Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-05-02

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| dlstinguishable from down right absurdities
in the course and conduct of the Northern
people in the last twenty years-none that is
satisfactory, or amounts TO even plausible
solution of something's in the complicated
mass, or compound of inconsistencies which
constitutes the greatest enigma of the age.
Though apparently hopeless search, the
only field of inquiry that appears open to me
is to be found in the exhaustless and infinite
phenomena of the human mind exhibited
IN the the variety ofpassions, susceptibilities,
emotions and sympathies which are always
agitating the mind and directing the con-
duct of men for good or for evil. | know
from personal observation, and learn from
history and tradition, that under the triple
steel-plated mask of Puritanical sanctity
may be concealed. for long periods, some
times even for life, the most vaulting am
bltlon, and the profoundest deceit and by
Pocrisy. We knowfrom the same sources of
knowledge and the opinions of the most
able and skillfuI medical enquirers, that the
human mind, under long excitement, more
extreme than is natural, by law of nature,
must perish or be succeeded by a rebound
or as it is technically termed, a remission or
reaction, more or less extreme, according to
the circumstances of the case. The I'M
|
the extremes into which extraordinary ex-
citement upon religion, or kindred subjects
as that which is now concentrated on the
Negro, produces, eliminates in in6delity,
atheism, or habitual and hardened scepti-
cism, having no confidence in virtue or re-
llglon, or anything else, and, therefore, is
| prepared to become the plant tools or in
strument of any mischievous man of strong
| will and powers, or in other words, of a repro
bate in politics.
But | would not assert, as do not believe
| that the mass or even a majority of the
| Northern people are either hypocrites or
enemies to liberty, for many of them,
! of the Puritan stock in times past,
have been the staunchest asserters and
defenders of civil liberty; and | have,
| in my day, known some of them who,
whatever may have been their course
during the late war, will approve themselves
| the undegenerate inheritors of the primitive
virtues Of their ancestors; and would perish
before they would permit the present
| attempt of the Radical cabal to extin-
| guish or eclipse all that has been bright or
| glorious in our career as a people from rs
to lS60-all the great and illustrious names,
including not a few from New England who
| have emblazoned the pages of our history, in
peace and in war, by the establishment of
colored republic! They will not allow
all the glories and triumphs of the
| past shrunk to this measure If | thought
otherwise, or if l had no hope of aid
| from the North, or from MANY of those
who are reputed Puritans then, in
| deed, | would despair not of the Union, |
for that | consider no longer exists as it was,
but of constitutional liberty, of free govern |
ment in America-at least for a century or |
more. l agree with Mr.. Seward, that moth !
| ing can defeat the advance of civilization, |
not even the sweeping overheard of himself |
| and President johnson in the search for the |
| right channel or safe harbor, to protect the |
ship of State from the violence of the storm |
raised by the Radical cabal. / think from |
the advanced station in intellectual pro- |
gress attained before the war there can be /
no permanent defeat of its ultimate progress |
to a higher civilization but that does not |
imply that great and formidable obstruc-
tions and delays may not arise-as, indeed, |
they already present themselves to stay the /
regular progress of the intellectual march.
A late celebrated and philosophic writer,
upon the authority of Pinel or some other
French author of distinction, states that the |
old theory which assumed that all mental /
alteration or phenomena of mind proceeded |
from some mysterious and inscrutible cause,
has been discarded, and are now held to be
governed by invariable laws, just as are all
other diseases, and inevitably occurring I'M
der certain given conditions, or antecedents
of the patient Thus setting aside as I'M
scientific all | have said on this subject |
could wish that the author had explained
what those certain conditions or antecedents
were but as he has not done So | am led to
the conclusion that the extreme fanatics of
New England and the North have had some
anomalous and mischievOus antecedents of
an extremely malignant type.
1t is manifest, from their own direct and
unequivoCal avowals, that it is the purpose
of the Radical cabal that now controls the
legislation of Congress, to hold the South
ern States as conquered provinces or terri
tories for an indefinite period, and in
the language of the late Henry Winter Da-
Wis, to subject the whites to the control of
the more loyal and reliable black pOpula-
tion, as a measure Of self-defence and secu-
rity to the undisturbed rule of the Republi-
cans of the North, which he maintained
must be done through the ballot and the
bayonet-the ballot to be secured by first
giving the right of suffrage to all adult
freedmen. | would not feel at liberty to
refer to the celebrated letter of Mr.. Davis to
the editor of the Nation, now that he is dead,
but that / believe, upon the authority of
others, founded on their knowledge of the
intimate association of the parties in Balti-
more some time prior to its appearance in
print that that letter had the concurrence
of Chief Justice Chase in the sentiments
expressed in it. Upon that assumption |
need refer to no other authority to indicate
the policy of the Radical cabal, but will
only mention Senator Sumner and Wendell
Phillips, rs the next highest authority |
among the adherents of the revolutionary
faction In several of the Southern States
the African race may be set down as already
in the majority or practical control, and by
the operation Of Radical tactics, when they
have full sway, it would not be long be-
fore this would be the case in all the /
others, except Texas perhaps, by the !
exile Of some of the late rebels, and the vol
untary emigration of many Others, through
the joint operation of the Freedmens Blu
reau and a military occupation OF few
black regiments, or such other regiments Of
the regular army as may be deemed necessary
TO prevent the renewal of the rebellion
which some officer, high in command, as
learn, declares there are reasons to appre-
bend.
As soon as this policy of the Radical fac
ton shall be sanctioned by two-thirds vote
in both houses of Congress, the destiny of
the Southern States and people, | think, may
be regarded as fixed; and the people may, in
advance, see their condition already mir
rored in the past history and present condi-
ton of the States which sprung up in the
Spanish American provinces, and which
have been maintaining precarious exist
ence ever since they threw off the yoke of
the Spanish monarchy. If | had either the
time or the space, would like 70 go some
what into detail, in giving their history, as
have some misgiving that we, in the South,
shall have a like future; but | shall not
stop to do so, as | suppose the people of this
country, North and South, have a pretty
Just conception of the general condition of
the States South of us on this continent. A
few material points that may not be generally
known or remembered, | propose to notice.
A revolt of nearly all the Spanish provinces
in America took place soon after the inva-
sion Of Spain by the French, and the eX-
pulsion Of the royal family by Bonaparte.
Mexico, or New Spain, revolted in 1910,
declared their independence in 1913,
but was not really so until 1921, when
Imrbide deserted the royal cause, which
resulted in the entire defeat of the Spanish
army and Iturbide, in 1921, was declared
Emperor, which position he abdicated in