Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1864-04-21
GIPsaee on the of 1776.

our exchanges means something but certainly IL goes
not mean peace after the precedent ct the ns' 'e'ou
ton for The peace that closed that struggle ives cCn
clnded in 1888 and was Continental matter, not
done nv separate States Colonies but by the whole
and the independence of the whole thirteen former Colo
MES of Great Britain acknowledged collectively or
at least simultaneously and by the same act.
People talk about separate State action for pace
and peace the principles of l776 and yet there
nothing to give any sanction to such talk. 10 the first
place. because there separate State acton then
and in the second place. because even if there had oeen
the cases are not at all parallel When in l776 the
representatives Of the United Colonies declared that
these United Colonies are, and of right ought to bs
Free and Independent States" for the support of this
declaration they mutually pledged to each other their
lives their fortunes and their sacred honor Would it
have been consistent with this pledge it have
been consistent with the principles of nc for any o
these States to have made overures or approaches to
peace otherwise than in concert with and through
the common agercg set up by all the States who had
mutually through their representatives, pledged 10
each other their Ses their fortunes and their sacred
honor? Was there in fact any such attempt at such
separate action in the first revolution or if there
since there will always be diacontents and oppostions
amount to anything? Did they result in any good p
Did they could they advance the inch p
There is but one answer-No! All commissioners to
Europe-a appeals to the people of England or to
the court of France-a that represented the st1ug-
Cling colonies, seeking peace and independence as
States, done through Continental and not local rep
resentatives and it thus that in 1888 peace was
concluded endhe independence of her late colonies
knowledged by Great Britain. There was in 1776 no
tie to bind the States but their mutual pledge to stand
by each other and maintain their independence, for
even the articles of Confederation loose as they
supposed to be- bear date July 9TH l778 and not
ratified by Maryland until March 1sf, 1881 The prin
cipes Of 1776 principals of honor and of mutual
support they principles that lead the much abused
people of a Southern State to declare that " the
of Boston the cause of aH.' Boston is now
helping to throw Greek fire into Charleson-grateful
people J No true patriot then thought OF separate
peace, although there cques, under leaders whose
names history embams in gall, who raised cabals and
made factious opposition and lead off some of the
wary and would had they prevailed, have ruined the
cause.
Those early days-the days OF the first revolution
indeed days that tried mems SOULS and some of
them, when tried were found wanting The same phe-
nomenon is occasionally presented now. Hgh-sounding
phrases are used to disguise covert weakness and luke
waTmness, or to promote the ends of selfish ambition,
careless Of consequences That these things done
artully -cunningy-s apparent; so artfully, so Gun
niDgly indeed, that we believe the .re-workers
times succeed in hiding from themselves the full danger
and culpabllity Of their conduct. No wonder that
they succeed in deuding others who unsuspecting
and whose for the principles of l776 they play
upon for the PURPOSES of deception. The Declaration
of 1916 declared the United Colonies to be Free and
Independent States This part of the principles Of
l776 we fully agree WITH and 60 farther we con-
cur in the balance. The representatives pledged to
each other their lives, their fortunes and their sacred
honor for the maintenance of their declaration and
they kept their pledge They did not seek to patch up
separate reconciliations with England-they did not
desert the common cause any part of it. They
cuded no peace that did not embrace all the territory
OF all the States By all means let seek for peace
on the basis of 1776-a dferent-a very different
thing however, from the miserable affair that shallow
political charatansm would present to us for accep-
lance With no legal bond of Union, the true men OF
the first revolution were true to each other to the last
and success crowned their Efforts Let the of these
days do likewise. Let that "prncipe of 1776' fod
practical illustration.
But as much as may be said about the principles OF
l776, it ought not to be forgotten that now in 1864
find ourselves placed ia very different circumstances
In 1776 the Of the colonies declared
be Free and Independent States joined thems lives by
mutual pledge Of their lives their fortunes and their
sacred honor. The States of the Confederacy stand
equally pledged to each other but whereas in 1776 the
mode of confederation underlined by any constitu
tonal compact, the States that confederated in 1861
did by giving il their adhesion to the Confederate
Constitution and that Constitution expressly says that
10 State shall enter into any agreement compact
with another State with any foreign power, and
consequently separate State action can be taken
without violation OF the Constitution and the pledge
given by the States to stand by each other and its
very contemplation involves and cannot do otherwise
than involve the idea Of secession from the Confedera
cy, and the departure from pledge equally sacred
with that given by the men of l776. Wihom seces-
e1nary. Hih secession, and pending the struggle in
wheh the Confederate States engaged it would
be, had said before abandonment of pledge
sacred that given to each other by the atos of
1776, pledge which they did not violate or abandon
"a pledge which the true men of this day will not vio
ate or abandon, which. in feet they could not vio
ate abandon without entaling upon themselves the
deepest dshonor and upon their country incalcuable
Acknowledgements ruin
We know how deeply the continuance of this war
J to be deplored. We know the sufferings and the
acrifces it brings upon the country We would hail
With devout thaukfulness any that would hold