The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-09-18


10 he Editor Of he Nashville UuioH
stated in Ny last that there were
not more than one hundred thousand
slaveholders in Tennessee. Enquiry has
convinced me that over-stated the
number by ono-balf or two-thirds or
these, not more than ten thousand are
loyal. The balance have all been rebels,
and by this have forfeited all right to
live in the country, much more all right
TO property II hcnceforth they arc
permitted 10 live in territory restored to
the Union, il will be by an act Of grace,
OF the most merciful government on
earth These have no right TO complain
II they lose forever all property in slaves.
This is the legitimate and just result Of
their own acts, as they were told it would
be. They were told that freedom to
their slaves would be the consequence of
separation from the Union, and begged
not TO separate on this account. They
are consequently without excuse or Just
cause Of complaint While none of these
remarks, in this connexion, apply to
loyal Shareholders, and while they ars
innocent of the crime which brought the
present evils upon us, their innocence and
fidelity cannot change existing facts,
which are the necessary effects of Gel tain
causes. My argument is, that since we
cannot alter the past nor prevent the
effect, when the cause already exists it
IS useless to waste our time in idle
lamentations. The state of things is
upon us, and whether we like it or not.
we must abide it, and make the best of
it we can. Since, then, negro slavery is
destroyed by an interna. explosion, let
us look around u.s. and enquire whether
it may not be for the best that it is 80.
Perhaps we can get along better without
slavery than with it. Some other com.
munities have done SO. Our sister Ohio
is much younger than we are, and yet
she has long since distanced us in all the
elements of wealth, improvements, in arts
and intellectual cultivation, population
and power. And those much younger
States, Indiana, Illinois, &c, have out
stripped us in all these respects. We
have soil equal to them, as good or
better water privileges, and manufactur-
ing facilities-as rich mineral resources,
and climate as genial and salubrious
as heaven ever bestowed upon any land,
while theirs is bleak and unfriendly.
They have grown rich and intelligent
while we have remained comparatively
poor and dependent. Their systems of
elementary education is their boast and
the admiration of the world, while we
never have had any. Colleges and
academies where the rich and aristocratic
could be educated we had, but there was
no place where the poor mans son or
daughter could be thoroughly educated.
| write in sorrow and not in anger, for it
is Of my native land | write. An OBJ
scure valley amid the blue hills of East
Tennessee is my birthplace. wSs not
born TO fortune. / am one of the sons of
the people, and l know by experience
their tolls and disadvantages. l love
my native land, and while the rebellion
that has laid it waste has desolated my
own heart and home, weep more for the
ruins in which the State of my nativity
lies than on account of my personal be-
reavements. But I was trying to show
that other people had got along as well
or better than we without negro slavery,
and perhaps we can do SO too. And since
we have got to try it, hadn't we better
put the best face on it we can? If other
people can do we'll without slavery, why
may we not do likewise
MORE ANON.