The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1864-08-11
THURSDAY, AUGUST II, 1854.
What Does Jeff. Davis Mean by ,,Inde-
pendence."
Editorial Cor. of the Albany Evening Journal.
WASHINGTON. July 2Sth.


Jefferson Davis said to Mr.. Gilmore, eve
are fighting for independence: and that or
| determination, we will have" Some Of the
| Democrat papers affect not to understand
what the Rebel Chief meant or means by
independence" The argus l perceived, in
| referring to the remark, assumes that it does
not mean national Independence" which
every State senjoys. under the Constitution;
the same kind Of independence which
| New York assumes to possess when, in the
commission granted to ''every officer of
New York regiment, :" she proclaims herself
free and independent"
But nofone in his senses will seriously'think
that that is all he meant for that he can
have at any moment he chooses to cease
his Rebellion. Every Southern State was as
free and independent, as a State, as
New York is to-day, when it broke away
from the Union and all or any one Of
them had and has only to resume its aIlegi-
ance to be again as free and independent,
IN the Union,a as any one Of the States which
has remained loyal to the Old Flag
Every one knows precisely what Davis
meant by ''independence.p He means
not State bat National acknowledgement
freedom and indepenencde in the Union, but
National existence and recognition out of it.
To assume that he meant anything less is
absurd
Those therefore who are i'll favor ofgranting
the Rebel President what he asks are in
favor of permanent dissolution Of the Union
nothing more or nothin g less. Is the ArgUs
Of this number? Does its anxiety for peace
carry it so far as to make it willing to sane
ton an independent nationality at the
Sonth to secure peace? That journal has gone
a great ways to prove its sympathy with
the Rebels but it will hardly go thus far
The great mass Of the Democratic party
are for the restoration of the Union at any
cost. Those Democrats who ask less or who
will concede more may be able to out-man
age but they cannot out-vote the loyal men
of their party. If the for call the booming
Democratic National Convention shall say
that President Davis only asks what is rea
sonable when he asks for independence, D."
and that he Should have what he asks tue
Democrats viii speedily become as dead as
the Rebellion win be in a twclve-month.
No what Davis wants is an independent
government, with Slavery as its chief corner
st one. This is what he is fighting for, and
what he said to Mr.. Gilmore But this he
cannot haye-neither the government nor
the Slavery The Union will be restored in
its iptirety aud its integrity, and WITHOUT
Slavery on any foot Of it. This will most
certainly be so if the war shall continue UNI
til the Rebels are whipped into submission.
a voluntary submission might, perhaps, en-
able them to retain some remnant Of the in
stitution. But if they shall fight as Davis
threatens, to the ''bitter end, " Slavery will
be cxterminated root and branch The in
dicatious now are that this is their puspose
aud so sure as it is, not Il vestige Of Slave
~ witt reIIaiu al INC close OF tho struggle.
Hlile the public mind is absorbed in war
matters it cannot be expected that great
deal Of time will be devoted to politics. 1t
must not, however,. be forgotten that while
Union men are giving their time to recruit
ing. Copperheads are laying their plans to
secure political success. We would not,
therefore, have the more important bust
Of flling.up our depleted armies neglected,
but we would not have local political or
ganization forgotten. The one is not incon-
sistent with the other. Both have for their
objects the defeat Of the Rebels and the tri
umph Of Freedom-the one by the bullet
the other by the ballot So far as the great
principle involved in this war is concerned,
a Union defeat at the polls in November
would render nugatOry a hundred victor les
in the field. A Democratic Administration
at Washington would secure to the Confed-
crates what they never could achieve for
themseIyes--the resumption Of Southern
.ascendaucy in our National Councils and
the perpetuatiOu Of Slavery.