The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1866-03-08
PUBLIC OPINION.

OF MS sermon tnaL IHeu WOuiu nave W
account hereafter for their opinions and
feelings as well as their acts. He
thought that men pretty generally adop-
ted the prevailing opinions around them
without much reflection on their own
part; and gave an instance that occur
red in his ewn experience When Gen.
Lees army, in one of the Northern in
vasions, occupied his neighborhood, a
Confederate soldier stood sentinel before
his door for "a considerable time, with
whom he frequently conversed He
asked this soldier, who was very fine
young man, how he came to join the
Confederate army, when the Scriptures
enjoined upon all TO support the powers
that be as ordained of God. To this he
replied that he had been Union man;
but that every body seemed to be going
into the Confederate army, and that he
was ashamed to keep back and so went
with the curyent lie might have ad-
dcd also--that the Almighty, ON some
occasions at least has permitted the
powers that be to be overthrow when
they do not behave themselves; and that
lie naturally imbibed the prejudiccs aud
sentiments of the mass Of the people of
his neigbborhood, trusting to them to
be right rather than to the opinions Of
the North which he had learned to hate.
We design to use this incident to
show how easy it is for men to be mis-
taken, and carried along by the senti-
ments of their party, or sectional leaders,
rather than by any well reasoned judg.
mcnt of their own; and that therefore
there is the best reason for men who
happen to be on the right, or the strong
side, to be charitable to their opponents
1t is the fault of human nature, aud
the time may soon come when such may
need charity themselves. We well
know that, previous to the breaking out
Of tho war, scctioualparty spirit had be.
come rampant, and the formation of the
Republican party in 1856 when they
ran Fremont for President. was rcspon.
ded TO by the South in 1860 by deter.
mined effort TO form Southern party,
the perfect antipode of the other This
was the natural result Of a departure of
the majority Of the North from true
national political principles If leading
politicians at the North could dupe
themselves and their followers into tho
adoption Of so suicidal policy. it is not
to be wondered at that the men Of the
South should not have u bit more sense
than to go and do likewise We know
that one wrong does not justify another;
but we hold that il is not reasonable for
those who have committed the first Of
fence to expect their victims to act
better than themselves.
We have always held that, up to the
moment Of the rebellion, there was little
difference between the radical leaders,
North and South. Politically, the North
had committed the first assault by the
formation ofthc first sectionalparty ofauy
dangerous strength. The people Of the
South evidently regarded the formation
of the Republican party as a deliberate
attempt on the part Of the North to use
their superior numbers and strength to
seize the entire government, and, in the
end, force their peculiar doctrines on the
South This general belief made them
the easy victims of those leading men
there who thought, unfortunately, that
the first success of the Northern party
justified rebellion. This was cruel
mistake, but, under the peculiar circum.
stances, it can be plead in mitigation Of
the offence on the part of the masses of
the South at least. Under reversed
circumstances, We believe the North
would have acted just as weakly. to
such an extent had political prejudiccs
gone.
In behalf of the people Of Maryland
it must be said that, previous to the war
the general sentiment Of all parties wa
opposed to the ultraism of the North
On the election of Mr.. Lincoln, aud tbs
detection of the South with which they
had all affiliated previously, it was but
natural that many should lean to the
South To have expected them all to
become suddenly cnamorcd of Black
Republicanism, and that their prejudi-
ces should not lead them into any mis-
takes, would be expecting Of them more
than human nature would allow. The
masses ofmen are not SO philosophical.
There came necessarily separation of
the people into parties on the question.
The mass of the Democrats, feeling par
ticular i'll will against the party just
coming into power, could not conquer
their prejudices and aid the republicans
in their onslaught on the South.