Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1863-09-03


non execution of the fugitive slave law
should be :, e,fily redressed; that slave
property should be established upon basis
o. safe as that Of landed property.
Fourthly, they promised us that the new
{; ,vernment should be a mere Confederscy
of States of absolute sovereignty and equa
rights; that the States should he tyrannlsed
over hy no such central 6espotisAl' as the
cd Governniclit at WashipstoR that the
einriuus dlctrine of State rights and nhllii
cation. as taught by Mr.. Jefferson and Mr.
alhoun, should prevail in tho new 'Confed-
tracy that that socereionty OF the States
aud their judicial decisions should be sacred
ly respected.
Filthy. they promised US the carly and
permanent establishment of the weaithiest
and best Government on the earth, whose
credit should be better than that Of any
other nation. whose prosperity and happi
ness would be the envy of the civilized
world. 1896
Apd, lastly, they promised US that ifwar
should ensue. they would 20 TO the battle
field aud spill, il necessary, the last drop OF
their blood in the cause Of their beloved
South.
While such have been their promises,
what have been their perform, wcesF Instead
of secession being peaceabe, as they prom
inl that il would il has given rise TO such
q war as has never before desolated any
country since the bsrharians Of the North
oycrran the Roman Empire. SO far from
thc wars ending in six months as they said
it would, should it ensuc, il has already
lasted more than two years, aud it their
policy ia to be pursued it will last more than
two years longer; and, notwithstanding their
predictions, the Yankees have fought on
many occasions with spirit and determina-
tion worthy of their ancestors OF the Revo-
luton; worthy of the descendants of those
sustere puritans whose heroic spirit and re-
ligious zeal made Oliver Cronwell's army a
terror If the civilized world, or of those
French Huguenots ''who, thrice in the
sixteenth csntury, cnntenled with heroic
spirit aud various fortunes against all the
genius Of the house OF Lorraine, and all the
power Of the house Of Valois," England
and France have not recognized Us, have
not raised the blockade; have not shown us
any sympathy; nor is there any probability
:hat they ever will, and that cotton is not
king IL now universally acknowledged. And
Maryland has not joined the Conioderacy;
nor has Kentucky nor Missouri ever really
been with us. Slavery has not only not
been perpctuated in the States, nor ex.
tended into the Territories but Missouri
has passed an act Of emancipation, and
Mary land is ready to do 30 rather than give
up her place in the Union, and the last hope
of obtaining one foot of the Territories for
the purpose Of extending slavery has de-
parted from the Confoderacy forever. The
grievances caused by the failure of some of
the Northern States TO execute the fugitive
slave law have not only been remedied, bur
more slaves have boon lost TO the South for
ever since secession was inaugurated than
would have escaped from their masters IL the
Union in Eve centuries. And how have
they kept their promise that they would re-
spect the sovereignty and rights of the
StatesI Whatever the Government may
he in theory, in fact we have a grand mill
tary consolidation which almost entirely ig.
mares the existence of the States and disre-
CARDS the decisions Of their highcst judicial
tribunals. The great central dcspotism al
Washington, as they were pleased to call it,
was at any time, previous to the commence
pieat of the secession movement, and even
for ssme time after it had commenced, q
most mild mud benelicent Government com.
pared With the central despotisnt ut Rich
moud under which we are now living.
Instead Of an early aud permanent estab-
lishment Of the 'wcalthiest and best Gov
srnment in the world with unboundcd cred
it" what have we got? In spite Of all the
victories which they profess to have obtain
ed over the Yankees, they have lost the
States Of Missouri, Kentucky, Arkansas,
Texas Louisiana, Mississippi and Tcnncs
see, aud in my humble opinion have lost
them forever; and, in all probability, Ala
bama will soon he added to the number -
This will leave to the Coniederacy but flee
States out OF the original thirteen, and of
shaaa kha Vanl -
many Of the most important points and ono
third of their territory. So far the Yam
KEGS have never failed to hold every place of
importance which they have taken, and
present Indications are that Charleston will
soon he added 10 the number. Tho cam
paign Of Gen. Ice into Pennsylvania has
undoubtedly proved failure, and with IL
the lar hope Of conqUeiing peace by n
successful invasion of the encmy's country.
Our army has certainly been very much
weakened and dispirited by this failure and
the fall Of Vicksburg, and how long even
Richmond will be safe no one can tell. Az
the Richmond Enquirer said some time ago,
they are slowly but surely gaining upon us
acre BY acre, mile by milo" and, unless
Providence interposes in our behalf-of
which see no indications will, at no
great distance Of time, bo subjugated pco-
pic.
As TO our unbounded credit based upsn
security Of King Cotton, it is unnecessary
10 speak. When we see one ofthe most
influential States In the Confcdoracy dis
crediting very large part Of the Confcder-
ate currency, and the Confederate Govern
ment itself repudating, to some extent, its
pose that the confidence of other nations in
tha vnnd f.ifh anI oradst ~ th;a nn,a...