Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1863-09-03
NORTH CAROLINA AND THE REBELLION,
ARFNARKABLE ARTICLE.

The Raleigh q. CD Standard, of July 3lst,
contains an elaborate review of the history
OF the secession movement, the promises and
performances of its originators, and the con-
dition into which they have brought the
Southern States 1t is said to have been
written by r. s. DoNSELL, speaker of the
House of Commons, of that State, and to
have been published with the approval of
Gov. VANCE. who bears about the same rela-
ton to JEFF. Davis bogus Government which
Gov. SEYMOUR, Of New York, sustains to the
legitimate authorities Of the nation.
When it is considered that this article APP
peared in a leading journal of one of the re-
beIlious States, it is not going too far to pro
uounce it the most important and significant
indication OF 1.-The waning proportions of the
rebellion that has yet shown itself. No such
utterance could appear where there was not a
powerful public sentiment behind il
1t is not only crushing answer to the ar
guments of the rebel leaders, but equally so
to the assertions Of their Northern allies, the
copperheads. Who has not heard copper
heads assert that the South is engaged in a
struggle similar to that in which our revolu-
tionary fathers were engaged? Read the
triumphant refutation of this villainous cal
umny upon the patriots Of rs, by the writer
in the Standard:
The thirteen Colonies were not like the
SOu+borr S+o+ac apI1a1 in ,D1i+;ool W.
the other States of the British Empire They
possessed no sovereign power whatever
rH"y were not, as we were, entitled to a rep
Ycsentation in the common Parliament Of the
british Union, but were mere cOlonies-mcre
dependencies upon the mother country. In
an evil hour the administration of George
Grenville, and afterwards that of Lord North
attempted to impose tax upon the colonies
This oppression was resisted, and the rcsis-
lance was made the preteXt for other Opprcs-
sions more unjust still. The colonies con-
tlnued their resistance in a constitutional
way for nearly ten years, by representations
remOnstrances and petitions for the redress of
grievances but all i'll vain. At length they
took up arms with the ayowcd object of en-
forcing such redress. They solcmnly dis
cta5ne1 all intention of separation from the
parent State, for they were as loyal in their
feelings of attachment to the British Con-
stltutlOn as were the inhabitants of Surrey
or Cornwall. This resolute step they conf
IDENTIFY expected would procure the desired
redress; but the advice of all the ablest
statesmen at that age-of Chatham, Of Cam
den, Of Burke, Of Fox, OF Rockingham, and
others-was thrown away upon the narrow
minded monarch and the big0ted ministry
which then swayed the destines of the Brit
ish Empire. Still in hope, they continued
the struggle for one whole year. At length
the British Parliament declared tile colonies ont
of tie protection Of tie parent state.
But how different has been the course of
the secessionists! They seem to have resolv-
ed, years ago, that the Union should be de-
stroyed, and then to have set themselves to
work to forge such grievances as would seem
to give them decent pretext for the accom-
plishment of their premeditated schemes
The first effort was made in the DAYS of multi
tication by the Secessionists of South Carroll
ma The grievance then complained of was
the tariff, although the State of South Carroll
IA, herself, had been from the foundation OF
the Government nearly up to that period, as
strong an advocate of high tariff as any
State in New England That question was
compromised-South Carolina obtained all
that she ostessjbiy demanded A revenue
tariff, with incidental protection, became the
settled policy Of the Government and, ex-
cept for a short period under the tariff OF
1912, never departed from. But still
they were not satisfied. Immediately after
the passage Of Mr.. CIays Compromise bill,
the newspaper organ Of the Secessionists at
Washington declared chat the South coado
aoeeer be united on tie tariff question, and that
the Stare question was the only one that could
unite them" And Mr.. Calhoun, if mistake
not, said the same thing in speech at Able.
vile, in South Carolina about the same time
and, Of course, was followed by all the lesser
lights among his adherents. Then commenc
ed that violent agitation OF the slavery cues
ton which had nearly eliminated upon the
admission Of California, in 1850. Again, by
the efforts of those immortal statesmen of the
last age, Messrs. Webster, Clay, and others
was the matter compromised. The whole
country at first appeared to be satisfied with
the settlement, but it soon appeared thai
there were number of restless spirits among
the extremists of the South, that epoald be sat
istied ocid nothing short Of q dissolutjon Of tn
Union.
The writer then shows how the disunionist.
set about the accomplishment of their trea
sonable purposes. First they demanded tina
the Democratic doctrine of non-interferenct
with slavery in the Territories should be the
| policy of the National Government. Con
trary to their real wishes, the writer SAYS
that doctrine was incorporated into the
Democratic platform of 1856, and Mr. BU
CHANAN elected upon it. In the meantime
the repeal of the Missouri Compromise
effected by " the extremists of the South
"aided by a few partizan Democrats at the
''North," and afterwards the attempt of g Mr.
"BUCHANAN's Administration to force the
"Lecompton Constitution, with slavery, upo1
q the people Of Kansas, in opposition to the
"k1eown and expressed wish of three fourth
"of them," had created powerful anti
! slavery feeling in the North Then thu
! Southern disunionists, abandoning their doc
| trine of non-intervention, went to the op
| posite extreme and demanded that the Ma
| tional Government should interfere ant
protect slavery in the Territories In thi
way they divided the Democratic party, ant
insured the election Of Mr.. LINCOLN, which
they deserved as pretext for the secession
movement The writer in the .Standayd con
tinues:
1t must be borne in mind that no act of the
National Government constituted any part o
their grievances. They did not pretend tina
| any act of Congress infringed their rights
and the decisions of the Supreme Court were
mainly such as they would themselves have
made. Nay, even at the very time of Mr.
Llncoln's Inauguration, if the Cotton State
| had allowed their senator's and rnnrasanta