The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1862-08-23
Correspondence.
For The Cecil Wing
Patriotism rersus Rebellion.

Patriotism Is term made use of by
almost every individual who takes an
interest in public affairs and yet, as
every man takes the liberty of putting
his own construction upon it, many of
them differing widely from each other, it
cannot be very distinctly understood.
According to the popular definition, a
"Patriot " signifies & one who is real
lover of his country, and who exerts
himself to promote its highest interests"
but as this definition leaves every one to
Judge for himself what constitutes its
highest interests, and as love of either
place, person, Or habitude, is but blind
passion, 1.-THE lower animals being equally
the recipients of it with man himsclf-it
is not necessarily associated wi h either
wisdom or justice, and therefore not dis
eliminating. The democrat, laboring
assiduously to promote a cer,ain policy,
the most destructive t. the interests of
his country, may still claim to be a
patriot, simply because his motives can
not be justly impugned even the blood
lest rebel that now pollutes the Amcri-
can soil, might possibly claim the cogno-
men of patriot, according to his own
distorted conception OF States Rights.
To whatever extent this view of the
case may seem TO modify the guilt of
many Of those engaged in this Rebellion,
il gives no relief whatever to the moral
dcformity of its principal instiga ors.-
Every impartial observer of events can
not but dcnounce The present Rebellion
as one of the grosscst outrages the world
ever witnessed. In almost every instance
on record, when revolutions have been
atten'p ed, some posi- i've grievance could
be adduced, as partial justification,
because no legitimate means existed for
its removal. The popular mind, too, has
generally been in advance of the laws
and institutions under which they lived,
and not until after many years Of prva-
ton and suffering have they turned upon
their oppressors, and demanded even a
measure of justice.
We are living under an entirely new
state of things. institutions, hetero-
gencous and hostile, existing in the same
community. Liberty and slavery jun
bled together under one and the same
ovcrnmcnt-contendn forces in battle
array against each other A pampered
aristocracy, Inflated with inordinate
pride, who in other words exclaim:
Il am monarch OF all survey;
am lord cf he niger and brute;
From Washington round to the sea-
My right there are few dare <putc.'
This kind of supercilious ego ism was
the SORT of material for poll zeal dema-
gognes to work upon, and which gave
birth to he foulest conspiracy that was
ever plot,e ed against the liberties of the
world. 1t is an attempt to drive us
back into the depths of the fcrcest bar
barism; and the means employed for s
accomplishment have been so black and
iendish, that Milton himself would be
driven to his wits end, to describe the
huge deformity of their crimes.
Ii is but mockcry any longer to call
them our southern brethren, or TO tell
us they are creatures of education and
| circumstance, and therefore to be dealt
lenlently with. The tiger is as much
the creature of omnipotent power as even
the brightest specimen of humanity ; but
we don't like his teeth and his claws any
the bet or on that account. If we are
all chargcable with having spoilt our
southern brethren, ii becomes part of
our duty to reform them-in the mildcst
way possible, l admit. But we cannot
sever the putrid limb by prayers and
celebrations they have been tried and
found wanting. The kuife of he opera
tor becomes essential to the salvation of
the sinner.
Our Government has, undoubtedly,
been too lenient towards men who have
been aiming the most deadly blows
against our ma ional life 1t lacked
experience in hat species Of crime, and
their priori reasoning was defective.
| Their leniency was construed into weak
ness or fear, and served only to emboldcn
the traitors, and prolong the STRIFE. If
it be true that our Government has erred
in this matter, it must, nevertheless, be
admitted that it has erred on the side of
humanity, and that it appears now to be
fully alive to the magnitude of the task
before it-that the most stringent meas
urcs and intensely warlke attitude has
become essential to success, and that to
use every means at its disposal to crush
the Rebellion will best subscrve the
interests of humanity. After the fight
ing part of this dreadful conhic, is over,
and men begin to take more calm sur
vcy of all the causes which have con-
spircd TO produce it, the means necessary
to prevent the possibility of a recurrence
of any thing so diabolical must certainly
press for serious consideration.
The causes will be found to be not
only of positive, but also of a negative
character. There is not only the lawlcss
brutality which appears TO be insepara-
bly, connected with the institution of
slavery, but general absence of moral
and intellectual culture in the mass of
the people. Even the educated classes
$50 called) recognize very low standard
of morals, which entirely ignores the
fact that a man should be educated to
obey the laws before he can be safely
entrusted with the task either of making
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