Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1862-04-19


perils and calamites, the end whereof no
man can foresec. We are sacrificing more
than One Hundred Thousand precious
lives and One Thousand Millions of Dollars
per annum because the South has been
made to believe what is fnlse respecting the
intentions and feelings of the North.
The wrelches who solemnly assure the
slaves that the North designs to kidnOp, to
exile and sell or massacre lhem--that Lin
coins despoism" is wnging an utterly IN
provoked and unjustiiable war on the
South for this and kindred purposes of ra-
pacity and plnnder-nre justly scorned and
rcprobated. They who have made more
ignorant Southern Whites actually believe
that incendiarism, robbery, rape and mur-
der everywhere mark the footstep OF our
armies. are exccratcd in every loyal house
and heart But how much better are they
who, through Northern journals of the
widest circulation and the most vociferous
protcstations of loyalty, are constantly tel
ling the world that the traitors are correct
in their fundamental propositions-tha
Slavery is Just and boniarent---und that she
South has been sha mcfully abused and i'm
posed upon by the North throughout the
long series of collisions which began with
the memorials of Congress for the Aboli.
tion Of Slavery and their rigorous suppress
sion, and eliminated In the election Of Lin
coin? If the Shareholders are right as TO
their own grievances and Northern aggrcs
Sions how natural aud excusable the feel
ing that their hot blood is far less TO be
blamed for hastily mistaking their remedy
than the frigid North for deliberately per-
sSting in the unprovoked aud deudly
wrong?
The common sense of mankind will read
lily decide these questions. 1t will declare
that, if The Herald and The Express are
right with regard to Ontecedents, then tie
Southern rebels are but venially, eXcusably
wrong with regard 10 conSeqnents. If it
is the right of the South to seek and strug-
gle for the expansion of slave territory and
the pcrpetuly and prcdominance of slave.
holding power, then the North is the real
aggresSor in the present contest, and shO'd
suffer acco rdngly. And they who agree
with The En- press and The Herald in their
premises do not and can not really wish the
Pro Slavery Rebellion utterly diScom fitted
and its leaders tried and punished as trait
ors There must be- among all Staunch
adherents to the Pro.Snvery faith, an un-
derlying conviction that the Rebels are vic
tins of their own QniXOtic championship o
good cause, rather than Of their guilty
completely in a plot against Liberty and
Order, Justice and Freedom.
Hence we find in all the Northern Pro
Slavery journals the most strenuous esist-
auce TO any sweeping couGScation of the
property even of rebel chiefs, aud the most
desperate hostility in particular TO the con-
| fscation of the slaves OF rebels. Were
they Abolition books or documents exposed
to such q fate, none Of this school would
dream of iuteiposing cavil in their be
half; but, being slaves aud plantations, it i
strenuously cuntended by The Journal o
Commerce and its compatriotS that not OH
can be touched except through the machine
ry Of distinct prosecution and trial a
law, which trial must be held in the STATE
where the traitor resides, and before jury
of whom at least a portion are presump
lively his fellow traitors! OF course, ther
eau be no mistakng the drift of snch ncul
cations. They preclude any effective
conliScation at all, whether of estates OF
human chattelS, protect Slavery in any
event against the righteous penalty of its
treason, and throw the cost of suppreSsing
the rebellion mainly upon those who have
strenuouSly resisted and ultimately crushed
it,
Should Slavery TINS be enabled to survive
this convulsion,i it will owe far less to South
ern chivalry than to Northern sympathy
When dying by its own guilty hand, it will
have been restored to life and vigor by the
BALKANS of Northern allies and bent liciaries,
grateful for past aid and eager for future
60 operation in dealing for mutual benefit.
Those who hope by its aid to achieve future
Embassies, Collectorships, will he lis res.
cuers from its now visibly impending doom.
Ii will be spared monument OF Thrift and
ambition rather than Of tenderness and
mercy.
The stubborn resistance enco untered in
Congress by the Presidents cautious and
consderate proposal that the Federal Gov
ernment shall extend aid to such States as
shall see tir, of their own voliion, TO 'ini'
tate emancipation, is sign of the times,
The Emancipation Message expressly re-
cognizes the right of each State TO do as it
shall see fit in the premises. IL avows u
preference Of Gradual to Immediate Eman'
cipation. 1t leaves all questions OF forcible
Expatriation or encouragement to Nolun'
tary Emigration 10 the States respectively
Yet none but Republicans give it their
votes, though some journals have affected
to praise who miss no opportunity to stab
it. 1t is already clear that This or any pro-
iect looking to emancipation must encoun
ter the implacable hostility of all parties
and fragments Of parties opposed TO The
present National Administration.
SO with regard TO the Dictrict OF Colum
bia. The existence of slavery in that
District is q National shame and reProach
Every one must feel that, while Wash
ingtou City remains slaveholding, the
assertion that "the Union as such has moth
ing to do with Slavery" is untrue. Too
long has this scandal been patiently endur'
ed-too long have the shriekS OF the
scourged slave pierced the air OF the Ma
tionai metropolis. Formerly, efforts to re-
move this black spot from our escutcAeoh
were paralyzed by the reflection that no ex