The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-02-18

A Great FalsehOOd"

There is nothing more difficult than TO
eradicate from ihe public mind errors I'M
planted by unprincipled demagogues, for
some bad end. This lie especially so
when passion is enlisted in airport of The
error The grossest Misrepresentation OF
facts, and the most palpable falsehoods,
will live throughout the longest political
canvass, and accomplish the full measure
of mischief for which their instigators
designed them, before they can be arrest
ed. This was especially true of the
great sry that was raised by the Southern
traitors. at the beginning Of the rebellion
about the insecurity of slave property,
owing TO the operations of the State
liberty bills Of the North. The giant
falsehood was made tho backgrounds for
rebellion. II was the fulcrum which sus-
tanned the fulcrum of Southern treason.
The ears OF the people were stunned with
the cry that slavery was doomed tc per-
ish II they did not precipitately cut
loose from the North. They were told
that the liberty bills, by the protection
that they offered TO the fugitive slave,
had fearfully increased the number of
escapes, and had rendered the institution
wholly insecure Thousands were be-
trayed and seduced by the odious lie into
tho rebellion. Alarmed by the apprehen-
sions Of the loss OF their slave property,
thew were seized by the leaders while the
frenzy ragged, and futhlessly coerced into
treason against their Government-
Truth NAV be assailed, not conquered
and since it has appeared at last, in a
sbape so unauestioEable, how in
expressibly Inundated must be these
victims of this lalsehOOd when
they look it full in the face. 1t
will soon be seen from the cleaning
from the preliminary census report of
1860 which we copy below, that the
number of fugitives during the census
year ending June 1, 1860, did not ox-
coed LOO of one per cent. OF the whole
number of slaves then in the slavehold-
ing States, and that the number OF es-
capes in that year was not so great as in
1850 as Is the difference between 1-3O
and l-50 Of one per ceut. The protec-
ton extended by the Federal Govern
ment is greater than that afforded TO
any other species Of property by the
State Government for the loss on any
other property is treble 1-30 of one per
cent. This is an invaluable paper to the
future historian and to the American
people. Il is carefully prepared, and,
like an accurate arithmetical calculation,
it proves itself. When, in the history OF
nations did a people so wise and intel
ligent as this Southern race of men at
tempt such a stupendous folly as that Of
pulling down a Government under which
they had been blessed in every way in
which mortals can be blessed, for a cause
80 frivolous and puerile9 The evil was
inconceiyably small, compared with the
immense slave population of the South
and considering all the surroundings Of
that population Its popularity as an in
stitution; its existence In Government
moro than halE Of whose area was free,
it is amatter of wonder that the number
of escapes was not one hundred times
greater The cause of rebellion on this
score was, at least, infinitely greater in
1850 than in 1860. The mere fact of the
existence Of void statutes could work
no mischief; and il is shown by this
report that, if they had any influence, il
was exerted to diminish, rather lhan in
crease, the number Of fugitive slaves.
But we will let the report speak for itself
The tables referred 10 are omitted for
want of space.