The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-07-06

consequence than all ,os aooas jsat Approximation
will be the prize OF victory. Tke Federal unity
lts ,oorth all it cost; but THAT soBL OF LIBERTY
Els PRICELESS, which it was formed and con-
stituted to guard"
Can it be possible that these words, in
which the truth is 80 concisely and 80 happi-
| II embodied, were written in the Office OF
newspaper the inspiration OF which, during
the war, was derived not from "that soul Of
sqibsfty," but wholly from the money-bags of
Wall street, We are tempted to doubt it.
We are half inclined to believe that the arti-
Gle YVES penned at the South by some Gisci-
pie Of Mr., Stephens. But it has received
the sanction Of the World, and out OF pure
gratitude to that paper We are ready to take
back every one of the many hard thoughts
which we have entertained in regard to it as
the orgen OF the war Democrats. Nay, we
90 further. Much as We have detested that
loathsome nondescript and monster-the
war Democrat-we now catch glimpse, in
the sentences we have quoted, OF what may
have been high and pure motive at bottom
of the inexplicable conduct of this same
monster. 1t is this: The war Democrat
loved the Union, not for itself as an entity
loyeable in its very nature, but for ''the lib
.serty it was formed and constituted to
stsuard." A divided Union necessitated mill
tary power to protect the sundered parts
from mutual encroachments. The bare posi-
bility OF such encroacbments would have
compelled each section to maintain stand
ing armies, in presence Of which liberty
would not be and could not be maintained.
To be sure this was all along the war Dem
ocrat's excuse, and all along we thought tia
mere excuse. Now we are almost willing to
admit that it was something more, and that
we have done injustice to the war Demo
crat. At all events, the truth, yea the
whole truth, appears to have dawned upon
him at last To him, as to the peace Demo-
crat, and to the Southern man OF whatever
party, 'liberty' is now the one 'priceless"
thing, and 'Federal unity" though it be
worth oceans OF blood, is Of little value COM
pared to that liberty.
This is The vital, this the essential princi-
pie. For this principle the South fought.
The form Of our Government was nothing;
the s'soul of liberty" which had been in it,
but had gone out Of it in 1850, was every
thing For that soul Of liberty we contend
now as We have always contended. We did
not believe that liberty was either begotten
by coercion or could be prolonged In life by
it. War Democrats believed differently The
appeal to arms has been made, coercion has
been tried, and their result is known OF oil
men. In the face OF that result, the organ
of the war Democracy feels now that Fede-
raj unity IS Of secondary Importance, COM
pared with liberty. 1t sees dimly what was
plain 10 the men OF the Revolution, and even
clearly present to the eyes Of Southern men,
that AEs 6egets lihc, and that liberty is born
of liberty alone. 1t will yet live to admit,
what it would vebemently deny to-day, that
the incorporation into the Constitution OF
that very right for which the South valnly
contended, would constitute "lhat soul OF
"libertyo for which the Federal Union was
formed, and do more to preserve Federal
unity than all amendments and supplement-
ary bills of enforcement which the combined
ingenuity Of cowareice and tyranny could in
O lifetime devise.
{. The World says truly that the prize oil
victory in the coming Presidential campaign
sis of more consequence than all we won at
"Appomattox. II that be so las who can
doubL?l and the monetary power which the
World represents be sincere in the convic-
ton that unity is worth much, but liberty is
absolutely 'spriceless," then We OF the South
strike hands with the Worlds party in
warmth and good faith, OF which zeal
should be born too powerful for Radical per
tidy to contend with, and from which to
predicate success in 1872 were simple super
erogation.