Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1862-11-26
What we owe 90 Asraha. LIneoIn

tee Of the NOr;hern race, and Ieasctsd upon the many
alia yonsms Of interest between the S Atss Of the North
and the SOu,b, can doubt especially in the light of recent
ssents. that the dissolution Of the UaiOn uH necessary
to the Peaes Of the South, to the SEj ,ynsat Of her
righ,s and to the development Of hE i~ntsrssts. That
Union was one Of bOrdAge. oppression and huziRAtioa,
aud the busdon Of thss0 isSsksSd ssSfy yNFHSEe
fruits Of our v~AsSAAge made tbcsa Who enjoyed them
ysE By year more prosperous, arrogant and intOleArL
We bad relchsd a point when 1t Vas necessary TO stTife
for iniepsndere',' or sink into hopeless Submission. The
oporessor, blOAted as be vas With UeAlih and insOlent
with power, had not yet gov 90 ItronS-nor We, dee
poied, dsluded and partially demorAizsd by ~corTuping
assoclAtiors as We were, so weak, a. to render ooutes: for
freedom desperate. Sill, there we're faint hearts and
weak knees and blind eyes enough among % to destroy
the unity Of design and pArAlyzs the energy OF action
from Uhaoh alone success could be hoped for. This Vas
especially the case in Virginia, Tennessee, North Caro-,
Ina, and other states that did not fall into line Al the
fs; tap OF the disuniOn drum. The unobservant and
inmlble masses needed something more positive ADD tar.
gbe tlan they had seen, 10 ccn,ilee them of the design
of the Northern Dsj orty to revOlus5Oa.1, the character Of
the Government and 10 deprive then Of their traditional
t~'sreaisss and 4sir guaranteed insSlutons. This hey
we're not re irsd 70 wait long for. The Constitution
F - UAAAAb EoN0f III . uALuf y SOlAIcecs
bat they SAY the Executive ct Washington usurping the
great authority to himself and ordering a. army into the
hLd The Constitution rave no Power TO the Federal
GoVernmsns to make var upon the States i; vas q
Uaion Of consent and the right TO eosrss had bseu *
Pressly refused by TIE trainers Of the Constitution yet
they saw var Organizing against those Uhoss consent to
p the Union had been Withdrawn, BY all the fOrmalihss and
with al the sovereign authority With which it vas a, first
accorded. No. this only, bat they we're themselves re-
qaired to become plrties to this var, and to draw the
sword against PSOPls With whom they bad 70 cause Of
quarrel, and to whom they we're allied BY kicstip Of
blood, Of sentiment, aud OF interest. They hsiAitd no
longer, and the seeded SAtes we're At once nearly DOT
blei IN numbers, and more than doubleiin p~,pul.iio ard
power. The policy ofd.ssoluton Owed this fortunate turn
TO Abraham Lire)l Had be forbo-ne 80 resort 10 ior,e,
and relied on measures OF co OSCILLATION Aad compromise,
he would have retained The Stllss TIA, still adhered to
tie Ulion, and, possibly, have lrrei back those that had
already toru themselves loose. He failed 70 90 il, bu,
pursued instead the course Of all others bes. calculated
70 drive Of all 'hs slave S2tts. aud to render the
breach utterly aud forever irrepGrASle. Dor this,
Waso the var hs ended, Ind We lave entered upoa
the ereer Of prosperity LGd greatness that lies ahead
Of Is, ue UHl kaes hos to thast bin.
B1s be did lot stop here. Although States had
swung Loose trOa the UliOn, many Of the psOsls OF
taose States we're still snUsansd Of their affection for .
Government that had besa d,S' 70 them, and . dag they
had bouOred Ui:h a proud devotion. !, vas necessary
thA. Lincoln should 90 more, to coavinss thea thl. al
for vh'ch they bad loved The Government Of the't
ffbers was destroyed, and thai the a,E which had been
% ibsm the symbol Of freedom Ind justice bad been
P~rost'atsd 10 the uses OF tyranny, q outrage and
H-amA A. - -. - A. =.
gushing al TIE constitution al and comuon.Iav
gurlntees Of civil and social Lb,rty. The
writ OF Hsb'as eJrpsi, the freedom Of speech
and Of the press, he privilege % trial BY jlry-inm-
niiy from search IN their ~dEeliGgs, The right to bear
arms, and AZ the other rights Aad prerogatisss of a free
man, they say crushed beneath the armed heel Of = mil
cory dsspst Toe L ion sas no longer one Of consea,-
the Government sa4 no l5nger The Government Of the
people. Coercion bal displaced the former. aud usur
patton absorbed the later. TIE subversiou vas CON
Ple'e n Whels and in part, in general aud in detail. The
Caion and Government; we're lot those they had been
edaelied 70 love aud 70 cling to, aud al the hoaest
minded among those Who bad fis; refused 10 abandon
the wreck had no choice lsf. then but to come viii
hsSr.y cooperation to the help OF those Nho we're bat
ting for the preservation Of the ak Of their liberties,
rescued from the ruins OF the temple 10 which they had
40 long Worshippsd. We oSs, therefore, to Abraham
Lincoln not only the fact that reluctant Satss Hese
brought over 70 the zee Government but that many
d~isAfse,e1 bat worthy eiiH ms OF those States we're
cured Of morbid sentiments and Cherished dslusionL-
We owe 10 him the grand advantage Of q compact ter
ritOy, Opulsut 10 coil, in mineral deposits, in iOrssu, in
hArOOrs and ~DAVigabe streams. in o~imAts-Ereater in
extent than the domain Of some Of the Rightss.empires
oil the earth; and 20 oSe 70 him the great additional
bench: that the PeoPls ~inhsbitiog thai territory are nov,
with exceptions tia. lime sll shos TO be iusign. Rcant
united in heart aud soul, Aad resolved to endure any
fac sooner than entertain the thought of renewing the
vile association irOn which they have Sc. themselves
free.
Nor Is thisAD. II the S Aes and people Of the South
could have been united on the policy Of dissolution, and
bad boen permitted, without molesiAtion or protest, to
organ'E, an independent Government, What you'd have
been their conduct, and What their standing before the
WOIldi In the frat place, % would have continued
our commercial inlsrcourss 9th the North on the same
footing and With the anne resul1 ~ heretofore. We
would have continued 70 empty into her lap our eornu.
cop s Of hundreds Of millions . year, and received in
return the worthless sa-a Of Yankee craftsmanship
We would sill have been subject TO the infection Of
Yankee mOrAs aud the dsbAuehsry Of Yankee i.erS-
tire. Politically free, Us would have continued 70 be
commercial bOndsnsn and IrisuA-pAysrs. and have al
loved them, through ind0ls7c, and habit, to exert sill
their ualga IsAy over our minds, manners and morals.
The DIVISION VeOld have been nominal only. AL that
vas peraieiOrs and c~orruPsng in the association would
have continued. And, owing to the advantages Of =
residence among Us compared With the Northern States,
ws should have suffered . social inundatiOn from Yankee
immigrants hat Sculd, in time, have swallowed up eve.
rythinE characteristic Of u as people, and Y'nkSOzsd
our whole SOeiSty. 70 both IhSse dangers our eyes have
nov been Opsnsd, R,d It Vll be cur own fault, II " DO