The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-01-06

thing here They were assailed, and
took UP arms in defence" 1t is but
four years since these troubles began,
and it should not be difficult 10 get AZ
the truth. Even the Confederate Con
gress will not have the audacity 70 deny
that imme diately after the election of
1860, in which the Confederates had
taken part, these States took up
arms and seized upon all Government
money, arms, and other property with
IN their bounds It was some months
before the Government was in a cOndl-
ton 10 assert its authority and long
before Mr.. Lincoln was installed IN the
White House, Fort Sumter and other
places Of strength held by the troops OF
the United States had been bombarded
and taken. ii this was acting in de-
fence a change must have come over
the spirit Of the English language The
Con ederates 90 on to say that they ar
IDENTIFY desire peace, and wish to be let
alone. Of course they do. They told
Us this long ago, and we believe It but
unfortunately it goes for nothing, ex-
cPpt in so far as it ought to have in
duced them TO to make sure Of having
a good reason for throwing away that
which they so much appreciate. All
the more for uttering these protesta-
tons of their love for peace are they
bound to give q good reason for going
70 war.
After some rhetorical flourishes which
have no bearing on the question, we
come to the only paragraph that has
even the semblance Of q reason for the
rebellion Government to be lawful
must be founded on the consent Of the
governed. Do the Confederate lead
ers mean to say, as a cOrOIlary from this
proposition, that whenever citizens
withdraw their consent from the
Government under which they live,
they are thereby relieved from their al
iegisnce? They can hardly mean this,
for did they not, n short while ago,
siezs and throw into prison a number Of
influential persons in one of their own
States who were DESTROYS of leaving the
Confederacy and rejOining the Govern
ment of the United States The Con.
federacy has lost the " consent Of a
good many within its borders; and
could the consent Of those people
operate freely, it would lead them and
many Of the reYolted States too back
to their old allegiance. Dissent is not
enough it must have a good reason if
ii would secure the verdict of the
world. The COnfederates feel this, so
they 20 on to say 4" We were forced to
dissolve our Federal connection with
our former associates by their agrees
sions on the fundamental principles of
our compact Of union with them; and
IN doing so we exercised a right conse-
crated-in the great charter Of American
h0erty-the right of free people,
when government proves destructive
Of the ends for which it was establish
ed, TO recur to the original principles,
and to institute new guards for their
security. Now, we think, we are go
Jag 20 get q statement Of grievances at
last But as We read on We find the
manifesto never touches them The
next sentence speaks hazily Of the
separate independence of the States"
and Of the pretension' of applying to
them the ordinary rules for coercing
and reducing rebellious subjects to ODE
dience," being a solecism in terms, 81
well as an outrage on the principles of
public Law" Then there are profess !
tations that their position is purely de- /
.ensive, and that they want TO be let .
alone, concluding with the old stereo |
typed appeal TO the righteous al bitra /
ment of Heaven"
If these men have grievance that /
viii bear being stated in the face Of /
day, why will they not speak out in /
plain language? They speak Of "ag
gressions on the fundamental princi- /
pies of our compact Of union with !
them" What are they2 We don't /.
want all this pTotestation and all these |
rhetorical generalities. We want facts /
Let all the "aggressions' be set down /
categorically, that all the woJd may /
Judge who Is in the right in this un-
happy strife. 1t IS a miserable thing /
that the men, with all the sympathy /
they possess here and elsewhere, and /
with the assurance that there is every
on the part of multitudes .
in our upper and middle classes to /
give them q most favorable hearing,
have never ventured to set down IN 4
plain language what is their grievance /
and what they are fighting for. The /
fact is, they dare not They took up /
arms TO perpetrate slavery they are .
fighting still TO found slave empire |
aud even this age of hypocrisies and I
yillanies and would be and should be
shocked by the plain distinct ayOwal OF .
such programme as that