The Evansville daily journal., 1862-01-01
The ola Year.

The Old Z ear.
Few years have been so crowded with
events making history as the one that bid
US adieu last night. It came in, enveloped
in anxious forebodings and gloomy antici-
pations-it took its departure amid the
crash Of arms and wrapped in the smoke
of battle. It's last hours were embittered
by witnessing fraternal strife, and its death
agonies intensified by The groans of dying
men and the wall of orphan and widow
Its eyes~frst opened upon a prosperous,
growing and joyous people. They closed
upon a country bleeding at every pore,
government struggling for existence. and
upon a people, with fatricidal hands, clutch
ing each others throats. Fed by the boun-
tiful hands Of previous years, dandled in
the arms of prosperity, with all the luxu-
rance OF the present season showered up
on this people, the old year had right to
expect that its closing hours would not be
embittered by the strife of its Children
But the expectation was disappointed.-
With nations as individuals, indulgence
and prosperity breed dstempers which are
only eradicated through great suffering
sorrow and sacrifice.
Notwithstanding the terrible scenes up
on which the old year closed its eyes, a ra-
diant smile of hope illumined it's face-a
hope that this people purified by afliction,
would yet prove themselves worthy of the
blessings showered upon them by hundreds
of .indulgeut years, and not forfeit their
right 20 the bright jewel, liberty, bequeath-
ed them by their ancestors.
The new year. we doubt not, will also
greet Us with smile, but in making up
our estimate as to what it has in store for
US, it will be well to glance over the events
Of 1861;
January lst of that year, found South
Carolina alone out of the Union Her act
of secession was passed December goth
1860. But the poison of secession was
spreading with the most frightful rapidity
On the last day of that year, Senator Ben
jamin made secession speech in the U. s
Senate, closing with the declaration thai
the 'tSouth could never be subjugated p
This sentiment ELECTED the most rapturou:
applause in the galleries. Secretary Floyd
had resigned, batteries were being erected
around Fort Sumter, and thousands of rest
less adventurers were drilling in Baltimor,
aud Virginia for the purpose of eeizing tht
capitol at Washington at an appointed sig
nal. 1t was openly declared that the Pres
ident elect should never be inaugurated
and terror and dismay filed every patriotic
heart.
Following the secession of South Carolin,
the government forts and arsenals, with al
their contents, were seized and appropriated
by the States within whose limits they
were. January 9th, the ordinance of seces
sion was passed by the State of Mississippi
Ou the same day the government steamship
Star of the West was fred on by the rebel
in Charleston harbor. Florida and Ala
bama followed Mississippi out of the Unior
on the 18th day of January. On the 18th
the Georgia Convention passed the ordi
nance Of secession by vote of 2O8 agains
80. Louisiana followed on the 26th, ant
on the Ist Of February, similar ordinance
was adopted by the Convention of Texas
On the 18th of February the Southern Con
federacy, composed OF the States which hat
then seeded, was organized under Pro
visional Constitution by the election o
ferson Davis of Mississippi, President
Stephens Of Georgia, Vice President ant
Messrs. Toombs, Memminger and Walker a
the Cabinet. Darker and darker gathered tn
clouds over our ill-fated republic. Severa
of the slave States, Jet remaining in tn
Union, were paralyzing the efforts of tn
regeperated administration, in preparing 70
tie storm of civil war. Secession cloakec
ITSELF in the border slave States, under th
more plausible doctrine of anti-coercion
The same poison was undermining the 10y
atty of many even in the border fre
States, end the propriety of letting th
Southern States go, was calmly discussed
and vehemently urged by the most inauen
tial papers of the country.
In the meantime, Mr.. Lincoln had beer
peacefnlIy inausursted, his cabinet was ap
pointed and confirmed. The people breath
II easier. Treason, however, leerd upon th
administration from every department 0
.he government. They knew not whom
10 trust. Army and navy officers wer