton impels the slave to rob, TO murder,
TO run away, just as he would fly from
wolf, bear, or a serpent. He can get at
home, neither hat, shoes, shirt, meat or
even salt; and naturally flies from his
master. as from one smitten with the
plague. To remain at home is starvation,
the most painful of all deaths. Is there
one 80 dull, so brutishly stupid, so utter
Nv blind as not TO see and feel that in
surrections must inevitably follow such
distress Yet we hear persons speaking
of the Proclamation Of Emancipation as
melting slavee TO insurrection PrepOster-
GUS, and absurd complaint We aver, and
challenge REPUTATION Of the averment,
that everything which human wit, or lu-
macy rather, could devise 10 incite, TO drive
Che slaves to revolt, has already been done
by their rebellious masters, lie who
stirs up a rebellion Of any sort in slave
community, is like one who throws a
firebrand in gunpowder-the whole mass
must explode. The slaves argument is
very brief: If my master rebels, why
Kot L? And when, in addition to perni-
oiOus example, the slave is goaded by the
increasing pAngs of hunger and cold;
when he sees his wonted work wholly
suspended, what wonder il he, too, should
raise rebel flag on his own account
Would il not be most wonderful il hs did
not? Whether the proclamation Of GUAM
cipalion be wise or unwise, polite or inn
polite, just or unjust il is idle, IL IS non