Smyrna times., 1863-06-04
The Union as 1t was: The Union as we
Wonid Restore IL.

AiS uo' A'oG W say dllyInlLS VI Gno great It.
sources We possess, developed by it as warlike
nation, the lessons we are learning of the neces-
sary measures for free, republican govern
ment, will in the restoration of the Union prove
to us invaluable.
The Union az it existed before the commence
ment of our present troubles was possessed Of
many evils as well as numerous blessings-evils |
which were inimical to the very blessings con-
ferred by it. We had, or rather our forcfathers
had established free government, which at
the same time contained within it's jurisdiction, |
as state institution, a contradiction in the
shape of African bondage This by them was
an evil much deprecated, but one which they
really believed would gradually become extinct |
They attempted no excuse fer it upon the |
grounds that Southern leaders since the failure
of the Notification movement would Justify il, |
but regarded it as an evil saddled upon them
by the mother country, and one which with a
government of our own we would soon rid our |
selves of This was much the feeling of lead |
ing men throughout the whole country previ-
Gus to 1912. But since that time, since the at
tempt of South Carolina to shatter the Union
by practical Notification which so signally fail
ed and since the undue agitation of the slavery
question by certain strenuous abolitionists
throughout the North, different doctrine has
been adopted by the Southern leaers-noth-
ing less than direct contradiction of that of
our forefatherS-that slavery is blessing,
therefore right, and must exist as a permanent
institution in the Southern States. With the
enunciation of this doctrine, abOlitioniSm i'm
mediately commenced to increase, and so rapid
ly, that in short time the boundary line Of
slavery became also that of political partics-
This state of things was just what the Southern
oligarchs wanted-tO arouse the passions of one
section against the Other-for they had not fail
ed to use their utmost efforts sin;c CalhOuns
movement was squelched by President Jack
son to bring about this very thing. Slavery
now became question which entered into our
politics, our churches, our schools, and even
our social relations. To such an extent was
this the case-to such an infuenc. had it been
brought to possess over the minds of the South
ern people, that in order to secure their hearty
cooperation in any enterprise, even to that of
destroying the Federal Union, it was only ne
cessary for the Southern leaders to impress
them with the belief that slavery was attack
ed, and they became blind followers. The
g minds of the Southern people having been
thus trained, favorable pretext for the ac-
complishment Of what was commenced in, 1882
. was offered in the election of Mr.. Lincoln and
: Immediately embraced. War, civil bloody war
" has ensued, and what is now the prospect ?
There can be but little doubt that if the Fe !e-
= raj government would at one tim. call oft all
its available means the Rebellion must succumb.
And seeing such an inevitable fate would not
the southern authorities offer upon certain
TERMS to return to the Union before they would
submit to ccmpletc subjugation? And if terms
, were offered by the South, have the people Of
the North yet thought upon what condition,
= they would discontinue the war; aud receive
back the Southern States? To arrive at pro
> per conclusions in this respect it becomes ne
= necessary to study the cause Of the w1r-tha
:, = which brought it on, and that for which it il
y waged against U.S. No one can review the his
tory of our country for the last ten years AM
say that slavery was not the cause Of the war
Sc intimately connected has it been with mat
ters Ofa political nature that to say it is not tn,
. cause of the war is to say that taxation withlu
", representation did not precipitate the Revolu
ton. By it the minds of the Southern peopl
lx, have been brought in unison with those G
e their leaders. By it their lore for the old gov
oo ernment which never oppressed them tn
od weight of feather, has been turned to hate
-, and their worst passions aroused against it,
- BY it they have been brought to wage a wa
ri against their old Union without a parallel
bo history. Who can look at this and say SLAYER
A. was not the cause of the war? And is it nc
he for slavery that the war is waged against us
in Have not the Southern people made it th
of corner stone of their government, thereby sa,
ing to the world that with them it is a permal
ak ent institution, and for this they seperate fro
as the North in order to make their own law
.Ir both national and state, concerning it!
md How then is the Union to be restored? La
ed ing aside all questions of the debt, confiscatiC
On. of property, &C., how is the Union to be r
zen stored upon that question which brought.
ace the war and for which it is wagcd.
on The great lesson of the war is that slave
yer and free government are Incompatible
We Should we restore the Union as it was, tn
I'M we would restore slavery to that position
any political influence it possessed before the WI
ood The power it had over theSouthern mind wou
our be again restored and upon it the Southe
the people could be again aroused against tn,
ret government. This being the case the Sou
, as would only await a more favorable opportu
to once more plunge us into civil war. If
Gus restore the Union as is was, history of tod
last will be repeated in the memory of the prest
IOek generation. What then is necessary in the
nell storation of the Union to ensure its perpetui
rch, The first and great thing necessary is to bre
S. down the influence Of slavery over the Sou
red, ern mind, to remove it from our politics, {
tical churches, our schools, to so cripple it that