Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1864-03-25
Stabbed Itself to Death"

b Government. We most heartily concur in th
r lofty sentiments contained in the following
g After enduring for nearly three years lh
d trials and hardshirs, the privations and sui
e ferings of a cruel war, commepced and carrie
r on for the benefit of the institution of Slavery
: the significant confession is wrung from th
? Richmond Wing "That Slavery ba
stabbed itself to death. 1t has siuned agaius
5 the light; committed The objectionable sin
5 and must die" Considering the source from
which ii emanates it is a remarkably franE
admission. No circumlocution is employed
to weaken, disguise, mollify or shade dowr
the unpalatable truth. 1t has the directness
brevity and clearness OF startled conviction
: the wall Of despair, and exhibits feeling o.
remorse for the remediless foies of the past
The lesson has been long enough, aud pur-
chased with sufficient price to compel those
to understand it who were the most obstinate
ly determined not to learn. Very many felt
assured that the first shot that started on its
murderous errand toward Sumter gave forth
the dying shrek of slavery, let the result of
the contest which it signaled be what il
might. To them, the proposition appeared 40
plain and simple, the result so unmistakabIe,
according to the lights before them, that they
could not understand how it could be viewed
differently by aDy,nor repress the fear..th some
secret resource or reliance, some hidden power
unknown to others, was at the command OF
the inetigators and supporters Of the rebellion,
which induced them TO accept the desperate
hazard. Even in war between separate and
perhaps distant nations, a serviIe population
is cause for suspicion, distrust and watchful-
ness on the part of the nation possessing it !;
and in a civil war where the contestants are
almost sure to come iu contact with this race,
and fight over the soil where it exists, it be-
comes an element of weakness and danger, but
lightly compensated by the forced and unceF-
tain assistance it may render. No such war
can long continue without disturbing and de-
mOralizing this class, though neither OF the
combatants should strive to accomplish that
object and property that lives, thinks and
wills, and is anxious to be confscated by a
power that relinquishes and destroys all the
right OF property as soon as possession is OBJ
tained, furnishes the readiest material from
which to make reprisals on the enemy. Again,
it was difficult to conceive that nine-tenths Of
the white population Of the South, who own
no slaves, and derive no benefit from the in
stitution, but participate in the degradation
of the bonded race, could long fail to see that
" this was the rich mans war and the poor
mans fight y that their interests were diane
trically opposed to the objects and purposes
Of the rebellion, and this was the favorable
opportunity to escape the semi-servitude in
which they had before been held by a
minority, assert the rights legitimately be-
longing to them, and destroy the cause of their
debasement.
But all these views seem to have been hid |
den from those most deeply interested in pre-
serving the institution. Although no one had
foreseen it, events were ripe for the annihila- |
tion OF this disgrace to civilization. No one
had imagined how it was to be accomplished, |
but Providence had selected its friends to give
the death wound, and for that purpose had
aa5ed Intellectual blindness and overreaching
ambition to their moral prosperity. Not sat
isied with having obtained advantages far be-
yond anything contemplated by the trainers of
the Constitution, they sought to overthrow
:he only power from which they could posi-.
bly, expect security in the enjoyment of slave |
property. in order that they might make it !
the chief corner stone of political power and |
the basis Of social happiness and in that they |
outraged the moral sense of the civilized |
world, and became outlaws from all but the
basest kind of human sympathy. They claim
ed that slavery was ordained Of God, and
sought TO invest it with the sanctity Of reli- |
gion and in that they derided and ingulted
Divine justice, and placed themselves beyond |
the pale Of heavenly aid, if not mercy. The
effect Of the war upon slavery iS ut length be-
coming apparent to all who are not unwilling
to seeg The leaders of the rebellion, and most
OF the slave owners thoroughly understand it,
and the more sensible of the latter, who are
not too deeply implicated in treason, are pre-
pairing TO yield gracefully to the inevitable de-
cree of fate. The more guilty and obstinate
will continue the objectless struggle for blind
revenge, and will fight all the more iercely on
&C count of modification and regret for the /
self-inficted injuries. How desperately sad
and loomy must be such contest, when the |
consciousness that every effort they make is |
defeating and rem dering more hopeless the at
tainment of the ects for which they have |
been striving, is ever present to madden and |
dishearten them. Slavery is literally " stab
bing itselfto DEATH" 1t is not strange that
the Richmond Wing should be aware of the
should think the time had arrived TO ennunci-
ate it from the Confederate capitol, in the
eyes of JEFF Davis aud his ministers, and the
Rebel Congress and the people. The last to
discover the change and changing condition
Of things, will be the Copperheads. Blind of
followers, unaccuGtomed to think or act for
themselves, require an authoritative permis-
sion from their masters before they dare to
view events in 4 new light. The Copper
heads remember when trucking, unquestion-
ing subserviancy TO the slave interest was the
surest road TO political prefermeRt, aHd they
are willing to contract new habits. They
have been instructed that slavery was a sa-
cred Institution to be let alone" except for
the purpose of fostering it, and they believe
it. They have been told that any efforts,
however legitimate tending towards freedom,
are unconstitutional, arbitrary and tyranical,
and that is the unaIterabIe standard of their
political faith. When they prate about the
Union as it was" they simply mean slavery
as it was. They can understand that every
thing else should be so changed by the war
as to render the :" Union as it was an impos-
slbility, but slavery never. s
They know the war was set on foot to
strengthen and perpetuate the institution, and
are unable to convince themselves that any
measure for effecting that object should be for
once unsuccessful. They still hug the pleas
ing allusion that slavery fourishes in its pres
tine vigor with the same power Of confering |
iavors, and they will probably not cease their
efforts in its behalf until the united voice of
their masters, and shareholders, in solemn