Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1865-03-11
Significant AEtiele-Ths Gulf States Dsnou--
ca for DesertiOn Of the Border Sta,ss

ttsAA-OAu enquirer, Feb. 231
~ 'rga'''0 did not commence I.is ray noy ,ys
Ie5'1'fsses zee, Missouri or KastacEy. Its maOni'
tGue ana losses were perceived by those o.
Nhom the pF0ns OF battle vould fan m
Statss further South, protected nv +b a x "a,
border, Seed 0dVloe rejected eo1nsrt and -, ne
fancied security, cut the fasteninSs III ri.n
bound Us together, and cast Virginia and sH
children, on the exposed frontier. adrift .--es
terrific and increasing war In va;
these States toretell the future, and nro. ao
against the ungenerous rashuess of tbor9stIs
expected by the misfortunes of .o,h. VINO
escape the calamities of civil stF;fa %
told them that the storm would indui.o ne
fury on our soil. We pictured IN tbs iss
vastated country, pillaged fields h.,.a ue-
towns, lnsurgent slaves and hired so1s!l ns
lnHamed to crime by the Smooth. SKIN V ~oy
on the ottoman and the silver plate on S-. .a1
board Neither did these lust annasIa .ue
the terrible fate which was incressinc,' a uos
advancing, check the selfish ipetuosit NJ 81 ~
"I'o FaSkeo Iitte OF disaster to Be endured BIZ ~
CTS. We were told we must follow our or
people, or be against them The altorn. wi
presented an adherence to common ,.1lnatiVe
or an abandonment of common bIoo5- M
choice was at once made, under soIa-ue
compact, to stand faithfully tOgetbar III
complete victory blessed or single fate sasi
ed the struggle sf#t~ -,
Amid all the ceremonies of national bir,b
the States stood sponsors to the cause ana
by sacred oath pledged all the lives. ali the
interests, all the property, in mutual support
and for general relief From the nature and
motives of the war, and by the bond which
united those who were struggling to save all
that is priced among men, there was nothing
too sacred to appropriate or abandon, except
the plighted faith to be true to each other
These oaths Virginia and her frontier child.
rem have not yet broken. The lives of their
people are now In the trenches, with daily
sacrifice equal to the necessities of defence
Nearly all their property has been welded 70
the enemy, in obedience to the reouest Of
strategy. The slaves have been apuroDriated
and losses suffered aecor ling to the demands
OF the advancing enemy. This approximation
OF territory and slaves by these States uao
as much voluntary contribution by them 10
the wants OF the war as if bills of grant and
emancipation had been passed by their sepa-
rate sovereign conventions. They were
part of the price contemplated at the time
the struggle commenced, to be paid for bless.
ings to be cOmm0n to ali. af
But the tide is now rolling toward those
States who made the fight, who affirmed sue
cess or universal destruction, and who swore
the oath. Tbs oath has ben broken, and thu
By Utops tie first bkOU was strieken are The first
% desert those 1glloSe breasts hare, so far reci,eJ
Ele fry o. The storm raised Jy others Alter
the Border States have offered lands and
slaves, as necessary sacrifices to success. they
still declare that wife, child, bride, free
tongue and an unclaimed neck are things to
be fought for. They say to the States of the
Gulf, "now make the same contributions of
lands and slaves that you have forced US to
to make, and sentiments, relations ana people
will be secured"
Monday The compact of mutual SEAPORT was
broken. The bill TO appropriate the slaves so
as to secure honorable exis sence, was defeat
ed in the Senate chiefly by the votes of the
Gulf States. The Rorder States had previ-
Ously contributed their share to the common
defence. 1t makes no difference whether
those slaves were lost TO their owners by the
strategy of war or by the action of Congress.
They were equally sacrifices of property to
the national defence, sacrifices fOretold by
some, and which all swOre to share alike.
The vote by which that bill WAS lost must be
reeonsideFed. The slaves must be given or
we may perish.s They who watch the desti-
MES of the State declare its wants and de-
mand the relief. He for whom the love of
the people is only exceeded by his own pure
affection for his country, the hero OF twenty
victories aud the conquerer of every ignOble
aspir otiOn, impiorrs the recTeaut States not to
abandon the glory won for them at CbanceI-
lOrsville, and not TO refuse the liberty he Sc
cures by his dimes around the still uncon-
quered capital oil Virginia. ..-.s
The army demands that its depleted ranks
shall be strengthened by more men of what
ever color, and IS sometimes iBpolitic to refuse
the demands OF ar army Ike that sohich Lee
ia E.a -
such laws as are necessary to save the State
shall be passed, even though those laws affect
the slaves in the South as the war has affect
ed them on the frontier That vote must be
reeOnsidered. Perish property and all the
luxuries of profit, but we viii protect our So
cial existence and our pride as freemen. We
prefer to do this by manly battle; but if they
who demand to share our success now refuse
the means to win that success, they can so
act, but our wives and our honor must still
be ours
The difficulty in obtaining peace has been
slavery. The appropriation by the Border
States of their slaves to the public use has
renloUed that difficulty III negotiations 6v them
nth he enemy. There is not slave in Ken
tucy, Missouri and Tennessee. Slavery has
disappeared in one half of Virginia, and
practically exists nowhere in her limits Let
sun SPPA ~ Ae11iOA Va A SSS &c a. OHSC
made as win save to each State the rights of
all uncOnquered people. If this be refused, and
the sacrifices of war are so imposed on some
as to imperil relations, without which life is
intOierable, then let provisions of safety be
Immediately made by those who value family
honor and individual pride above sOrdid pro-
perty; and let those who are willing to have
masters above, that they live upon the hope
of having slaves beneath them, seal heir
fate with the enemy now laundering at heir
gates. Perhaps IL may be toeu for the 1fulf
States TO remember tier yote Virginia, Tn
nessee, Missouri and kentucky sciH yet see that
their people be not Slaoss IL order that he iscoIs-
Ver,iences Of 'odr mag not Be e on the COngaree
and Ionsbigbee. 0H- of;z t5al l'l