Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1865-08-10
New Series--Vol. 8, No. %.

tory ofthe Roman CoDquest,ssyg "Whatey.
er degree Of territorial unitysth great mod.
ern States Of Europe may sppesr to have
attained; whatever may bs the commu.
nifty OF manners, language, snd public feel
i6s, which the habit Of living under the
same GOV ,rnmsnt, and in the same stage of
civilization, has introduced among the in
habitants of each Of those States, there is
scar csly one Of them which does not even now
present living traces ofdversity ofthe race Of
men, which in cource Of time have come to-
gether in it. This variety shows itself un-
I der different aspects, with features more OF
less marked. Sometimes it isa complete
separation Of idioms. of local traditions, of
| political scntiments,a and 0 sort Of instructive
enmity distinguishing from the great nation
al mass tho. population Of a few small dis
tricts; and sometimes a mere difference Of
dialect or even OF accent, marks, though
more feebly, the limit Of the settlements Of
race: Of men. once thoroughly distinct and
hostile to each other. IT
lfhfteen centuries of common govern
ment and political Union have not been
able to obilterate the distinction and even
the distinctive e1mity" of races which
were physiologically similar, what encour-
agement have we that success will attend a
/ 'N'SSN pphliNai VI DllVbTIN HOSIllD
races from the antipodcs of the human
family!
The process by which even the compara.
tive. unity Of the English people was achiev
ed, is described by the same pbilosopbic
historian, whom [ have quoted, near the
clos, OF his great work, as a complete
amalgamation" of the Norman and Saxon
idioms, and mixture of the two races"
which 1t took four centuries of sanguina ry
war to accomplish.
just stepping as we are from the battle
field on which the descendants of com.
mon ancestry, SO little removed from, Us
that we can literally reach back our hands
to grasp those of our comm on sires, have
! waged the most tremendous and terrible of
modern wars, it does not become us to argue
that peaceful discussions will quietly settle
differences which in former times were
| settled by the sword; but the memory of
the almost present as well as of the remote
past calls upon US to build our polity solid
ly upon principles which experience as well
| as reason prove to be durable, and more
| than ever to avoid deluding ourselves with
the cry OF peace, peace, when there is no
peace!'
As, during these weary years Of war, l
| have pondered this problem in the intervals
OF strife or by the camp fire at night, have
been more and more impellea to the belief
that the only basis of permanent nationality
is to be found 10 complete homogeaity Of
people, OF manners and Of laws. The rapid
fusion OF the races Of Western Europe as
they have met upon our shores, has secured
the former OF these requisites, and the
Yankee race [ adopt the epithet as an
honorable one) marked as it is with salient
cha
ton OF all families from the Eastern boun-
Diary Of Germany to the Western coast OF
Ireland, that there are few OF us in whose
veins are not mixed the blood of SEVERAL
But this unhappy race of which We are
speaki Is does suotamalgamate with the rest
1t Is entirely imnaterial to discuss why it
Is 50; the fact no one can deny nor can ii
be denied that its salvation or its destruc.
tion will surely bo worked out in its iamiIg
isolation.
Because there could be no real unity of
people between the Southern whites and
Southern blacks, it seems manifest to me
that there could he no political unity, but
rather strife for tho mastery, in which the
one or the othor would go to the wall.
The struggle for supremacy would be d.
rect and immediate, and see no hope what
ever that the weaker race would not be re-
duced to hopeless subsection, or utterly des-
stroyed. There is no reason to suppose
that Missouri border ruffiassm could never
be repeated on new fields, and the strife
once inaugurated the msrciless war would
continue as long as the obnoxious race had
an existence. Yeu have expressed your
anticipation of such result in one state of
the case, how is it that you do not see that
a direct struggle for power at the ballet
box would make the contest more deadly
hold that there is great phfsssphic
truth in the words Of Guizot, in summing
up the eight ceDturies of bloodshed cut of
which the French emerged into nationality
from the petty races and tribes. Hs says,
In the life Of nations, that union which is
exterior and visible, the unity Of name and
Of government, although important, is by
ne means the first In Importance, the most
real, or that which makes indeed ono me-
ton. There is unity which is dseper and
m3ro powerful it is that which results not
merely FROM sidentity of government and of
destiny, but from the homogenity Of social
elements, from the likeness of institutions,
of manners, of ideas, Of tastes OF tongues
the unity which resided in the men them
selves whom society assemblies, and not in
the forms of their associations; in short,
that moral unity (P,mite nordle) which is
far more important than Political unity, and
which is the only solid foundation tor the
latter"
| l have watched with deep interest the
educational effect Of the war upon our own
| army, and L assure you that whilst our
white soldiers have uniformly and quickly
learned to appreciate the fact that tho ex-
istencc of our free Government could only
be preserved by the destruction of the sys-
TEN of slavery, and so became radically and
thoroughly anti-slavery, the tendency for
battling for the old flag was almost equally
uniform in increasing and deepening their
pride Of race. The fact is one which cal
not safely be overlooked in any calculation
| involving their action upon the political
| problems before the country, and it is one
in regard to which | think | can hardly be
mistaken.
The details of any system OF separation
could only be determinedby careful study and
a wide comparison OF views. Suppose, how
ever, that without breaking up the organi-
satien Of any State, you take contiguous
territory in South Carolina, Georgia, Ala.
bama and Florida, and there. under the
sovereignty Of the United States, and with
all tho facilities which the power and wealth
of the Government can give, we organize
the freedmen in dependency Of the Union
analogou, to the Western Territories. Give
1 - II l.. r a.. AZ. a