The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-11-13

law, Wnicn Will De respected ana obey
ed in most cases, as it used to be. And
event if In some cases the law should b,
! violated yet it would be better than M
law, and we should have none if two
goVeFnments.-
The cause of our present difficulties
Is misunderstanding between the peo
pie of the two sections, brought about
by designing party politicians in order
to secure the votes of the excitable
populace at home-in the South, slave
ry has been the hobby, and in the
North antislavery-and to such an ex-
tent has this thing been carried, that a
very bitter hatred has been engendered
between the two sections, but that
hatred in the South is only against the
extremists, the secessionists of the
| South.
We do not wish to believe that our
people ale so far given over to passion
and prejudice as to have lost all SELF
control, for if that is true, then it fol
lows of course, that they have lost the
capacity to manage q free government,
and despotism awaits them. Men
who act from the evil promptiDgs of
those evil passions always act wrong, for
we are taught by holy writ that cor
rupt fountain cannot send forth pure
water. A man may be permitted to fol
low the dictates of his passions in the
management of his own private affairs,
because in that case the consequences
of the act will affect himself alone, and
he will be the only one to suffer by it
But in government affairs, men are not
only acting for themselves and others
now in being, but for future genera
tions, and nothing but an enlightened
judgment, sound reason and plain COM
mon sense ought to control the action
of any man.
Past generations enjoyed the benefits
of the "best government the world ev-
er produced in connection with the
very men with whom we are now at
war, and future generations may justly
upbraid us if we suffer the passions and
prejudices of the present age to deprive
them of that same government. Such
men as George Washington, Benjamin
Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, James
Madison, James Monroe and others who
formed the government of the United
States, did not object to a union with
New England, and the Puritanic char
acter of the people there was as strong
ly developed then as now, and it is
questionable whether their excesses
were not greater then than now, for
then the "Blue Laws of Connecticut
were in full vogue, and theJ have now
fallen into disuse. Washington and
his compatriots thought it the best way
to get along with these people to take
them into the government and control
them and keep their extravagances
from doing any harm. They were harm
less, so long as our people. acted pru-
dently.
Moreover, in one government, we of
the South could assist the conservatives
to vote down the radicals and keep
them out of office, and thus prevent
them from doing harm, but when in
two governments the Northern conserF-
atives are left alone to combat the rad
icals If there had been no secession
Mr. Lincoln's emancipation proclama-
ton would never have been issued, be-
cause the act of Congress requiring its
issue would not have been passed. If
the Southern States had been repre-
sented in Congress at the time, the vote
of the Southern members added to
those of the North who did not vote for
it, would have defeated it, and then we
would have had no emancipation proc
lamation.
When the Southern States first sece-
ded and set up a separate government,
we thought it very wrong and impoli
tic step; well calculated to destroy our
prosperity and eventually reduce US to
a despotism, and our opinion has un-
dergone no change up to the present
time. But as the leaders of secession
were prompt in fixing up the Confed-
crate Government, We supposed they
were acting in good faith, and from
prudential motives, we concluded to
acquiesce in y hat had been d )ne. We |
did this in good faith on our part, be-
lieving that the Confederate Govern
ment was the best remaining hope to
save the country from a despotism. |
And in yielding our assent to the Con- |
federate Government, we well remem- |
Der making the prediction that the se~
cessionists would be the first to purpose |
a breach in that government, and that !
if it were sustained, it would have to be |
done by the old union men. We made |
this prediction, because we knew then,
as well as now, the distinctive princi |
pies of each. The principles of the 1
Union men prompt them to sustain and
try to make permanent whatever gov
ernment they have; and if it does not
suit them, they will seek to alter and l
amend it until it does suit But the 4
principles of the secessionists prompt /
them 70 tear to pieces and scatter to
the winds whatever does not exactly /
accord with their notions in every par
ticular Knowing that the secessionists
have control Of the government Of the
and therefore have the
power to destroy it by further seees-
sions in despite of the Z men, and
seeing that they are prsP-rihg the way
for its destruction, we tuFn as q last
hope to save the country from the hor-
rors of despotism, to 3 reconstruction
Of the old Union. fngff
If any man contends that they do
not intend to secede again, let him ask
himself this question What are they /
out the road to the mill for, if |
they do not intend TO 90 to mill If |
they do not intend to sscede again,
why do they seek to make, secession
yti
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