The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-12-01
SPIRIT OF TIE NEW YORK PRESS,
Leading Editorials from the New York
Papers This Morning.
THE ONLY ISSUE AND THE ONLY
SOLUTION.

Prom IRE Tunes.
The continuance Of this wal. wiki all its ter.
riblc work, one day beyond an actual necessity.
would be the most enormous oG crime Il IS OF
supreme moment, then, 20 both sides % know
Just what constitutes this necessity. and lugt
where 1t will cea.e. On these points. northern
opinions and southern opinions widely dtFr.
But this difference I- not so broad as is slmeuuc.
represented. great many Gemcu's and a rrsat
many Lon-c,serta', have been constantly wrapped
about the real issue II cannot b, too often
stripped Of these, North and South; it should .,
daily seen in It's bare pith.
What is the North lighting for
The Southern masses have been made 10 believe
that the North has been lighting 20 destroy slavery
TO overthrow STATE rights aud to subiugate and
degrade Southern whites. Al this i- false Tho
North, tough lt may destroy slavery ia w4rtug
war, does rot " tgg war tndrsJroy slavery. There
is nothing about slavery that would prevent the
North from maGmg peace tomorrow lf IL could.
IL is quite willing to leave tho whole di,pos il OF
tbct subject tO lU'u. peaceful and constitutional
action IN no form or degree /, the adherence OF
the South TO slavery ptrt Of our cfyyS be1t.
Nor do we fight 60 overthrow state rights. The
North Is still Tor maintaining TO the last O'a every
ght reserved 20 the states bv the Constitution.
We want nOCOD, D,oIIdatcd GOvcrnm nc, and would
tolerate none. So far rs respects yeHgabe Con
sututoua' State rights, We make no quarrel with
the South.
Nor do we fight to subduc or degrade the South.
Crn people. We want them our ftlOw-city3ns
not as our subjects. We would share equally
with them every constitutional right and priyl-
lego. We ask nothing inconsistent with honor
or with Understanding but what their fathers
and our fathers deemed their greatest advantage
and their highest glory.
The North Is hghtng purely and simply TO
save the unity of the nation. 10 has an absolute
assurance that this unity is Indispensable 70 the
continuance OF free and good government on this
contiuent-that, without IT, there Will he cease
less conflict which will be forever eXhausting
he treasure and draining the blood Of both re.
gions until all ends IN chaos. IL is sometimes
said that We are fighting for tue supremacy Of the
Constitution. Bur The supremacy of the COnstt-
tuition is not an ultimate end. Indeed, the Con-
stitution Is no end az all, but simply an instru.
m6nt for securing The end which cad is the per.
petuation OF the Republic. Our only object /, TO
keep the nation unpruken. That object secured
the.e Is no domestic controversy, whether re.
latlng TO tue Constitution or not, which may not
be peacefully settled. That object ab Sndoned
strife must reign til all goes down in ruin
What is the South lighting for
There is Il prevalent OpuOn here iu the North
Ihet II Is hgmiDg for slavery. Il is erroneous
though passion for slavery was the immediate
occasion OF the war it does not now sustain
the "ar The South would buy lriumph to-mor-
row, 4 It could, by a COmple'o sacrifice of slavery
II would not now yield though ii could take a
bond Of fate" that ny yielding it could save, sla-
very. What Jeh. Davis told Colonel jacques ia
his confidential interview, is perfectly truc-that
slavery had now nothing to do with the war and
that the only question now involved is the ques-
tIcn OF southern independence; that Is to say
the Independence of the "COnt,deracy"
Mr. Alexander H. ST. phens in his letter which
we published yesterday, treats the ultimate lOSo-
Lutte sovereignty OF hg several Stres" as the real
issue. so does Mr.. IL lard H. says that "the
great object which The south seeks tO accomplish
is to establish the right of each State to decide
independently its own political system and 60
determine for it.ef the relations which il will hold
with other states" Mr. Boyce says in his speech
inlpDpu1pupp 81 nd - Of
is the great principle without which We COlld
not carry on the war;" Even Mr.. lch,
OF North Carolina, whose resolutions to
the Rebel Congress we publish this morn
ing, and who is by far the most advanced
peace man in Southern public life, talks of peace
agreed to by commissioners appointed by the
respective Governments" which will include at
least in the first stage, recognition of Confede.
rate Independence, cor by the States acting in
their sovereign and independent character
There seCms, then, to he substantial agreement
both by JEFF. Davis aud his opponents Of every
shade, that the sole Ohj'ct VI the South is to win
dc6te and forever establish State independence
and sovereignty. Il is precisely that for which
the South is hghtiug-cSactly the converse of
this national principle for which the North is
lighting.
There is no such thing as recouciliug those
sntagonstic principles. Either the Northern
people must absolutely rcn0unCe the principles
they inherited from their fathers, and which were
once universal 10 the land, or the Southern people
must altogether abandon the now.fdngled dog
ratio, which in the history of the world has for
ever settled so many other similar issues. must
have its perfect work.
We can tell the South, in all sincerity, that the
Northern people will carry this war TO any OK
tremity rather than let the nationality be broken.
This is the unaltcrab.o determination Of niue-
tenths Of the Northern people, whether supporters
or opponents of President LncUlns Admnstra-
tion. They know that sooner or laer they will
, break down the fighting power of the South
, They know, too, that they can afterwards m ain
tain the national authority over the South it not
with southern ecquiescence, on a basis Of mutual
respect, aud good will, and civil equality,
then by throwing open of all the land, ut the
enemies OF the Government 10 the permanent
secession of every actual settler, from whatever
quarter of the wOr d, and the rcpcOpling Of the
South by loyal population. We arc not willing
to believe that the madness of the South will be
so prolonged as 10 drive the Goyerumcut to that
resort. Bnt that resort will be used, and even
others sterneT yet if need be, sooner than let the
nation be divided and destroyed. The national
unity is our only safety. The South may DC sure
that il sill be maintlned at all costs.