The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1863-04-23

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les in London had claimed that Mr.. Adams,
the Envoy of the United States, ought not
to be received on his arrival, because be-
fore that event, the Confederacy would be
installed at Washington, and the United
States would have ceased to exist; it was
not until all this had taken place that the
General Government drew the sword.
Even suppose Carolina had a constitutional
right to secede and to declare herself for
eign State. the war is not the less war Of
aggression on her part, and that Of her as.
sociates. She had no right, in seceeding,
to carry Sumter along with her. She had
formally ceded that spot to the United States
1t was ours by firmer tenure than that
by which Gibraltsr belongs to England, for
that was originally obtained by conquest.
Spain notoriously regards the possession of
Glbralter by England, as standing monu-
ment of national humiliation so much so
that, in the Peninsular war, although the
armies of England were the only hope Of
the preservation of the Independence of
SPAN, the thought of Gibtalter led her to
oppose the occupation OF Cadiz by British
troops, even under the strongest strage.ical
motives. Suppose now Spain. desirous of
repossess'ng Gibralter, had sent agents to
London to treat FoT its purchase and that
these agents had failed of success would
this give Spain right to drive the English
by force out oe Gibralter? And how long
would England slumber over an attack like
that of Carolina on Ft Sumter Would
not very English ship of war that could
float be put in commission, and every regi-
nent in the British army, available for the
purpose, be removed to the coast, rather
than leave Gibralteri in the hands Of the
Spaniards Yes, she would spend every
pound sterling in her treasury, she would
send her last man to the Peninsula, rather
than allow such an outrage to succeed and
it would be an insult to the common sense
of mankind to cal that war Of aggression
on the partof Great Britain. But again,
suppose the Southern States had right to
secede (Which they have as much and no
other right to do than the counties south Of
the Thames and Severn, have to secede
from the English crown and set up the old
kingdom of SUSSEX is this metaphysical
right, doubted even by the ablest of their
own leaders, a right to be maintained at
the mouth of the cannon by seven States,
if not instantly conceded by all the rest of
rest of the Union Had the majority of the
citizens Of the cotton growing States desired
to leave the Union, which was notoriousy
not the case had they instead of "heing
precipitated into the revolution" by ambi-
tious demagogues, whose language quote,
! by deliberate legislative acts or convention S
of the people, called after mature public dis
cussion Of the question, authentically an
nounced that fact and their willingness to
leave to the United States the fortresses
necessary to protect the navigation of tho
| Gulf of Mexico and the control of the Mis-
sissippi River, have little doubt that a re-
quisite majority of the States would have
/ agreed to the amendment of the Constitu-
tion necessary to carry such an arrangement
into effect sure as it was in few years
by its perfect madness to cure itself. But
this did not suit the ambitions leaders In
cotton growing States. They well knew
that no such expression of popular opinion
could be obtained, for the good reason that
no such opinion existed. They knew that
a separation thus peacably brought about
would be an experiment as short.lived suici-
dal They knew that the border States
would stand aloof, and that the first revolu-
ton in domestic politics, probably the next
Presidential election, consign to a political
ruin the authors Of ihe movement and bring
back the seceeding States to the Union.
This they knew, this they felt, this they in
effect confessed. They did wish to be al
lowed to '.go in peace All professions to
that effect are delusive and hypocritical. 1t
was for the wicked purpose of "firing the
Southern heart" by the shedding Of blood,
thus exciting the border states to take part
with the Cotton States, and what was OF
equal importance overawing and silencing
opposition at home, that Fort Sumtee was
attacked. fever the secrets of this con-
spiracy are disclosed by the publication Of
the correspondence that passed between
Richmnnd, Charleston and Montgomery, in
that auspicious winter Of 1860 81, what
now affirm will be found in black and white.
In truth it was substantially avowed in the
columns of the Charleston Journals and in
the speeches of the demagogues who were
sent from Virginia to fan the fame of trea-
son. m
The blow was at length struck, and but
too successfully. With the outbreak of the
rebellion reign of terror of merciles as that
of Robespicrre was inaugurated at the
South, and every man but the noble and
lamented Petigru quailed before it. Vir-
ginia ensnared in the meshes of her hair
splitting metaphysics, and fearful of being
deprived Of the wretched privilege Of sup
plying the plantations of Mississippi and
Louisiana with the surplus of her slave pop
ulation, in known opposition to the wish Of
the minority Of her people was engineered
into the contest; and war not merely Of
aggression, but Of cold 5looded calculation
on the part of the South and of self.defence,
of duty, and of necessity on the part of the
Noi tn was inaugursted.