The weekly union record., 1864-03-05
The American Idea

poleonic idea" Of empire became part of every
Of every other combination entering into his
projected plans for future guidance. But an
idea of the natural tendency of this one must
always fail to. become universally pervading
and permanent. for the simple reason that it
does not take bold upon the minds and hearts
of the great mass of the people, as it holds out
to them DO assurance Of elevation and protection
from the government which they are required
not only to sustain By the production of its
resources. but to maintain On the battle field at
the expense of their life blood They are the
abiect and helpless slaves Of pampered landed
and moneyed aristocracy, who exercise an un-
limited control over their destinies Until the
full franchise OF citizenship becomes an acknowl-
edged inherent right of every man in the gov
ernment, TO be exercised in certain prescribed
and -egular forms, it is impossible for any peo
pie to become possessed OF an universal idea on
the subject of governmental po!icy-one in
which unity Of purpose is manifested BY ruling
majority of the people.
1t is the want of this unity of purpose,
springing from lack of confidence and interest
in the proposed establishment Of the Southern
Confederacy, which has already clearly demon
strated that the Southern shareholders must
utterly fail in their scheme of forming gov
ernmeDt based upon the cornerstone Of slavery
Such government offers no inducement to the
masses of the people sufficient to induce them
to unite as one man in its establishment and
maintenance. This is conclusively proven by
the declarations Of some of the leading polite
iaDs of the South, who, at the commencement
of the rebellion, embarked in it with sanatical
zeal but who, from the experience of a fruitless
struggle of three years-during which the limits
of the rebellion have been steadily growing
smaller and the ardor of its adherents less man
ifest each day, while the enthusiasm of the
people Of the loyal States has been growing
steadily stronger in the cause of Union and
freedom-have been thoroughly convinced that
the effort to establish slave republic out of a
part of the United States territory must inev-
tably prove futile The latest convert from
the doctrine of slave society and secession is
the great Southern reviewer De Bow, whose
famous magazine had become known in Europe
and America as the standard exponent Of pro-
slavery views and the champion of the theory
of the master race" Of the South Having in
a recent article recanted these hereses in free
government, JEFF. Davis has suppressed The
Review and thrown its editor in prison. In
this article, he says that the last census shows
that the North enjoys a great superiority of
material conditions over the South. Hence,
he adds, "it is already supposed by many in the
slave States that it actually may be more econ
omical to labor for ourselves than to maintain
negroes for that purpose" Admitting that he
has written book against his present light, be
says: ave are willing to write another which
We hope will prove true. If the negro will not
raise enough TO feed himself and his master,
what is the use Of the uegro?" The people of
the North, he says, "live comfortably more SO,
indeed, than the majority of the slave owners in
the South They educate. their children and
teach them that there is no dishonor in employ
ing their bands or their heads and say boldly
even against our prejudices, think they are
right in that" After giving in detail census
statistics as to the relative progress of the
North and South, De Bow, with a plaiDness
and significance which it is not strange has
brought down upon him the vengeance of the
rebel despotism, makes this comment:
We see in the above our road to progress :;
cotton has failed or will fail US; the negro has
failed or will fail us; it is idle TO hope longer
to enjoy peacefully the proceeds of his labor,
when at this moment eighty thousand of his
color are organized and hold arms in their hands
to free their fellows. The longer the war is
protracted, the more violently will slavery be
destroyed"
The confessions Of this naughty Southern
aristocrat sound strange when we remember
how contemptuously he formerly spoke of the
mud sils'' and free society of the North. But
this is but another eXempliication of the fact
that a revelation is taking place in the minds
of the Southern people on the subject of slavery.
The war is dem onstratng TO them what they
might not have fully learned 10 a century Of
peace-that slavery is an enervatiug institution
which must prove destructive of any government
that persists in its maintenance. And they
must therefore see that the rebellion against
the National government is not jusiiiable, and
should cease. 10 ine. the American idea of
Union and Liberty is fast becoming dominant
10 all sections of the country. This will make
our beloved Republic what it was designed
by the Revolutionary fathers to be-a land of
equal rights to all citizens.
PREcocIous.-There is person iu this city
who enjoys TO day his eighth birthday. yet is
married and has several children. He is fine
mathematician, can solve you any problem in
Davies Algebra, is an excellent linguist. reads
T ~ D.,h - ,otp tio-