The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-10-18
The Blookade.

blockade produced by military operations
The inconvenience and embarraasments,
and troubles produced by this isolation
have been felt severely by all classes of
society. We have been like the crew Of
q sailless, seamless, and oarless ship,
sleeping on the dull waters Of stagnant
lake, when the winds are all locked up
in their cave, and no life is visible in the
waters or in the air. We are all playing
the part of "Prometheus Bound" and
are as motionless as the rock 70 which
the fates have chained US, while the vul-
ture Of an ungratified rage for intelli-
gence from the world without preys con-
tinually upon our souls. If we all feel
the evil SO deeply, perhaps we may as
well contemplate the evils which would
certainly afflict us in the event of dis
solution of the Union, If this noble sis
terhoOd of States, should ever be doomed
20 endure the fate which YANCY, DAVIS
and HARRIS, have so kindly assigned
them. Imagine two, three, Eve, or a do
zen petty governments, patched up out of
She fragments of broken Union, with
an interminable series Of wars breaking
out at intervals Of one, two and three
wears, and carrying with them a recur-
renee Of blockades tenfold more oppres-
siye than the one with which we now
suffer, and then we may form a feeble and
imperfect conception Of the condition to
which some of our humane citizens are
seeking TO reduce themselves and their
children. What does disuniOn imply
disunion, the most hateful word in the
vocabulary of hellP 1t means the sus-
pension of mails and the interruption of
social intercourse Itmeans the arrest of
all trade and commerce, and the ruin and
fearful suffering of millions. 1t means
The planting of strong military force at
every town, CITY ana landing on overy
river and border line in the land, 1t
means system of continual search
and universal espionage. 1t means
the establishment of military depotisms,
and the restriction of every personal
privilege. 1T means that every vessel
which nAvigates our beautiful streams,
intended by bounteOus nature for free
commerce, shall be mailed with iron, and
armed TO the teeth for deadly conflict at
any moment None but the obstinately
and wilfully blind can fail to foresee
that these would be the certain results of
disuniOn. II needs no gift of prophecy |
to foretell these calamitous consequences |
which will follow, unless we are to form
an exception TO all nations which have
preceded us, and our history be destined
to contradict the experience Of all past
ages. This nation must continue to be
one if we hope for peace; it must be
unit and preserve its integrity at any
cost. If we lose our nationality we lose
everything that is worth preserving.
There will be one very striking char
acteristic in all subsequent blockades,
and mail suspensions, in the event of a
dissolution Of the States, not possessed
by the present one, and that will be their
suldeaness. A war may be brought to a
close, and treaty made, but the peace
which will follow it, will be as treach
erous as a sleeping tiger, as deceitful as
the calm Of tropic sea. Hosulities
will then break out like the explosion Of
a powder magazine, without n moments
warning, and woe to the luckless man
whose ventures shall then be abroad.
lie will be bankrupt his money or his
goods will be seized without a moments (
and deyoured by the monster of
var. And pray where would Nashville
be, and how would she weather such
sudden tempests? Let us bring this
natter home to our shops, and factories,
md counting rooms. What capitalist
would keep his means invested at such ]
,oint, exposed as il would be to the des- {
,lation and rayages Of war at any mo-
nent? What would become Of her Aca-
lemies, and her University, to which {
thousands of students have focked in
he happy days Of the past, when Ten
lessee bound her beautiful waist with ,
he golden girdle Of the Union? All de- /
,arted 10 places remoter from the scenes
f way-if such a spot could be found in
he land-but alas what hope could an
american have Of finding place Of quiet
a his distracted country: