Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1863-10-15
PROM the Baltimore American.
Popular Ignorance In tho south the
ChIef Prop ofthe Rebellion

| ChteK Prop OKthe Rebellion.
The rebel leaders-the ambitious aspi.
rants for untrammeIed power in the pres
eut coutict-have been siugularly success
full in one thing; they have succeeded it
giving u struggle which was to them in thC
outset Il matter of selfish ambition, some
thing essentially personal, the appcaranct
OF II sectional or indeed national cause. Tt
| look at the autecedsnts of Jefferson Davis
to note his demsgogical movements tC
reach the highest Office in the nation
through an unwOnted display of patriot.
ism, and, turning to his followers, to re
member their RvOwalS 10 regard TO plans
which were TO result in making them II
privileged class, aud the white masses
along with the slaves, their Rbject depend
cuts-is to remember q period in our bis.
tory when it seemed impossible to deceive
the Southern people with other and false
| issues to make m.believe they were
| fighting on a broader basis for what they
now term their "NatiOnAl independence. %
To recur to the time just preceding hos.
tilities, it seems, We say, impossible that
so tremendous a revulsiou, such remark.
able revolution in public sentiment, could
ever have been accomplished. Nothing
bat favorable combination of circum-
stances wonderfully adapted to their de-
signs could, 10 truth, have brought it about;
and even as the case stands, the world has
not yet ceased to marvel at the sad results
they seem to look upon tas happened as
something that savors of the miraculous.
We propose to look into this matter
briefly. and to show that, after all, there
was nothing to call for nny strong express
sions Of wonder when the simple ia cts are
considered. Bad men eau always fnd in
any community instruments for attempted
changes, for riotous action-as witness the
COpperhead outbreak in loyal State like
New York-And when the unprincipled
couspirators of the South plotted the de-
struCtiou Of the Union, they relied upon
what bad always been their great ally in
achieving their purposes they depended
upon popular igRordHce-so fearful and
ready an instrument for evil in the hands
OF unprincipled, plausible and ambitious
men-to overthrow States. Had the out
break, or it's continuance, depen,led upon
the enlightened educated masses Of the
South, il could never have been accom-
plished; but We know that the intelligent
Union sentiment there was crushed under
the dominant ignorance aud savage intoler-
ance which was rapidly brought into play
by the cOuspiratOrs, when their plans were
once ripe for what they very nplly termed
"precipitatiou q"
Again, if we look for the places, the rural
districts in the South, where the rebellion
has been the most popular, beginning where
it origiuRted-in South Carolina-we shall
find its strongest centres TO be in the dark
est portions Of that State, of Georgia, Ala.
bama, Mississippi and Texas; in places
where the light Of popular education could
scarcely ever penetrate even under the
most favorable conditions; and taking this
as an invariable rule almost, the inquirer
after the trnth might place the map OF the
Southern States before him, and almost
certainly reckon the most devoted haants
OF Secession by the amount of popu ar ig-
norance which in well known localities
prevails. We do not mean to ignore or
pass By the fact that the chief cities of the
SOuth-plRCes like Charleston, Savannah,
Richmond and Mobilc-hnVe been most
noted for their bitter hostility to the I'm.
ion; but we must recollect that in these
places the Intelligent portions of the con.
spiracy-the ambitious portions-congro.
gate and plot, reaching forth by their un-
priucipled or deluded agencies to subjuEate
to their views and behests the poverty
stricken and ignorant rural populations
around them.
We gave recently the declaration Of Gov.
Brown, Of Georgia, that "a large proper.
tion of the wealthy class OF our (their)
people have avoided the fevers Of the camp
and the dangers of the battle. field, aud
have remained Mt home In comparative
case and comfort with their families;" and
now let US see who have been their su6sti-
tu tes: let us learn the secret of thnt devo-
tion, that apparent unanimity, which has
kept in the field great armies to do the
horrible work of JEFF. Davis aud the great
consptrators at his back.
Mr.. William Gregg, 10 an address before
the South Carolina Institute, in 1851, estt.
mated the number of white people in that
or who are so employed as to be wholly un-
productive to the State, at one hundred
and twenty thousand |" Tor nearly one half
of the entire white population OF the State
at that time.) "Thcse people," he says,
'aye vhoIly neglected, and are suffered to
while away an existence but one step in I'd
Vance of the Indian Of the .J0reSt"
We have called the attention of our
readers to this declaration of prOminen mt
South Carolinian before; and We do 1t
again, by way Of showing emphGtcdliy that
what we uext propose TO quote as exhibit.
ing the condition Of the 'p0or whites" OF
the South is no exaggeration, revolving as
the picture may appear at the first glauce,
We propose TO show the part that popular
ignorance. humanity degraded immeasura-
bly,, has had to do in keeping in the field
great Rebel armies, in supplying the great
conspirators with ready and fierce agencies
for their bloody work; and to do this we
shall quote from work lately issued
Mrs. Frances Anne Kemble's "Life on
Georgian Plantation" If any one of oul
readers doubts the fidelity of the sketch
let him at once recur to the declaration o
the distinguished South Caroliniau-al
ready giyen--that these people, the Cottol