Weekly national intelligencer., 1863-09-03
CONSERVATIVE PUBLIC SENTIMENT.

able than the personal correspondence OF intciii-
gent and independent private gentlemen, whatever
their vocation, whether professional, mercantile,
agricultural, or literary, it matters not what, 50
they are not busy partsans, making politics trade
for the sake of Office some other personal advan-
tage; and as clew to the conservative sentiment
of the country we have regarded the spontaneous
letters addressed to us by our subscribers in times
Of great public anxitty as worthy of more conf
dence as exponents Of the unbiased judgment Of
the people than almost any other Therefore it is
that, it being very much the custom of subscri
bers, especially those residing in the country, to
accompany their business letters with remarks on
public affairs, we often place these expressions of
the honest opinions of enlightened and indepen-
dent citizens before the rest of our readers. One
or two of such we thought worthy Of publication
last week; another We give below
MARYLAND, AUGUST 81, 1863.
| To the Editors Of Me National Iatsiiigeneer:
As subscriber to your paper have read with interest
and approval your editorial articles in reference to
turn of the Seeding States and to Constitutional Union
The signs Of the times indicate an incipent prepara
ton the part Of North Carolina to return If the South
league be broken the charm of its strength and
unity will be lost aud the way will be opened for other
States to follow. The apprehension is that the ultra Re-
pubicans may control the Administration to reject fair
and honorable terms oil eadmisscn To enlghten public
opinion, to strengthen and form sound conservative
tment, and to mprens the Administration and its sup
porters per extra with the influence it is expedent
to keep the subject in prominence before the people
know of no journal kelly yours to effect good OBJ
ject, and hope you will keep up the discussion of
construction upon the basis of the Constitution and Union
as it ante telium.
The progress Of fanatca utrasm is alarming and the
strides Of power evidently tending oberdton Of
Stale lines, Solicitor Whiting called it. The longer
peace delayed the difficult 1t will become, because
tho ULTRA will become certain partisans.
you will promote, by all the in yGur power, the
turn OF the erng South and the consolidation of the oun
iaticns of our political Union.
The controversial tactics Of our active contempo-
rary, the New York Tribune are at once simple
and safe. He assumes imaginary ground for an
adversary, attacks position which was never &C.
cupied, and, having carried it with great gallanry,
rejoices in victory where there was no battle.
This improves decidedly upon the redoubtalle le
Captain Bobsdil, for that hero proposed the bona
fde killing of his foes, though he never did it.
The ingenious editor of the Tribune has just
brought his peculiar strategy to bear upon our
selves by ascrbing to the " assumption that the
South is unanimous in desiring the President to
restore slavery" We beg to disavow any such
assumption for we know it is not true All that
we would desire Of the President in regard to sla
very is to let it alone, policy. Wherever our
armies came in conflict with slavery it was compe-
fan for fhan, IN 70 tba
was to be regarded in the light of any other pro-
.perty, as the President said he regarded it. But
the theoretical universal abolition Of slavery wos as
much beyond the Presidents power as it trans
cended his constitutional right. We should not
ask the President to restore the slaves egitimatey
taken into the public service any more than we
should ask the restitution of any other property
forfeited by rebel Nor would the South be by
any means unanimous for the restoration. We
know that there many in the South who
would gladly get rid of their slaves if they could.
The numbers Of negroes offered to the Colonization
Society in every State in the South for removal to
Africa during the last thirty years is proof of tie
fact But who in the South would desire to see the
sudden and general emancipation Of the slaves here
is the we-being of the white to be entirely
thrown out of the question Can the fercest or
most fanatical friend Of the negro look with COM
placcncy on The sudden and overwhelming ruin of
the whites of the South upon the demolition of the
whole frame and foundations of the society of that
vast region-in fact Of beggary to the whites and
ruin to the blacks themselves Is such a revolu-
tion to be the work of day, or should it be one
of an ageY 1t is not in the interest of slavery we
speak it is in the interest Of humanity Of fraternity,
of civilization, that we protest against the President
undertaking to trample on State laws, State
stitutions, and State institutions. As to slavery
itself, we have long regarded it as deciduous in
sttution but it must fall by the action of the
States themselves, not by any usurped power or
by convulsion. The editor of the Tribune mis-
takes u, much if he supposes that We oppose all
fanatcal and arbitrary medding W tn slavery be-
cause we fanstio9l advocates Of the institution
It is very easy to be generous and philanthropic
at other .oples xpcnse, but tell our
temporary that the publishers of the National In
telligencer have emaucipated more slaves, at their
own cost and out of their own pockets, long
before the present agitation, than all the aboli-