New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-08-24

is,ecia Correspondence of the Republican
NORTHERN POLITICS.
The Peril of the Future.
New YORK, August l6, 1876.
In order 20 forecast the future we must
70 back to the past. Patrick Henry, when
warning the British government that il
was driving ito American colonies into war
declared that there could be but one critic
rion by which to Judge the future, and that
was by the past. The Virginia orator was
right. History is ever repeating itself. Like
causes will ever produce like effects. With
these rules to guide us We can deter
mine with measurable accuracy whether
the Northern allies of the Southern Con
fedecstes are again leading them into an
other armed conflict with the popular will
Of the nation, and whether in that conflict
these same Northern so-called Democratic
friends of the South will again abandon the
poor Cor tederate to his fate after having
led him into trouble. Let US 60 back, then,
and review the recent past.
The Confederate league originated in
1850. 1t grew out OF the California ques.
ton. The admission of Texas into the
Union had been urged by the South, in the
belief that it was the first step to the Sc
quisition of Mexico as slave territory, and
that slavery would be planted in California
and all along the shore Of the Pacific. The
The Confederate league was formed on the
Mexican principle that differences OF
opinion ard conflicting interests in the
Union could only be best settled by the
sword as the final result. The battlefield,
and not the Supreme Court, was regarded
az the final tribunal where these differ
ences we're to be adjusted. Simultaneously
with the formation Of this league and it's
ri ct armis theory, political contest took
place before the great body of the South
ern people in each Southern State on the
issue thus raised by the secret league. In
that contest Jefferson Davis, the head of
this league even at that early day, was
beaten for Governor in Mississippi by 5000
majority. Mcdonald, the secession candi-
date in Georgia, was beaten in that State
by $4,000 msiority. The secessionists, in this
appeal to the Southern people, only carried
two States-Texas and South Carolina.
But this defeat did not dishearten the
leaders Of this league. Franklin Pierce,
elected President On the very issue which
had cverthrown Davis in Mississippi, was
forced by tie defeated party to make JEFF
ferson Davis Secretary Of War. This first
step was followed by others, and finally the
secession element of the South gained entire
cont :ol of the government No sooner had
this control been obtained than the power
conferred by it was used to "unify the
South and overflow the compromises
upon which Pierce came into power. The
Unionists Of the South were prescribed;
slavery was pushed into Kansas; the
fugitive slave law Was demanded; the
Dred Scott decision was rendered, and all
the powers of the government were made
subordinate to the demands of the league.
One would suppose that victory like this
would have satisfied the leaders of this
Southern cabal. But NO; these successes
only served to whet the apo petite for power,
and to infame the will Of these conquerors.
They therefore determined to make Bu-
chanan President on the distinct issue
that the election Of an anti.slavery
President OF the United States would
be regarded by the South as dissolution
of the Union and q declaration of war.
This point was carried also. Here, then,
was complete victory for the pro-slavery
party inside of the Union. Buchanans
election crowned slavery as the dominating
force in American politics. But even this
did not safety" The thirst for power,
like the thirst for strong drink, or the thirst
for blood, or the thirst for gain, or like
another thirst born of unthinking and un-
regulated appetite, only grows with what
it feeds on. The leaders of the Confederate
league meditsted the overthrow of the
American Union and tho erection Of
Southern empire, with negro subordination
as the corner stone. So they determined
to disrupt and destroy the Northern Demo
cratic party, the conservative element in
which was represented by Stephen A. Doug
las. The desire was to secure the election
of an anti-slavery President in order to
''preoipitate the cotton States into rebel
lion," and thus bring on the fight which
was to iberate the South forever from
the Union. Here again aRccess crowned
the efforts Of the league. Douglas was
overthrow, the conservative" vote was
divided and Abraham Lincoln elected by
bare plurality" (actual minority Of votes
hn nf haA
Washington the leaders Of the league met
at select dinner party and rejoiced over
Lincoln's election. All was JOY and exul-
tation. Chief among these delighted"
Southern Statesmen were Mr.. BENJAMIN
and Mr.. Slidell, of Louisiana. Here close
the record Of the past. The events which
swiftly followed the election of Lincoln are
too we'll known to require repeating at my
hands. They are written in blood from
the firing on Fort Sumpter in Charleston
hsrbor in 1861 and the first battle of Bull |
Run to Lincoln's assassination in 1866, the |
massacre in New Orleans of Republicans
in 1866, down to the recent slaughter of in
offensive citizens at Hamburg, South Caro-
lins, in this year of centennial jubilee and
peace! So much for the past. ask the |
intelligent Conservative of Louisiana to
mari carefully this historical outline. He
can, if at all acquainted with the political |
events which have transpired at the South |
during the last twenty i've years, easily fill
up the gaps in this record. l therefore
leave this phase Of the subject with the |
remark that the Confederate league was