Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1868-09-24
THE WAR AND ITS CA USES,
FROM THE STANDPOINT OF
A. H. STEYENS.

A. H. STEYENX.
Hon. Alexander H. Stephens, of Georgia,
was the Vice President of that very preien-
tious and very rotten fabric, the Southern
Confederacy. He has now written book,
or rather two of them, fo- the one before us
is but the first volume, for the purpose, main
ly. of proving that he, Mr.. Stephens, was
consistent in his course before and during
the Rebellion, and that what happened ought
not to have happened, and that things which
were should have been otherwise, and that
the Constitution means something different
from what many suppose it to mean, and
that il is highly important this explanation
should at once be made.
&c, &C., &c.
Mr.. Stephens says the contest in Congress
on the question of Slavery, was not on the
question of Slavery at all, but between the
friends OF strictly federative govern
ment,r (pro-slavery) and "a thoroughly ma
tional ONE (anti-slayery.) Hewas in favor
of the Union; strongly in favor of ii; con-
WINGED of its value; "no stronger or more
ardent Union man % ever lived than |
was. But the Union Of whats OF the
States, not the people. A Confederacy, it
was, not nation; a Bund, not Republic.
There never was any political union be
tween The people of the several States OF
"the United States, except such as resulted
= in directly from the terms of agreement or
:. Compact entered into by separate and
:. distinct political bodies" And so, says
Mr.. Stephens, when the war broke out, his
allegiance was due ''not TO the United
States, or to the people OF the United
=" States, but TO Georgia, in her sovereign
. capacity And upon this he proceeds to
prove that Secession had Constitutional
right, and that those who opposed it were
Ccntralists, Consolidationists, &c, &C.,
lighting against the principles of the Con
siitution, and outrag;ng the theories of thost
who framed it.
There are still good many people who
will agree with Mr.. Stephens in these propo
si,ions without reading his book to see how
he demonstrates them, but the percentage o
such people, among American readers
is far less than before 1861. Thu
reason of it is reason which Mr. Steph
ems apparently fails to perceive, viz: tina
the four years war is felt by the people as
terrible calamity, and they are convince,
that it was the direct result of such teach
ings as Mr.. Stevens has embodied in thi
book. In other words, thousands of his the
oretical followers lie dead in a conflict de
cided against them; and thousands more ar
convinced that theory which inaugurate
civil war must be bad one.
Moreover, whatever were the opinions G
the trainers of the Constitution, or of tina
instrument itself, and it must be admitte
that there are isolated expressions in bot
which give shadow of justification to th
secession preachers, the real American spiri
to-day, is almost unanimous, and entirel
! resolute Ind enthusiastic, in favor Of IL
most complete Nationality, in all that prof.
erly belongs to National control One fla
one Constitution, one language, one prote
ton of law, one suffrage, one people-thei
= are the aspirations of the American hear
y crystalized into iron by the experience
e the last eight years. They are workir
Il themselves out into codes, National al
/ State, which will give them perfect realiz
&c ton and eternal protection. They are I
living things of the present and future; N
Stevens book is but dead thing of the b
= ter past that has been been forever burie
VI A million Of his books could not reverse
" decision.
NC Some of his statements of fact are asst
ie' ishingly absurd. He assumes that of
GO million and a hall of votes polled in
~ North, in 1860, for Douglass and Breck
nc ridge, ''perhaps not one in ten thousand v
NC sin favor of slavery, or of that legal sub
"a ''dinatioR Of blacks to whites which eXis
~. sin the South On the contrary, there '
NJ not more than one in fifty of those vote
&c whodidno at that time, cordially endorse
~ decidedly approve Of, Slavery. The tribe
Bishop Hopkins had disgracefu fulnes:
he membership, and Northern men plead
IN the custom OF holding laborers in bond
nd with fervor equal to any Southern tong
he Surely the Vice President of the struct
he whose corner stone was Slavery must kn
he this
IS We cannot recommendanybodyto read
lot Stephens book. except as they would r
nm tombstone, and had it been briefer, N
ids night have accepted it for that purpose.
zen a work OF the printer, engraver, and bo
in binder, it is very handsome, and does or
EN- to the National Publishing Company, '
The issue it. 1t may be regretted, in view Of
,ot beauty Of their part, that they had not
written the contents. 1t is hardly poss
that they would not have improved on
q Stephens.
an -
"A CoSsTItu1IosLL vIEw Of the Late War bet,
To the States. By Alexander II. Stephens In
400 volumes, Vol. |. Published by subscription by
= National Publishing Co., Philadelphis
me Eight Hundred Miles Complete ed.