Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1862-09-18
Letter from Corinth.
CoRINru, Miss, Aug. 27, 1862.

occasionally i have thought which
seems to me worthy of expression: not
that it will have any particular effect on
the public mind, nor because il acquires
any weight from the fact that it is mine,
but because | seem to be the medium
through which which it ought to be utter
ed. l am neither egotistic nor vain; l
hardly consider myself responsible for
these thoughts and conclusions; they come
l know not whence;--do you know where
yours originate, Mr.. Editor?-they force
themselves upon me know not how; they
will not hence; they capnot be shut out;
fortify my will as l may. find them at
last in full possession of my intellect. hav-
ing overcome even the strongest force push
ed against them. my prejudices.
Every one. opine. has similar expert
ences. Their thoughts come and go. hith-
er, thither; now haunt ting the mind, then
vanishing forever these flushed with beau
ty. those pale with fear; these willing to
be expressed. those defying words; the
best. however. always escaping; for
''The Towering moments of our mind
Drop halftheir petals in our speech"
1t has occurred to me. more than once
of late that the relationships between our
Generals and the Federal army, between
the army and the people. and last. between
the people and what is termed the Gov
ernment. or, TO use better word, the Ad-
ministration, have never been clearly defiu-
ed, and for this reason never properly un
derstood. We seem to be involved in q
species Of Memphian midnight; sunrise is
hoped for by all; that dawn will come none
doubt; but every one looks in different
direction for the East. and the purple
streaks which shall herald to distracted
nation the Aurora Of Peace.
I may be unable to throw any light
perhaps. not single ray--into the dark
ness, and yet l am convinced it can come
but from one source. Some may agree
with me; many. doubtless. will ridicule
my conviction: most. / know, will differ
with me nevertheless, but simply state a
naked fact when ! assert. that the issue in
this war must be squarely made between
Civilization and Barbarism, or. if you
like the term better. Freedom and Slave
ry. before We may reasonably hope for
peace.
The issue. however. must begin with
the people Of the North. anu not with the
Administration. This is the error into
which Wendell Phillips and n. ID. Con-
way, and others Of this school have fallen.
People are civilized by wars. by hurricanes,
by thunderbolts, rot by governments; by
floods. by plaques. by earthquakes. not by
religion. The first stride is made by an in
dividual; he is exiled, or poisoned, or
cruci6ed; the people follow in the new di-
rection, after having made martyr Of the
man who pointed it out, and then sue
ceeds Government and religion: Civili-
zation progresses, these follow to support
and sustain, and cannot be expected TO in
augurate it.
Wendell Phillips is statesman. enough
to know this: NJ. u. Conway sufficiently
q divine to have learned it long ago; and
yet they continue to waste their intellects
in denounciDg individuals who, after all /,
are but the representatives Of the people.
not their leaders. The most eloquent ora
tor on this coaiiuent to-day. he could so
rouse the masses with his rhetoric. in fa-
vor ofthe war or freedom. that they. ta-
king the initiative. would sweep Slavery
and Disunionism at once from the land,
chain them in hell in which they were
born. and the Government would sustain
them in il. One of the most intellectual
young ministers of the country. by his po-
etic and oftentimes eloquent aguments in
favor Of the war could so stir his congre.
CATION to the necessity of this measure.
that they. taking the initiative, would
draw after them all congregations, and re-
ligion would follow and sustain them.
Let them say "the war must be carried
into Africa = Carthage must be de.
stroyed' and they will soon convince the
people of the fact: that done. the thing is
accomplished. Let them continue to de-
nounce the representatives OF the people
let them continue to thunder. forth theil
anathemas and invectives against President
Lincoln. against Secretery Seward. Chase.
Welles. Stanton. against Gen. Halleck,
Gen. Mcclellan. Butler and the rest. aud
they aid in the defeat Of the object they SO
srdently desire to sdyance. sle ssH liz
Our Government originates in, and
emenates directly from the people. Pop
ular sentiment stands in the way Of the
success Of the Federal arms. / mean the
ultimate success, the restoration of the
Union and through this restoration, Peace.
1t is still fearful that If the slaves be made
free the Southern heart will be fired; It
still winces under the absurd taunti of .'ne-
gro equality" it still shudders at the
thought of "Abolition:" it continues to be
non-plussed by the question. "Whst shall
we do with them?' it is still cheated by
the illusion. "The Constitution as it is
and the Union rs it was;"' it is still horri.
fed by the contemplation of the closes
that would accrue to loyal men of the
South. ~ si5 .sfea eee1 esa ei'sa svo7e.
Will this terrible tornado, which is
now sweeping the land from the St. Law
renee to the Gulf. from the Atlantic to the
Pacific. uproot no trees. unroof no houses,
level no corn6elds. destroy no orchards.
desolate no homes? Will the war change
NO opinions. alter no laws. cause no loss
es? hlsisf .ss9dnpk . asa is"s s'i s.''i'.si 1
The North cannot afford. ,notwithstan-
ding her yigor, her resonrces and her en-
ergies, to despise the strength Of those foul
millions Of slaves. She cannot afford to
refuse to deprive the South Of it. or to re.
fuse to, add 1t to her own,i when it, is