Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1864-01-08
rnsis orr c-stor;sl f-;.-a ,p-.res US. rs

r3Gi.i. e.. E' Ell. -. I. I'-ti "E.-- -" t"!G
man,,a. NJ, !: - ~; ;l..'1o,trn b. no. ~
le.:si, ,h: ..,c:,. m .a5A. ',,. KrGp N5thiag
psrtv oG lie N0ri:rct': o:..:t$ a.;..&i % rr.-
scribe the 1ris: BORN population, the South
eras, with Dir. W sc. the EOycr.i"r d Virric-
il., at their heal. co operated with the nob!es
spirits Of Tho North, in crushing that mis-
chievcrs faction. It is not forgotten by me
! that nt-ehe did find kindlier feeling to-
whld, Ireland than II: Charleston, where the
r.arue= OK Shields and CT Meayher were
mentioned with an enthusiasm that thcy
! w.uld have failed u excite amOng the party
! TO which Meagher has lately surrendered hist
self.
In lie letter which YOU have recently pubs
lishsd. General heashcr repeatedly designHtts
the Southern rebels as dristocratS. Nav, l
am unable tn discover upon what maaitcsta-
tons Of Southern feeling he POUNDS this charge
that the Secession is sn aristocratlc, aud not
q popular, movement. It seems TO ME that
there has seldom bacn an Instruction which
has, with such uLauimity, embraced ell classes
of eocittf ~ the secession of tho Southern
States. ii this be 81, it is unworthy OF Z
statesman t. coiicsccnd"to raise prciudices
| against tha Southerners by calling them drI$-
tocr0ia. Is is the more inGons lstent because
| he taunts the Emperor Napoleon with being Il
79drUcRH, Gnd because it is we'll known TO his
friends that General Mcaghcr himself feels it
| to be subject Of honorable pride that he Is
descended from the cbisGs Of 1kerrin. For
my part, believe th., u term driatorrGt is
Just ~ applicable to the Matthew's as 1t IS to the
| Suutherns, and have boon told that the me-
noved aristocracy of New York are more purse
proud and ovcrbearirg in their manners than
The richest and mos: aris1oratic planters Of
| the South. do not FOUND this remark on my
own observation, fer | experienced nothing
hut courtesy in ali parts Of America. But
| General Mfaghcr wholly misunder5tands the
mature Of 1rishmen. i! DC suppnscs that h"
can raise IL their minds prejudice against Il
party by calling them aris!oornts. IN lrish>
nan naturally loves the ''oid Stock is
this surpgisiHg-i@r Eiany 81 Our pcasantry
feel :hat theugh thcg haze lost property and
stati,n by thc ti'i.l:ty o: their aaccstra 70
their country and to their religion, still ~
noble blood flows in their veins rs that which
is TO be found amongst the i:-oudcst potentatcS
of Eurape The S,Gtro"s may, therefore,
accept wtlfpridc tn, de-! ,ii;:.:on aristocrats
and Irishmcn will horror them Tho more on
account OF this a0pcliat;ua, when they learn
that many of !he !:las: prominent families in
the South Quilted tho richest homes of Eng
| land and ireland l,rcauSc they lgccd religious
AID political freedom hettar than the delight
which bcl6n. to aristnciatic indu: ,cHcics n
tho land of their birth.
Gen. Meaghcr - more siirC 81 '.@;:trg
amongst III prtiu?;aeS arainst i!I:: S1utherra
iShcu he calls ten siIce omRc"& t;"n wh"n
nc De-: a,,ns them q; 0rtStocrGtS i',@ Irish
neopie feel "a inYinciblc aversion g. 10 in
siituticn Of slavery: and if this war wctc
really VIZ # emancipation, there would nc
'r~ in ireland who would not pray for the
u.crSs o.; the Nprihcrns But no enc knows
better than Gen. Meagacr, that the plcscrt
war is M. war fnr i!c emancipation OF the
| ,lavrR, hur that it is g war which is carried m
To7 the purpose OF uphol1inC the U:.l@H. No
me knows ictter t:,an Gen. Mca- h"r that
| iarsc majority nf ta3au = u" re- '::hl,ng in
10 r.r.l; Of the NJr:i!"r.,a rer3T.; IL ahrli-
i;gu.ts u slavery as Il i3jIc;I"v"ue ard i!ne'i
al far.;un--iha: ihia majority void ''ou>
| .iruc IL unhLi,i AMI cEinfcc me d",">tahir
Fugitive S,aYe Lta," :.ri T.! The cthn- ap
r!iau&ics Incidental 20 .igy"vy. provided ih'!:
the slayciioiding States would return r.
| he Union He'd it been Il var Of cinaroipa>
! ion, Congress woud have sozHd tho ci,?srtu.
nifty afforded by The secession u cnu2t aud
ar0mu!garc the freedom Of every Stare II the
United States. But il has done no such
hing. 1t has authorized President Lincoln
20 declare that tho slaves OF rebels, ever
whom lie has no -wtv, are free. bnt the slaves
| IF the loval upholicf5 ct the Union, who arc
subject TO the io-i-ia.i3a Of Congress, arc
,tii! consigned to everlasting bondage.
No ono krnws better than Gcn. McaShcr
shat the conditions Of tie cmancipated slave
in the Nor:h i more humiliating 70 a sensi.
tive spirit fhaa th2 enforced suhjeot;ou winch
is maintained IN tic S,r,n. lie Knows that,
with q few ;nd'7iauni exceptions, tho North
ern cnancipa.or ALL neither cat, pray nor
travel with mcr "f ,;i;t-@vou though they
! be as w"ll educa.c,l ard refined Is the most
| accomplished &c the white population. He
| knows that the President has held out ~
| cthcr hora 70 .ho cm,n:irat:d slaves rs the
South than Tat u: compulsory removal to
| dDair iaui Gi'.ant ircm the hIiucs Of their
childhood. lie knows that the condition and
pruspee.. nf ;no cn,hnci pltci slave are such
| that nf tho many millions cf Dlaves TO whom
the present WAY has af,Ttcd IN opportunity
| ut fleeing from scrSini,, only Il few Laou.
sands have =oughi h. csS,rc, though they faVc
been stimulated 10y ti!J No. thcr1cr', not only
20 fee from their MASTER. bur also 20 plumber
and tn massacre the families amongst WHOM
| they have lived from their infancy. lie has
vet to learn that the Southctns may pre-
fer 10 trust them selves 20 their Slaves rather
| than submit 20 Nartharn domination; ard
that before this Eorrib:e struggle nhail be
ended VIC may witness ;hc iHrasion Of the
North by half a million Of coiored troops
armed and led By their former masters.
God forbid thai | ehoull say Il word in
| favor Of slavery. The one redccn:aG advnn-
tago which have contemplated Is z Posslbic
result of this conflict is, tina. il may induce
tho Southerners voluntarily to emanci gate
their e'arca; BIZ, 7 viii mt ai!Jw my country
men l.? be 50 Tn;sie'! by E:alni!cqueht viru-
:era;ian rs To believe that this present war is
:, war undertaken ior the abolition Of STARE
~ in Amcr;c1. Az for our friond Mcagher
| himself. have no reason to suppose that he
ever objected to be ihe guest or the friend OF
those "wha grow sleek and naughty mn the
sweat Of the black skin :" and if, like some ot
hi. friends ut Mobile and Clarlc@ton. he baI
| Inherited an estate tn whiah q few hundred
slaccs wgrn attached | nm hY no means cp"-
y;ncoal That he would cmiaclpasc 'a"m.
Uavins. thus c?dcavGral 20 diac2n7nct from
the main question 4: issue Ia: various falla-
cics and prerdicea by which it has beech sur
rounded. now address nYseii to tho qncs-
ton. whether Virginia, Carolina, Georgia,
Alabama Mississippi, and the other feec''ing
|! States lave, or have n"t NATURAL and intc'
feasible right to determine what form Of gov
.rnmcn5 is most conducive to their interests,
and accertibe to their feelings. This arF"Gra
to me to be aquestion which docs not admit
Y! sr,,,,man. on the part Of th0so who, like J.,
| F. Mea9her, have c6litcurcu taGs Ireland a2d
Poland have moral riehs to withdraw from
he domination of England or of Russia.
There Is, perhaps, no pa;tof the ~or;i in
whici, the pressure Of metHpoiitia dominion
is less scs than in canada,Eet Gen. Ica :hor
would not deny to the CANADIANS Tho riGht 10
;icclaTo their independence, or to associate
Themselves with the Safes of America. It is
difficult, therefore, to understand by what