Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-04-30
INTELLIGENCER.
MR.. AMBRosE,s LETTERS.
LETTER vi.
EyoL UT 10 N I.

The asuration Of Southern ambition which has reached
= "a msr If rebellion was not the growth OF month
- VAR Those who have watched the Of public
ven and noted the development of opinion in the South
for wears past have many signs Of the coming peril
and If the country not prepared for it, il not for
want Of an occasional warning Every body knew there
were restless spirits in the South who would rejoice in the
opportunity destroy the Union and that these
deavoring create sectional sentiment that might favor
the accomplishment Of their wish But the common faith
the country in the patriotism Of the people Of the South
and the profound conviction Of the whole North and we
may say also Of the larger part of the Southern commun
ties that no motive existed which could possibly stir up
the people of any State to the mad enterprise of assang
the integrity the Union dspeed apprehension on
this score The public generally regarded the danger
chimera Even the Government. which ought to have
been dstrustfu enough to put itself guard seemed to
be utterly unconscious of the gathering trouble Never
was a country taken much at unawares.
The year 1860 of great prosperity The nation
exhibited something more than it's customary ghtheart
edness and had risen into tone of hariy from the pecu-
liar excitement of the year The spring occupied
with celebrations of the advent of the Japanese Embassy
which sgnalzed the enlargement of our commerce with
the East, and autumn filed with pageants to vel
come the heir Of the British throne whose visit
earded as an event of national congratuaton that pro-
token Of new strength and greater influence to the Rpub
c 1t was year distinguished by public demonstrations
OF faith and hope in the future destiny of the country Few
persons were willing to believe allowed themselves to
think that whilst thus increasing the popularity
of the nation abroad and nauguratng of remark
able promise to the advantage Of foreign and domestic
interests there any considerable party amongst US
who could habor the parrcda design of crushing these
brilliant hopes in the destruction of the country ITSELF or
that the band Of political agtaors to whom the public was
accustomed to impute such design could infatuae
their followers prevail with them to attempt it 1t
was in this state of confident security, and in the very
midst of these peaceful manifestations that the storm broke
npon the country. Never nation utterly unpre-
pared for such event.
Notwithstanding this dissonance between the tone OF
public feeling at that time and the terrific incident which
grated upon with such nopportune dscord the rebellion
was predestinsd fact which at its appointed day
The year the month"; almost the week of its explosion had
been determined in councils held long before and the plot
had no regard the barometer of national sentiment In
different alike the good will which delights ia establish
ing peace that congenial mood which promotes
quarrel.
It was foreordained that the Presidential election of
1860 should furnish the OCCASION but the day of disso
luton.
Let us endeavor extract from the history of the times
and our own observation of the character of people
what we can find to solve this problem 1t has grown to
be almost universally accepted fact the northern side
that slavery the cause the rebel
hon This broadly received that the corroary derived
from seems this time to be the axiom upon which the
special friends of the Administration endeavorng to d.
rect the conduct Of the to put tie rebellion down
Slavery being the of the rebellion, the it is said
must be aimed at the extinction Of slavery With them it
woud appear longer point to compel the insur
Ill IN fhair lamar
bu rather to act on the assumption that peace desr
able which leaves slavery existing institution.
think this of the origin of our troubles requires
soms qualification Slavery of itself and for itself ia not
the cause of the rebellion do not believe that there
one intelligent leading and thinking man in the South,
when this rebellion broke out who imagined that slavery
was in any kind of danger either from the action OF the
National Government the State Governments nor that
it could be successfully assaed by the hostility that was
exhibited against it 10 the public private opinion OF
Northern sociey think that astute Southern statesmen
were and perfectly convinced that the Government OF
the United States embracing both National and State or
qanzatons afforded impregnabe security to the nst-
tutoo Of slavery which power this continent in ts
lawful course Of administration, could disturb And more
over that the guarantees which these organizations com
bued offer to that institution not only entirely adequate
TO s protection such ever before
supplied aud SUCH also, government of the same
scope of Jurisdiction and power would again agree to
make 1t ia the merest sham and makebeleve for any
Southern man pretend that the institution Of slavery
ever brought into peril before this rebellion exposed to
the dangers that now surround it, hardly suppose
that any man Of sense in the South could believe other
wise than that war; provoked between the States,
would the only effective agency which could destroy or
impair it against the will and without the cooperation Of
the Slave States themselves
Slavery may be said TO be the Of the rebellion only
in the same sense in which may affirm that cotton and
n0a are the cause of it, that Southern character hab
its climate and social life the out Of which it
has sprung.
The agitstons of the slave question were only ostens
by the motives to rebellion They the means made
use Of to give pretext and consistency TO the scheme
With the unhinkng excitable OF the South
il true these sgstons the principal incentives TO
revolt They furnished them ready argument and made
the threat of breaking up the Union familiar TO the South
something of the effect upon portions Of the people
Of the North for the aversion to the Union not alone
harbored ia the South have doubt that the extreme
opinions on this subject preached and written by sect in
New England had most penicous influence in extend
ing the thought of dissolution through the South There
was an equal fanstcism both Sides quite evident in
favor Of slavery in section against it in the other
and abotous in the ultra phases Of their
respectve demands full accord to the ultimate
remedy of the grievances they imagined themselves to su
fer IT was curious to how in ascending the gamut