Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-01-09
ghe gutlaaa 9erald.
THURSDAY, JANY Q, 1862.
THE UNION FEELING IN THE
SOUTH.


existence of latent Union feeling in
the seeded States. Exactly how ex.
teusive it may be, of course is not known,
and can DO ascertained only when the
Federal power is so strongly intrenched
In the rebellious States as to give assur-
ance Of protection to Union men in the
aiterance of their sentiments.
As presumptive evidence of the man
Hesitation of loyal feeling even under the
despotism Of JEFF Davis in the South, it is
10 be remembered in the first place, that
the rebellion never was the deliberate act
Of the people. 1t was precipitated and
forced upon them by the politicians. In
the Presidential election of 1860, the trail
Tor Breckenridge, who was the disunion
candidate, received a minority of the pop
q slar vote Of the South. Judge Douglas
and John Bell received the balance of the
votes, with the exception of few cast for
Mr.. Lincoln. Mr.. Douglas was under
stood to be unqaulifedly for the Union at
all hazards, while the very battle cry of
the Bell party was the Constitution, the
Union, and the enforcement of the Laws"
The vote at the Presidential election was
probably about fair expression OF the
feeling of the people upon the question of
disunion The old Clay Wings, and the
Jackson Democrats who refused to come
under the yoke of the Calhoun dynasty,
which constituted the real traitors in the
South, voted against Breckenridge, who
was understood to be the candidate of the
Calhounists, and the result showed the
latter to be in a minority.
In the second place, taking the aggre-
"a te vote of the several seeded States, on
the question Of secession, there was
a cle IAN majority against the disruption of
The Union. In some of the States, the
popular vote was for disunion, but in many
Of them, as in Virginia, Tennessee and
North Carolina the States were carried
out of the Union in defiance of a pretty
majority of votes for the
Union and against secession.
is it to be supposed that this Union SEN
,ime,t has since then become entirely rev.
and extinct? Has anything
,een accomnn;s shed or even promised by
he JEFF Davis Cow rnment to wean the
Union men of the Sout.e+ from their 'o""
Ind veneration for the old 60, efhmeh' CO.
ablished by George Washington, ena 'he
ID flag, the symDol or american gre~
ess, glory and liberty? What have the {
D look forward to under the confederate
ule, but hopeless insolvency and ruin, and {
'urse than all, lvss of liberty? How are
re to think the masses of the South are :
LEASED with what is said to be the propo- :
ition of JEFF Davis, namely: to make the
eceded States the provinces of Foreign
lowers, and sink themselves to mere col
NAL dependency Of the despotisms of the
-. prepared to ex-
Nd World? Are they r.
hange the proud title of American c'tlzeh
nth all its dignity, and all its privileges !
{ freedom and security, for the abject po-
ition of slaves to a foreign despot? Are
hey sunk to such hopeless imbecility as
hat? We believe that before the great
>ody of the people of the South would
ubmit to such proposition as that, should
TeG Davis make it, and a league with
oreign powers should be entered into
,pon such an understanding, there would
10 counter revolution in every seeded
State, except poor old South Carolina, in
twenty days. Let it be demonstrated, as
soon it must be to the full apprehension OF
HE Southern mind that there can be indie
pendsnce for them only in the old Union
under the old Constitution and the old
flag, and they will begin to calculate seri-
ously the steps to be taken to get back
into the Union.
Another evidence Of latent Union feel
ING, is the act that the Confederate States |
have resorta to drafting to fill the ranks
eftheir army Were the people unani-
NOUS in the scheme to secure " Southern
Independence" or as that phrase really
means: " Foreign Colonial dependency"
would they wait to be impressed into the
army7 Would they not come forward as
ono man to beat bak the invading force