, 1864-03-12

stitution and tear aSunder q common country
for fear lest there might he interference with
the internal slave traffic, the continued breeding
in Virginia, the sale aud separation Of families,
and lest pcrchancc some Territories should be
shut out from the cOnqucslS Of Slavery.
In vain We Seek in the United States Tor a
nationality striving to regain its Independence.
Not only has independence been nowhere as.
sailed, but there Is absolutely no trace Of u
separate nationality. Nowhere, perhaps, is
there mure thorough national homoscneiiy.
North aud South the race Is the same; faith,
language, history, aud, We boldly add, interests
arc all the same. All these States have strug.
ged together, suffered together, trumphed TO-.
gethCr. Their glorics, their defeats, are com.
mon. Their Constitution sprung from the free
consent of all; all pledged themselves alike to
remain faithful to its obligations.
This pledge Is no empty word with which
caprice may idly sport. Among the inventions
Of our epoch there is none more extraordinary
than the right Of secession. Those who dis.
covered it will no doubt teach us where il
should stop. II each section has a right Of Sc.
cesSiUn from the Country as whole, why not
each State a right Of secession from such
scction9 Why not each County right Of ST..
ccsSion from the Statrp Why not each town
a right Of secession from the County? Why
not each citizen right Of secession from the
town?
The truth is that, but for Slavery, the South
would not talk Of its suppressed Independence,
nor Of the right Of secession. Slavery has
brought the two sections 10 strife. The ex.
tnctiOn Of Slavery will restore Unity. The
North and the South will some day wonder
that they cou'd have tailed to appreciate the
most complete and homogeneous Of nationali.
ties.
A last resort remains. That We here may
not see the great struggle, on the subject Of
Slavery, an attempt is made TO present the
struggle as one for domination.
But this latter struggle is the very life Of
free countries. 1t is not surprising that the
North and the South each strove. activity, en-.
e,gctically, noisily for the triumph Of their
candidate and policy. But when one Of them,
losing the battle Of the ballot, plunges wi,hout
hesitation into another kind Of battle: when il
rcsists, arms in hand, the result Of regular
election; when on the very day it ceases Ia
rule il tears into fragments the common country,
il is guilty Of crime fJr which it is difficult to
imagine an excuse.
You will crush the revolt. gentlemen. You
will succecd--such il our belief-in re.estab.
fishing the Union. II will emerge from the
bloody trial stronger, more free, more worthy
Of the noble destiny to which God summons il.
II has been demonstrated to US, IL Is true,
that the establishment Of the Union was i'm.
possible; but was il not also demonstrated Ia
US, and by iTrelutable argument, that you
would DC always aud Of necessity defeated
that you would never know how to handle u
musket; that recruiting would become impiac.
ticable; that your finances would be exhaust.
cd that your loans would not be taken; that
riots would ravaGc your cities; that your
Government would be OycrthrOwny You have
given TO all these CRACKS tho simplest and best
answer. You will reply IN the same manner
to those who assert that the re-cstablishnlent
Of the Union is impossible.
What seems really imp ssiblc is not TO re
store the Union. Where draw the line be.
tween the North and SouthP HIw maintain
between them state Of peace, or even Of
truce! How shall Slavery and Liberty live
side by side? How, moreover, restrain the
South from European protcctorat.S, aud by
what means arrest the frightiml consequences VI
such protectOratcs? Geographically. morally,
politically, separation would create an unnatu
raj situation, o situation violent and hazardous
where each would live. arms in hand, waiting
for the hour Of conflict.
We have full faith, gentlemen, that such a
t,ial will be spared To you. II Is not that We
overlook the difficulties which still remain for
you TO overcome; they are great, greater per-
haps than we Imagine. War has its yieissi.
t,iles, and you may perhaps be yet called
upon 10 pass through periods Of ill-iortuue.
Yet one fact always iemains, and shows on
which side the iinaI triumph will be found, sup.
posing that there 6e 10 foreign intervention.
The tag Of the Union has now, for two years.
never paused in It's advance. II floats to-day
over the soil Of every revolted State without
exception. The South has had its victories I;
II has never gained an inch of ground. The
North has. had It's defeats; il has never iallen
back. Master 10 day Of the entire course Of
the Mississippi, master Of the Border States
and Of Louisiana, all that remains is TO Slihe
the revolt in the narrow territory where il first
burst iorth, and back TO which il has been
driven. We believe that you will succeed in
this; Cor Europe, the only hcpc Of the South,
seems now little disposed to give her aid.
In short, the Rebellion is already reduced to
such narrow proportions that should il ever be.
come distinct Confederation, accepted as such
from WEAKNESS Of war, the Conietlcracy taus
created will not be born with tho functions Of
life. Neither European recognition nor your
own could give il u serious chance Of duration.
Il would cnd In return to you. But We de-
light 10 believe the re-establishment Of the
Union less distant. Aud, in the presence Of
that prospect which thrills our hearts with joy,
permit us, us your friends, to otler you sOniv
sincere advice. The dangers Of victory, you
are aware, are not less than those Of the combat.
We give you, therefore, our loyal, frank opinion,
sure that in the main il will ngree with your
own, and feeling, also, that these commulica.
tons between US have an aim more serious
than simple exchange Of words Of sympathy
We ho,d il 10 be Of the first importance that
The cause Of the war shall not survive the war !;
that your real foe, Slavery, shall not remain
upon the field. We have often asked ourselves,
these last three years. why God permitted the
pFolonsation Of this bloody struggle. Was Il
not that the real issue might present itself with
perfect cCarncssg Conquering earlier, the Fed
eral Government would, perhaps, have been led
to make concessions, 10 enter anew upon Q
fatal path Of compromise. To-day NIL ewes,
not willingly blind, sec cl, arly. The New York
vi Il, breaking out nj al appointed day TO aid
the invasion Of Lee, and falling Instantly upon
the negro in way 10 show every witness Of
lis cowardly frrocity what kind Of spirit ami.
mated certain friends Of the South--thc New
York riot was supreme warning TO your
country. Your line Of action is clearly traced.
SO long as anything Of Slavery remain, there
will BE- cause Of antAgonism in the bosom Of