The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1867-08-01
THE DElIOCRATIC ADVOCATE.
THURSDAY. AUGUST !, 1861.
JUST VIEWS.


press % take narrow views Of political
questions, for fear Of prejudicing their
party, or offending the most ultra Of
their supporters. No party eau exist
long which is not founded on the truth
tha. allows Of no subtcrfase. We re.
joice 70 sustain apar.y which is built
Gu the necessities Of the occasion, aud
which does not need TO be bolstered up
by preyarication.
African slavery, the proximate cause
.f our late national troubles, was not the
fault Of the South alone, but Of the civ
ilizcd world though 10 fact, when we
consider the Lenighted state Of Africa,
aud the improvement which contact
with an enlightened and civilized race
in America has had GA the slave, we
may well doubt whether it has been any
fault at all 1t has. at least. existed as
necessary evil in our country; and
was therefore proper subject Tor COM
promise. The fault Of the South did
not consistAo much in their being in
possession Of this equiyocal Kind of
property as 10 persisti,g IN holding on
to il too long. This, morally speaking,
was 20 greater crime than that Of the
innocent man who has invested bis mo
ney unwittingy in stolen property
The Liberation of millions Of slaves, rep.
reseuting thousands Of millions Of dol
lars in property, was problem of no
easy accomplishment. As Jefferson
said Of slavery, very cxpress;vely, the
South had the volt by the ears aud
dared not let him 81 The world, aud
especially our Northern States, have no
right to chide the South for mistakes
GU this subject.
II slavery was an evil requiring to
be extcrmipated, it still does not follow
that war and violence were necessary to
remove il. Under our system il had
disappeared gradually from the North
ern States without commotion, aud the
leavea Of emancipation was quietly and
effectively working its way further
South. We have not the remotest
doubt that if ii had been kept out Of
the political arena, and LEFT as a moral
question to work It's way On the minds
and conscieuces of the Southern people,
slavery would have in due time disap-
pcared without any breach Of the peace
or ruinous loss Of property; and when
perhaps the Stare would have been bet
ter prepared for freedom. Slavery need
not have bred the late civil war had our
peopleon both sides conscientiously done
their duty for war cannot be justified
in any sense, sase as Unnecessary punish.
ment, or consequence, Of the sins and
follics Of the people.
Whether the North or the South was
most to blame for bringing on the war
on the slavery issue may well be ques.
ton of dolbt. The Organization of tho
first sectional party on the question Of
slavery was clearly made in the North,
and was the first step that naturally led
the people Of the South to 20 to the
other extreme, and to combine for mu,
tual daienec against the aggressions Of
united North. They could nc, tut
see that their will was bound to be over.
ruled BY the greater strength Of the
North, IN violation Of the first principles
Of our government. IL was true that
our system required the submission of
the minority TO the majority; but that
could only be properly predicated Of
national, not sectional parties. For the
majority to settle down ia one section
and eesine the minority to another aud
smaller section, was TO render that mi.
nority perfectly helpless, aud unable to
protect their rights through de ballot
torisas long as the stronger section
combined against them. What wonder
then that the plain design Of the North
to form party strong enough to control
oil departments Of the government
aroused the jealousy Of the South, and
caused them 70 look to independence,
or separation from the Union, as a ne.
cessary remedy.
We admit that the South committed
an error in striking for Independence
before they had tried all other means Of
redress, aod particularly 50 on a ques-
ton where the prejudices Of the outsidc
world we're 50 strongly agsisst them;
bat We claim that their mistake was a
very natural one, aud that there were
many mitigating circumstances. The
two sections were poIitically and moral.