New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-07-03
THERE Is NO SECTIONAL HOSTILITY.

1t is much to be deplored that any cause
should have ever SO separated the Repub-
lican people of the United States as to en-
courage AL attempt at their permanent
division into hostile sections. There Is
such al attempt. 1t is founded on d.
rect charge that the people Of a latitud!nal
division which comprehends more than
half the population Of the United States
are faithless. Here is the charge:
Slavery in the South was the OCCASION.
not the cause of the secession of the South
ern States. The rca, Cause was the utter
faithiessress Of the people OF the North.
The Southern people became satisfied that
no constitutional compacts could bind them,
and therefore that there could be 10 securi
ty-no safety il any political ASSOCIATION
with them.
There is historical testimony in this
paragraph which has an important mean
ing. It avows purpose, on the part OF
some persons in the South. to break up
the Union long before the war. 1t has
been shown that the nullifers made such
an attempt by annulling the revenue law
Of the federal government and preparing
to resist its enforcement: that Jackson, a
Democrat, resisted and defeated this doc
trine Of notification; that none Of TIE
Southern States sustained South Carolina
in her disaffection. When the issue Was
repeated in 1850, the mass Of the South
ern people showed their determination to
abide by the compromise on the slavery
question. 1t was only when they believed
that the election of Mr.. Lincoln was an
overt act of emancipation that they en-
barked in the war. In direct issue with the
paragraph quoted, it may he said that
the Southern people did not decide on
secession because of distrust il the faith
of the Northern people. because this
cause, if it did exist st all. would have
justified separation long before the war
of 1861. It would have taken effect wher
notification was suppressed. CT when the
compromise was enacted. The South was.
| up to the latter period. perhaps tic
stronger section in I. military point OF
view, and could have carried out its pur-
pose to sever 4 disreputable connection
if it entertained such an ida.
The obvious explanation Of the war is,
| that for the first time the Southern people
were brought to believe that there was
| danger Of emancipation. Those who held
slaves were unwilling to lose their prop
erty. Those who did not hold slaves eL
tertaiued natural fear Of excuses to bt
unprecedented from: people freed from
bondage. Emancipation is fact. The
fear of such excuses has disappeared
The necessity Of emancipated labor. ol
the one hand. and OF wage, on the other,
has Larua onizei the labor relations OF The
country. The nor-s!aveLolders oe.o:e Il;
war see that emancipation has given then
a capacity to lire labor that before the
war they could not have employed, bec.us:
they could no: have loyTt i. Tier
are undoubtedly persons in the
South WHO desire the separation
Of sections. There are also bitter
haters of the South 4. the North. who
would let the Southern people so. as tht
late Mr.. Greeley proposed. The grea
mass Of the Southern people find the chic
obstacle to a coriia. union removed
They were Away, Republican IL their senti
,nent. They would stand by the Union ant
reform any defects in its administration
rather than continue Is conflict who's,
chief aims are aspers;ons on the characte
and motives Of all who were born on til
Northern side Of Al arbitrary line Of sec
tional separation,