The mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1863-1943, 1863-01-31
Oae OF the FalIacies OF the ADOLF
ti0ntstS.

President Lincoln and the presses of the
irTepressibIe conflict class, says the Gin
cinnati Enquirer, declare that slavery is
IT, cause Of the war, and that, until it
shall be abolished, we cannot have peace.
We are not able to see it in that light.
II slavery is the cause Of the war, SO is
property the cause of theft If without
slavery we should not have war, so can
we say, without property there would be
no theft. Slavery Of itself would no
more have produced war than does prop.
srty Of itself produce theft. Both can
exist without necessarily producing war
or theft. Evil passions, evil desires, dis
regard Of obligations, make war and be-
get theft out Of what in themselves would
produce neither.
II negro slavery is the cause of the war
Why did it not produce war for the past
seventy years ? 1t had existed in more
or less of the States since the organiza.
ton Of the Government, and produced no
war. There had been fourteen different
Administrations of the Federal Govern
ment, covering period Of seventy years,
and during the whole Of which slavery
hAA existed, and yet no war WAS produc-
I'd By slavery, simply because no one Of
then Was elected or was managed on
4siasiPlss Of showed hostility to slavery.
The whole thing was changed as soon as
ne people Of the free States elected Sec
tiOnal President on purely anti.slavery
grOunds-of hostility to a peculiar do,
mestic institution Of some fifteen South
ern States. That was the real, true cause
Of the war slavery was not, any more
than is property the cause Of theft.
Property excites sSAe bad to secure its
possession by fraud and violence ii does
DOT excite such desires in those who are
really good. Slavery, which is a right
nnasr, the Constitution, could not be q
cause Of war any more than any other
right, 30 long as the parties to the con-
tract respected its obligations That was
the ease during the period covered by
the first fourteen Administrations of the
General GOvernment-the people and the
Administration harmonizing on the sub
ject
For forty years-ever since IS20-anti-
slavery sentiments were taught and in
culcated through the pulpit and schools,
BY means of lectures, newspapers, books
and pamphlets-in every way, in which
it was possible to inoculate the mind.
This anti'slavcry propagandism culmina-
ted IN 1860, IN the election of President
isodly to it. 1t was announced that
The policy of the Government of the pre-.
vSSas seventy years, in regard to slavery,
wOUld be changed. A section of the
Uni0n hostile to slavery had elected its
President. The speeches, the resolutions
public meetings, the proceedings, the
threatenings Of this sectional party
against slavery and shareholders, aud the
Endorsement Of them by the people Of the
North, in elGcting purely sectional anti
slavery President created profound alarm
whore slavery prevailed. The danger
might even then have been avcrted by O
compromise, just an honorable in itself,
bad the leaders of the anti-slavery move.
ment wished to avert war. But as one
Of them declared, Without "a little blood
letting" the Union would not in his opin.
ion "be worth curse" they preferred
war to . compromise, and accepted the
responsibility which the refusal to compro
mise involved. Aspersons who own prop
perty will, when it is threatened, take mca.
sures to protect and defend it, so did those
whose slavery interests were threatened