The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-12-18
The Conflict Struggle Against
Universal Disintegration,

UNIVERSAL Ulsintegration-
There is no mistaking the fact, that The
enemies Of free Government in Europe,
mislsd BY the prolongatioa Of our great
conflict entertain the hope that ultimats-
" it will result in the compulsory re-
cognition by our Government Of the Re-
bel Confederaey. Gould we permit the
"mediaiion of France and the Other
q great Powers on the terms proposed
in the French despatch, It would be a
foregone conclusion; and the bare pro-
position once understood in this country,
ought 10 nerve every heart 10 the most
earnest determination never to give up
the contest, whilst a foot of the territory
of the disloyal States is held by the
enemies Of tho Government. Recogniz-
ing the attitude Of England relative to
the French proposition as a temporary
post ponement of the storm that may yet
burst upon us, not moment or an oppor-
] tunity should be thrown away, which
| may avail TO close the contest as speedily
as possible with the triumph of the ma
tional arms, since, If a final separation
was once forced upon us, our perils would
then have but begun. s8eg
No one need suppose that with the
principle of Secession once established
on Ithis Continent by force of arms,
there would ever be a stable and benef-
cent Government known TO any. Be-
ginning to break up the loyal States
need not flatter themselves that they,
any more than the Southern section,
would remain united. With the Consti-
tuition once destroyed, only Omniscience
itself could tell where the disruption
would end, for speculative lines would,
temporarily at least become real ones,
and our magnificent Union turn into the
melancholy spectacle of grand dissoly-
ing tableaux, whose cities would be
blotted out in the smoke aud ashes OF
extended civil warfare, whilst its rivers
would run blood.
In fighting, then, TO maintain the Union
as our fathers gave it TO us, we fight
against sub-Teyolation and disintegration
as well. and in thousand forms. The
citizen from the shores of Lake Superior
in common with him on the borders ol
| Chesapeake Bay, fights to-day in the
Union armies TO keep the roof upon the
dwelling that shelters his family and il
there ever was fribue TO superior intelli.
gepce and patriotism in the case of any
nation upon earth, it is when the men o.
remote sections now hasten to where the
strife RACES the most fiercely, in order
that there they may stay the kindling
c0nAagration which, unchecked, may in
the end sweep everything valuable away
Let us remember that the conflict nov
goi0g on is not the thing of to-day, OF
yesterday; but that wise men long sine,
saw the dark cloud gathering which nov
oyershadows the continent, and threatens
all with destruction. Even on the spo
where the evil may be said to have frs
displayed it's frightful proportions-ever
a on the soil of South Carolina ITSELF right
Z alongside Of the men who have plunged
/, their country into revolution were mum
bers of discerning men, who, in the yery
/, inception Of these troubles, did wha
they could to check them, although with
. out avail; and the names of the tru
: Union men of South Carolina, small
: but gallant band, will yet be know
b when these evils have passed away, h
: command the respectful homage and tn
sympathy of the good and true.
In this connection we must conside
: that more than, or quite, thirty year
!, ago, the same malcontents, the sam
2 restless, disappointed, fiercely ambi
bilious revolutionists were at their infa
nous work TO dissever the Union, al
]; though under different preiexts; and
they did not succeed at that time, il wa
because, in the Providence of God, W
: had one at the helm who fully appreci
1 ated and was every way equal TO tn
4 crisis. But to him who investigates th
J. doings OF that period it will be apparen
that even then the revolution designe
was only kept down by superior force
that those who originated these horror
+ had their plans quite as well mature
then, 20 the extent of their power, as the
y had just previous to the attack on Fol
r. Sumpter.
a We have spoken OF the Uni5i. men (
|. South Carolina, Of those who fought h
battle of that day, and we propose no
y to quote the sentiments, the earnings
? one Of the most prominent of them, Ion
since called to his last account--the Ho
:. Joel r. ..Poinsett one who, in his tim
was prominent in tue public seryic
Like the Hon. Hugh S, Legare, Of the san
4. Stale, he had been favored with an eA
e tended experience in other lands, an
like him could well appreciate the inva
I'd uable blessings enjoyed by our peop
IA under the best government ever youcl
sAfed TO any portion Of the human rae
~ ~ In speech delivered 70 the citizens