The Portland daily press., 1863-05-14

Jt0ns lruef words were never spokcu. We
doubt If either of these alone, Independent of
the other, could have eliminated in such an
unholy strife as that in which the southern
traitors have plunged the country. Slavery
alone might have disintegrated the very pill
lars and foundation stones on which the Re-
public rested, but in the absence of ambitious
leaders it could scarcely have whetted the evil
passions to such an extent that the people of
the south would have risen against their
friends and kinsmen, and striven to drag
down to ruin the common Inheritance derived
from our fathers.
Ambition alone might have done much mis-
chief, but without an instrument to work with
in which the southern people would feel
common interest, it is doubtful if any three
states could have been combined to carry out
its wicked schemes. 1t was ambition that in
1882 attempted to resist the authority of the
general government in South Carolina, and
to nullify its acts, but having seized upon the
protective tariff as its excuse and instrument,
1t failed to gain sympathy 20 any great extent
beyond the limits of that one state.
We are not ignorant of the fact that men
among us of more loyalty to party than to
country, insist that the great causes Of The
rebellion sprang up in the North; that it
was the prevalence of anti-slavery views at
the north, opposition to the fugitive slave law,
unwillingness to respect the compromises of
the constitution, northern personal liberty
bills, general hostility to the south on the part
of our people, encroachments upon their
rights, and all these represented ia combina-
tion in the triumph of the republican party in
the Presidential election of 1860, that broke
the back of southern forbearance, aud caused
and precipitated the rebellion, and the war
which has resulted from that rebellion. Per-
haps few honest-minded but i-informed
people believe all this; but they are de-
ceived, hoodwinked by their unprinciped
party leaders, tcho know better.
The truth is, as we propose to show from lea
ding southern men themselves, that the rebel
lion was not caused by any geographical pref
udices, by any lack of fidelity on the part OF
the north to carry out all their compacts with
the south, or by the opinions entertained at
the north on the subject Of negro slavery.
The constitution was the product of southern
az well as northern minds, and all its compro-
misses had been faithfully observed on the part
of the north. Not law existed on the ma
tional statute books that was not enacted by
the aid of southern votes. The south had vir-
tually controlled the government, dictated its
policy, and dispensed its fayors. Could it
have continued to do so by the election of
John c. Breckenridge in 1860, no one believes
we should have had rebellion so long as that
state of things could be maintained. Ambi-
ton refused to let go of the reins of power
which had so long been tightly held. Ambi-
ton insisted upon continued rule or national
ruin. This was the spirit of the men who
precipitated the rebellion. They were men
who preferred dctation in hell to obedience
in heaven.
And savery,-what part did IL play? 1t
was opposed, in its very nature, to the genius
of republican institutions; opposed to the
spirit Of genuine democracy; opposed to gen.
eral education of the masses; opposed to pop
.ular freedom. 1t was opposed to these things
in its very essence and spirit, as much as dark
ness is opposed to sunlight, falsehood to truth,
vice to virtue, chicanery to honesty, hell to
heaven. There was conflict-an "irrepres-
sible conflict demanding the exercise Of the
highest prudence and wisdom to avert violent
collision; needing but spark to ignite the
elements and produce an explosion,-which
spark ambition stood ready to supply. In
word, there were two opposing forms of civil
lization co-existing in the nation, totally and
radically hostile; two adverse social systems,
one depending for its Development and frui-
ton upon increased education, free thought,
untramelled speech, and a free press; the
other upon the ignorance OF the masses, sup
pressed thought, a fettered press, and pow
erful aristocracy; an aristocracy under which
capital should not only control labor but the
capitalist should o,cn the iaborer. These two
systems, we say, were antagonistc, and it was
to free the latter from the influence and con-
troll of the former, and to establish a state
upon its peculiar idea, that the rebellion was
conceived and rpened into open bloody ress-
lance to the authority of the land. A few
extracts from Southern men will close this
article.
The first we give is from Hon. l.. w Spratt
of South Carolina, an influential man, and
editor of the Charleston Mercury-the most
influential paper in the rebel confederacy. In
the South Carolina convention which passed
the ordnence of secession, he said
The South is now in the formation of n slave
republic This, perhaps is not admitted generally
There many contentcd 10 believe that fhe South
rs geographical section is in assertion of III
independence; that it is instinct with no especial
truthpregpant of distinct social nature: that for
some unaccountable reason the two sections have
become opposed to each other that FIR reasons
equally insufficient, there is Disagreement bot~oan
the peoples that direct them; and that from no oyer
ruling necessity. no impossiby of coexistence INT
matter of policy, ii has been considered best
for the South strike out for herself and establish an
independence of her own. This, fear is an made
Quate conception of the controversy. The contest is
not between the North and South geographical sec
TONS for between such sections merely there can be
no contest between the people of The North and
the people of the South for relations have been
pleasant and neutral grounds there still nothing
toestrange US. We eat together trade together and
practice yet in intercourse with great respect the cour
tesies of common life But the real contest befeeu
The tro forms Of society which have become establish
co. the one North and the other at the South Society
essentially different from government-as different
as Is the nut IRON the burr, the nervous body a
the shel-fsh from the bony which surrounds
II; ana Wlimn TINS government two societies had be-
come develOped as variant in structure and distinct
in form as any two beings in animated nature The
one IL q society composed of one race the other az
two The is bound together but by the two
great social relations of husband wife and parent
and child the other by the three relations of husband
and wife, and parent and child, and master and slave
The one embodes in its political structure the princi
pie that equality the right of man the other that
is the right Of equals only. The one embodyng the
principle that equality the right of man expands
upon the horizontal plane of pure democracy; the
other, embOdyiug DrinciDlp that is