The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-01-16
This Real Cause Of the Rebellion.

oession would never have been attempt
ed.--LOu. journal
IL seems TO be faVorite employment
with some Union newspapers 10 lay the
burden, or at least half the odium Of our
civil war, upon the anti-s!avery party.
Editors who, through mistaken party
zeal, thus divert the attention Of the peO-
pie from the original and real traitors, in
our humble opinion, do great injury to
che cause Of the nation To say that the
rebels have been provoked to treason, by
Republicans and anti-slayery men, is
greatly TO palliate, if not to justify their
infamous crimes. IL is virtually say
ing 60 the revolted States, that they
are avengiDg themselves of repeated and
aggravated insults in making war upon
the Union, the Constitution, and the laws
of the land. The history of this de-
plorable controversy for many years fa0-
tens the guilt and responsibility of the
war upon the heads of political faction
at the South, who were fully determined
TO rule or ruin the nation. The "war
upon the social order of the South" of
which the journal speaks, was myth as
unsubstantial as gossamer's shadow.
Slavery prospered under it, and slaves
increased in value. The number of fu-
gitive slaves, in 1860, was only one fjtjetk
of Oae per cent. in all the slave States, and
it is believed that far the greater part of
these escaped 20 places Of refuge in the
South Senator HAMMOND, of South Caro-
lima, in speech made in that State, Oc-
tOber "a, 1853, bore the following testi-
mony TO the actual condition of slavery.
"The rock of Gibralter does not stand
80 firm on its basis as our slave system.
4 In His ve,y quarter of century
our SLAVES haze doubled IN numbers, and each
SLAVE has more than doubled IN Ualue. The
very negro, who as prime laborer, would
have brought $500 in 1928, would now,
with thirty years upon him, sell for
$780,"
Mr.. a. Ii. STEPHENS used language
equally as strong, on the same point in
speech delivered in 1859, in which he said
that he "did not believe that slavery had
sustained any injury by these agiatons.
On the contrary it had been greatly
strengthened and fortified by the action
of the government"
We are convinced that the declaration
of the journal is in opposition to the tes-
timOny Of history, as TO the true
origin, and fountain-head of the South
-ern, or as it might more appro-
priately be styled the Cotton State
rebellion. For more than a gene
Grafton treason and disunion, and the es :
Establishment of Southern slave Confed-
eracy had been foregone conclusion
with the politicians of the Calhoun
school TO be embraced the moment the
democratic spirit of the country should
expell them from power. II. B. Rhett
said in the Secession Convention of South
Carolina
The secession of South Carolina ia
not the event OF day. II is not any,
thing produced by Mr. Lincoln, or by the
non execution Of the fugitive slave law.
IL is a matter which has been gathering
head for twenty years"
In the same Convention Mr.. PApKER
said
at is no spasmodic effort that has
come suddenly upon.us, but it has been
gradually eliminating for a long series
of years"
AT the same time Mr.. KEI1T said
Z" have been engaged in this meve-
ment ever since entered political life
81. And Mr.. lEGLTs said:
Most of US have had this matter un-
der consideration for the last twenty
years"
Hon. EDWARD EvERETT said that he
was well aware, partly from facts with
an his personal knowledge, that leading
Southern politicians had for thirty years
been resolved TO break up the Union as
soon as they ceased 10 control the United
States Government"
In 1893, Chief Justice Marshall, in a
letter to Washington dated at Richmond,
said;
To me il seems that there are men who
will hold power by any means, rather
than not hold it, and who would prefer a
dissolution Of the Union, to the contiuu-
ance of an Administration not of their
own party"
What correct picture he drew Of
Breckenridge aud JEFF Davis