The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-10-02
SLAVERY AND THE WAR.
from the Round Tablet

No intelligent mind can doubt that, but for
| slavery, the Confederate states would have
gained their independence. But for slavery the
| swords Of France and England would have
been drawn against us; for France, ready 10
act against the Union at any time, would yet
only do 30 in conjunction with England, and,
although the English Government was equally
ready, it dared not 80 act in defiance OF home
public opinion. It is true that great many
influential Englisbmen, disliking this country,
were Wiling, nay eager, to fight US; but the
| pressure of the masses of their country 1en
against interference III behalf of slaveholding
community, fighting avowedly to perpetuate
slavery as well as to achieve independence,
was too strong. This was the sole and sut1-
| cient reason why the English cabinet steadily
refused to accede to the repeated and urgent
requests of France to JOIN her in alliance with
the Southern Confederacy. Now, during the
first two years OF the war many Americans be
Iieyed that even IN spite of such hostile ALI
ance their government CT 1ld atlll have sup
| suppressed the insurrection. Few thought 80
after the fighting had lasted four years, and
and probably the number who think 30 now ls
very limited indeed, and may be supposed o
| be Influenced by ferUd patriotism rather than
sober judgment.
Again, had slavery not existed in the South,
and had it not been, IN the behef Of the vast
| majority Of Nortnerners, the essential occa-
sion, if not the technical cause OF the revolt,
| the inspiring cry OF "Freedom to the bond
would have been unheard; and whether we call
the freedom thus evoked noble zeal tor the
night or fanatical fury, it had prodigious
forcs in accomplishing the result. 1t may be
| true that MIR. Lincoln had to teel his way and
to act, for q time, with great caution; but it
cannot be doubted that the spirit OF John
Brown was the animatiDg spirit OF the con-
querors in the war. 10 tight AGAINST slavery
was not the first thought or purpose OF the
army Of the republic but the troops were
continually swayed and converted to that pur-
pose as the struggle went on; so that at last
they were oil but unanimously actuated by and
determined upon it. How far the conversion
and the resolve spranS from moral consldera-
| tions and how far from gradual recog-
milton OF the essentials to success, may be
doubtful; but it is certain that in war or in pol
itics shibboleth that directly represents
growing popular instinct or ccuviction-that
runs, as it we're, on the crest OF the coming
| wave-begets contagious enthusiasm not ne
cessarily associated with development of
conscientiousness. Thus, 'sUnion" uudoubt.
cdly was great cry, but Freedom" was per-
haps even q greater. Without that cry we
think it, at all events, reasonable to assume
that the aspect Of the conflict would have been
gre ,tly changed, and its result, even iu the nb-
sence Of foreign interference, very dubious.
We may form some idea Of such situation
although, of course, modified by the strain
and expenditure Of the previous strugge-by
estimating the chances of another war should
the South unhappily determine forcibly to re-
sist what is known as Reconstruction.
| We should be sorry to have it supposed that
| we think such sad contingency probable. OF
that we should not earnestly deplure II. But
it is certainly possible and bling So Its tre-
msndous consequences uIake it a legitimate
subject for speculation. Suppose we were
| called on TO face the question. Could another
army be raised at the North to impose negro
suffrage on the South ct the point Of the
bayonet? Would the people Of Ohio for exam
ple, volunteer to enforce in other States, by the
| bullet, what they themselves have overwhelm-
ingly rejected for their own State by the ballot!
| The answer that any rejecting man not utterly
blinded by partisanship must make is palpable.
| That such force could be raised for such
| q purpose, on the heels OF the late exhaustlng
strife, is in the last degree unlikely. a draft
| to carry out such an end would cause revolt,
outside OF New England, in almost every direc-
ton. It is idle to suppose that the people could
be gradually persuaded into fighting for black
suffrage, as they were tor black emancipation.
We need only compare Ohio's votes in the last
two Presidential election with her vote on the
negro suffrage question to arrive at conviction
| on this point. Yet if this conviction be q
sound one we are led irresistibly to the con-
clusion that Congress has made the greatest
blpuder possible for legislators, namely. that
Of enactihg laws which, in an obviously posi-
BILE contingency, cannot be enforced.
Keeping in view these reflections, and ac-
knowledging that General Grants chances OF
election are apparently on the increase, We
have heard with satisfaction the report that
that officer is opposed to negro suffrage,
or. rather, that he favors the relegatlon OF the
question in all cases to the States them
selves. as provided by the original consti-
tuition. Having no party ties, hopes, or as
p1rations, we may be permitted to repeat what
We have often said before, that we care only
for what seems to us to be for the good OF the
whole country; and certainly in the event
of General Grants success his holding the
opinion thus imputed to him would put the ma
tlonal future in q Inuch N 1re cheerful light
| than we have lately been accustomed to think
possible The dangers and uncertainties which
are inseparable from an obstinate adhesion to
| the chief aud most offensive OF the Radical
dogmas would be materially lessened by the
| next Presidents reputation OF it. The report
that, in case Of election, General Grant will so
repudiate it, originated, we believe, with the
New York Herald, 8 journal whose statements
| and prognrs rsticaLions are often bitterly abused
and derided, to be justified by events in the
sequel. Our cotemporary may, perhaps, be
misinformed; but assuredly it would be happy
thing for the republic we're it to prove oIher-
WISE AS the fact, whatever it may be, will n
stitute the turning point that will decide the
votes Of tens of thousands who have not even
yet determined how to cast them, it would be
we'll If some authorized and explicit statement
should at once be made to set this important
matter at rest.