Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1863-03-13
CANCELLATION.

ding struggle the world has ever wit
messed, when striving to free ourselves
from an oppression, sanctioned alone
by the half-civilized idea that "might
made right" endeavoring to preserve,
by an assemb1age Of homogeneous
states, the constitutional freedom be-
queathed us from a revolutionary an
cestry, battling with a foe, whose afro
cities have appalled, the civilized ma
tons Of earth, and called upon to ex-
ert our greatest energies to render the
accomplishment of our dearest wish,
the success of our cause, an assurance
ioubly sure" that we may be required
to face sterner, yet more insidious foe,
within the very portals Of our temple
of liberty.
In the more early days Of our Con-
Ifederacy, the almost universal regret
that the North West did not see the
state of affairs as we viewed it, and
unite with us, caused grave thoughts
in the minds Of sage statesmen, and
elected expressions, full of meaning to
the rejecting mind of our Young Re
public. They feared that the desire
for peace would lead us to conciliate
the North, rather than win our indie
pendence from it. We felt that their
fears were not altogether groundless,
but were pleased to see this idea OF
Cancellation, taught with SO much OF
fevi1 to our Confederacy, grow less and
less fearful, as we supposed, in the rapid
progress of events.
We are now called upon, from feeble
expressions Of feeling, here and there,
to caution our people against the in
sidious wiles of this monster in the
garb Of PEACE.
We do not believe that invitations
extended to the North West. by as
semblages of citizens or correspondents
Of persons high in office, can cause
that section to sunder its connection
with the United States, or such being
the case, to unite with us-the causes
for such action lie much deeper. fit
would cause these states to secede and
form separate republic, we would say
hold meetings every day. But have
we not attempted to conciliate them
as much as justice and right to our
selves would permit (? Have we not
assured them of the free and unmo-
Tested transit Of that inland Sea- the
Mississippi, for which alone the North
West was first induced to 60 to war !?
Shall we incorporate then in our Con-
federacy? Surely not.
Admit these States without similar
institutions, by the adoption of con-
stitution merely, and what safeguard
have we against the admission of all
the States of the Old Union !? Mas
sachusetts will become as much en-
titled to admission, by the adoption
of the constitution, as Illinois, but will
she be any more assimilated to the
Southern States by such course 2
Can we thereby change her people to
an honest, upright, civilized set Of be-
ings ? Then the idea of Cancellation
must be confessed to lead, not only to
the BEST MODE OF RECoSsTRUCTING
the Union, and what the mass of the
northern people are anxiously DESTROYS
of, since they have somewhat awaken
ed from their dream of reconstructing
by subjugation but to a more de-
plorable state Of things, the same bur-
dens, made weighter by the contest,
to be borne by the South, the same
people with whom to be associated,
whose guarantees would be like the
fugitive-slave-law was, a nullity, whose
desire to Cypress the South further,
would be emboldened by the then cer~
tainty that the South could not exist
outside of their Union.
The Confederacy needs no such an
association to make her great The
elements of a great and powerful ma
ton are within her own limits.
Cancellation might lead to an early
peace. but let every candid man ask
himself the question whether it would
not lead to consequences to be much
dreaded, His answer can not be in
the negative for he would then declare
that all the blood that has been shed
III defense of the course pursued by
the Confederate States, in maintain
ing their independence, has been poured
out for nothing, and that the South is
peopled by madmen, but let him an
swer, as we believe the thinking pco-
pie of the Nation will, and he will give
this struggle a proud pre-eminence
over the revolution, which honors and
is honored by the name Of Washing
ton, and bury the hateful idea of CON-
clL1AT1oN so deep that the political
resurrectionists Of centuries can not
possibly exhume it.
a. We copy below an extract
from a letter published in the South
ern Literary Messenger, giving an &C
count Of the campaign of Genl. Jack
sons army in Maryland.
Those who know Maj. Hartman will