Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1863-09-03
consummated. 1t was brought about BY
s,a.s ne snIe%lsts na Of the South, iided BY few

partlsan Democrats at ths Nosb. -. Ito
avowed Object OF its author was to open 10
slavery the Territories north Of the Missouri
compromise line, Notwithstanding the agree
ment Of 1920 that said line should fTert
divide the Territories between the Slave
aud Free States. IL is said, however, tia,
the compromise Of $40 was unconstitutioD-
al, but what is that to tho purpose IL wa.
most solemn compact between the two
sections OF the country, made for the settl.-
ment Of a most perplexing question, aud,
without any reference to its constitutionality,
should have been regarded as an orgauio
law, and observed Is sacredly DE- the Con.
stitution itself
The effect Of this measure was great and
rapid, and there can be but little doubt thai
1t was such as a majority Of its authors con
templated. The result was the formation
OF great party at the North opposed 10
the further extension Of slavery. and which
party very nearly succeeded in electinQ their
candidate for the Presidency, Mr.. Fremont,
10 1856. After the election, this purity seem.
ed to be on the wane. until the anti-slsvery
spirit Of the whole North was aroused To-
madness by an attempt on the part of Mr..
Buchanans Administration TO force the Ls.,
compton Constitution with slavery upou
knoDa aud ecpressed wish Of three. fourtbs
OF them. But for this most upiusti6abls
measure the Republican party would uIr
doubtedly have dwindied down to moder-
ate proportions; and even after this il ia
doubtful if they could have succeeded in ths
Presidential election Of 1860 il the secession.
lists, with fancey at their head, had not de-.
termined that they Mould succeed. After
MIR; YaDcey and his party had, against their
wishes, succeeded in getting their uitintatups
OF non Intervention Incorporated into the
Cincinnati platform, they went to work to
conj1re up another TO Lrssent to the
Charleston Convention. Abandoning their
doctrine OF nOn-intervention. they went to
the opposite extreme and demanded that
the Intervention of Congress for tho pro,sc-
tion Of slavery iu the Territories sho1ld con.
stitute part Of the Charleston platform.
This demand they well knew would not be
complied with. nor did they desire that il
should be. Their object was to procure
the secession Of the delegates Of the Cotton
States FROM the Convention, and thus by
defeating the nomination OF Mr.. Douglas,
and Iending asunder the Democratic party,
to insure the election Of Mr.. Lincoln, and
thereby forge for themselves a grievance
which would seem tc justify them in the
execution Of their long moditated designs If
destroying the Union.
All Of this they accomplished, and the
election Of Mr.. Lincoln was perhaps hailed
with greater joy at Charleston than at New
York. will do them the justice to stats
that they also claimed to have some other
srieyanossi among them, that some of the
Northern States BY their statutes obstruct.
cd the execution of the fugitive slave Law.
but the only States that could complain
much on that score we're willing to remain
III the Union, while South Carolina, the
State which set the ball in motion, perhaps
never lost slave. But it must be borue in
mind that no act of the National Govern
ment constituted any part of their grievan-
ees. They did not pretend that any act of
Congress infrlnged their rights, and the do
cisions Of the Supreme Court were mainly
such as they would themselves have made
Nay, even at the very time of Mr. L,nooln's
Inauguration. ifthe Cotton States had al
lowed their Senators and Representatives to
remain. they would have had decided ma
jority in both Houses of Congress in favor
of the extension Of slavery, and iu opposi.
tion to the policy oi the party which elected
him.
The great cause Of complaint was, that a
man opposed 10 the extension of slavery in
the Territories had been elected President
Of the United States according to the forms
Of the Constitution which he was sworn to
defend and protect, and who disclaimed any
other than constitutional means in the &C.
oomplishment Of his objects. Under suoh
circumstances it seem, that if they had la
bored under any real grievance, theiE course
was plain. They should have taken the
course Of our Revolutionary fathers. Whom
the States assembled in Convention, instead
of proceeding at once to declare their indie
pendence-for the idea Of secession, pesoe
able of right, seems, as Pubfius says, to
have exploded and given up the ghost
should clearly and concisely have stated
what their grievances were, and demanded
redress in respectful yet firm and decided
terms, They should have exhausted epery
constitutional means of obtaining guaran-
teesIif any were needed-by. represents
tion, by remoustrance, by petition; and, fail.
our Revolutionary sires did. e. fight IN
the Union for their rights until they were
driren out of it. Such course would have
procured for us, as it did for our fathers,
the respect, the sympathy, and the assis-
tance Of other nations. .Instead Of thar. 20
have not friend in Europe. But such
was the course which these-in their own
estimation-wise statesman chose to pursue.
When such course was suggested or re-
commended to them, they eyaded il by q
long list Of magnificent promises which look
ed SO splendid as almost to dazzle the mind
with their brilliancy, .... =,
First and foremost, they promised that
secession should be peaceoble.
Secondly, they promised that if perchanos
var should ensue it would be a very short
war; that would not last six months; that
the Yankees would not fight; that one
Southernsr could whip from ten 10 one hun
9red of them; that Eogland and France
would speedily recognise US aud render us
every assistance we might desire that
whatever might DO their abstraot opinions
Of the subj-ct of slavery, their interests
would impel them to promo ote its perpetnity
10 the Southern States; that il after al
they should not be disposed to assist u.s.,
Cotton ioos King, aud would soon bring all
the crowned heads Of Europe on thsiE Knees
in supplication to us; would compel them
to raise the blockade, should ono be estah
lished, in thirty days. in sixty days, in ninety
DAYS, in one hundred and twenty days, iu
SIX months, in nine mouths, in one year at
farthest
Thirdly, they promised us that all the