The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1864-03-16
Highly Important News
from the South.
The Address of the Confed-
crate Con gress to tho South
ern People, i'm Full. -.
THEIR HOPES OF SUCCESS.
THEIR view OF THE
81 as9rssf u WAR. @ S7 s7r7

4
The New York Tribune has repub ished from
1 Richmond paper the following highly i'm
| portant political document:
/ In closing the labsrs OF the First Psrman-
ant Congress, your representatives deem it .
| Sc occasiopntos gire9 san1os account of their
stewardship; to review briefly what, under
/ such emberrassments and adverse circums.an-
ces, has been accomplished to invite atten-
incumbent on every citizen in this crisis and
| to address such words of counsel and encour.
| aeement as the times d.mand.
i Compelled by long series of oppressive
and tyranical acts, eliminating at last IN the
| s, lection of a President and q Vice Pres dent
| by PARTY con9essedly sectional and hostile to
| the South and her INSTITUTIONS, the States
| wit hdrew from the former Union. and formed
a new Confederate alliance, as an independent
| Gov, rnment to he based en- the proper relations
of labor and capital.
The step was taken reluctantly. by con-
strains aud after the exhaustion of every
| measure that was likely to secure us from in
reference with our property. equality in the
Union, or exemption from submission to an
alien Government. The Southern States
claimed only the unrestricted enjoyment Of
the ri .hts guaranteed by the Consti ution-
Finding, by painful and Protractcd experience,
that this was rersisteptly denied, we deter
mined to separate from those enemies. who
had manifested the inclination and ability to
| impoverish and destroy as we fell hack upon
the right for Bkich the Colonies maintar ed
The war of the Revolution, and which our he
roic forefathers asserted to be clear and mali
enable = The nRarimity and zeal with which
the separation was undertaken and perfected.
finds no parallel in history, The people rose en-
r,dsse to assert their liberties and protect their
ncnaced rights There never was before such
universally of conviction, among any people
on m my questions involving so serious and so
thorough change of p lisical and interaa-
tiunal relatinns s
Tl.is grow out Of the elsarness o the right
to act, and the:ccrtaihty of the perils eff
fac her association. with the North The
change WIS so nderful, so rarid, so
coI trary (" universal hIs'ory. that many fail
TO tbnt ali has been drs e in the LOGICAL Sc
.guer ce of lrii ciples. which are the highest.
tsltimony to the wisdom OF our fathers, and
the best illustration of tie eorrectnrss of those
principles. This Government is child of law
IL stead of scd ton, of right instead of vic
icnce, of deliteration instead of resurrection.
Its early life Tas attended by no anarchy, no
rebellion, ] D suspension of authority no social
disorders, DO lawicss Disturbances. Sovereien:
ty vas not for ore momcnfin obeyance. The
ing ard public act. The object was ''to do
what was necessary, and no more; and to do
that with tic utmost temperance and pru,
deuce" ST. just, in his report to the i}on
veDtion of France. 1898, said, ga people has
but one dan- ernus enemy, and that is Govern
ment." We adopt no such absurdity.
In nearly every instance the first steps were
taken legally, iu accordance with the will and
prescribed direction Of the constituted author
tiles 1 the seeding States. We were not re-
nli:ied by brute force nr natural law, or the
instincts of reason. The characters of free
dom were serupulously preserved As IN the
English Revolution of 1858, and ours of l776
there was material alteration in the laws
beyond what was necessary to redress the abu
ses that provoke the struggle. No attempt
was made TO build on speculative principles
The effort was confined within the narrowest
limits of histt rical and constitutional right =
The controversy turned on the records and
muuiments of the past. We merely resisted
and tyranny, and contended for our
ana the eonyenanted principles Of
our race We have had our Governors, Gen
rral Assemblies and Courts the same cleo
tors, the same corporations, "the same rules
for property, the same subordinations. the
same order in the law and the same magi.tra-
cy." hen the sovereign States met In coun-
Gil. they, in truth and substance, and in q con-
light, did not make, bur prevented
a revolution
Commencing our new national life under
such circumstances, we had riahtto expect |
that We would be permitted, without nolesia-
ton, 10 cultivate the arts Of peace and vindi |
cate on our chosen arena and with the selcc |
ted i5pe of social characteristics, ouf claims |
10 civilization. 1t was thought, teo. by many
that war would not be resorted TO by an en-
lightened country, except on The direct neees- |
sity. That reorle, protesting TO be animal,
ed by Christian sentiment, and Hho had re t
garded our Iecuiiur institutions as a blot and
Dlur nron the fair escutcEeon of their com
mon Christianity, should make war upon the
South for doing what they had perfect right
10 do, and for relieving them Of the incubus
which, tkey plofsssed. rested upon them by
he association, was deemed almost beyond
belief by many of our wisest minds. Ii we
hoped, too, that the obvious interest Of the
wo sectiofs would restrain the wild frenzy Of
excitement and turn into peaceful channels
be tbon. hts of those who had but recently
been invested with power in the United
States.
. hese reasonable anticipations were doomed
o Disappointment. The red glare of battle,
,incled at Sumter, dissipated all hopes of
,eace, and the two Governments were arrayed |
n hostility against each other. We charge
he responsfGftity Of tins ardr ON the United
States. They are accountable for the blood
md havoc and ruin il has caused. For such
war we are not prepared. The difference in
military resources hetween opr eBemies and
urselves the INN eDfe advantage POSSESSED
n the organized machinery of an established
Government; powerful Macy the nucleus
& an army; credit abroad, and iIlinitable ia
ilities in mechanical and manufacturing pow
T. placed them on the vantage ground"
In our infancy we were without seaman
It soldier, without revenue, without gold and /
liver, without Tecoenized rlace in tie fam
". Of nations, without external commerce,
ithout foreign credit, with the prejudices of |
he World ao1inat M tWhile We were with. |