, 1877-10-02
MR.. KEY AND THE SOUTH.

ammo conditions.
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MR.. KEY AND THE SOUTH.
Tho Rebellion wAs MI error. Tho persons
who went into 1t md were whipped wero
"erring bretlrol." Whether 1t 10 Judged
by ita cntoayoror by its results, tlioro can DO
no Justification Of 1t in history or in tho con-
sciouces Of 1non. Thoso nro simple PROPOSE
tious which stand Of their own strength, and
no proccsa OF easuiBtry can overthrow them.
Yet tho statement OF them by tho Post
master-Geno1al in Vermont provoked
storm Of indignation In tho South. IIo was
| called time.server," "baso trucker to
Northern scntimcnt," aud ~ traitor to Iis
Stato." Mr.. KKr seams TO havo been sur
| prisetl at tho result Of hfs words, which ho
had good reason to suppose wero as innocent
| M mathematical axioms. lIo WIS frightened
into explaining them at Chattanooga, whore,
in n speech han-apologctic, ho foil into tho
blunier Of maintaining that tho Rcbellion
was an error only because 1t did not succeed.
| 11o might better havo stood by his Ver-
mont Bpoech In its broadest and most obvious
sonso, mud appealed to tho intelligence OF
tho South to justify him in umo. If ho had
occupied thus manly position, lo wonld havo
discovered that tho feeling against him WIS
| merely temporary, md boforo thiH thoro
would lave boeu general assent to his
statements His apology ut Chattanooga
was limo; 1t WINS ut tho most only half tho
truth, md it was givon' under Il sJ,ccios Ut
moral dnrcsa which doprivoa II OF historical
| value.
Tho groat error Of tho South wna tho de-
fouso Of slnvory. State sovereignty, about
which most Of tho clamor was raised, WINS
a buttrcss Of tho Divine Institution. When
tho latter fell, tho former became useless
work. Except for slavery, the South had no
moro reason to do battle for State sovereignty
than tho North Ind and, Hinco tho abol.
tion Of Hlavcry, tho strong advo-
Gates Of tho abstract political right
havo beon found iu tho North Wo
do tho Southern people tito credit TO
believe that thoy would not bo foolish
enough TO light for quostio,t of intcrrreta-
ton which did not aiEect rroporty-rights.
Uuquestiouably they fought for slavery
for slavery NJ 1t was, und NJ they dreained It
might bo; for the 4,00o, 900 they had, md
for the 40, ,oO0, 200 still unborn OF weltering
on tho plains Of Africa; for tho tarritory
they possessed, and Tor tho Emplro they
sought 10 found.
Stripped Of verbiago and sontlInenthism,
tho main question is, Waa slnvery In error7
Humanity has decided, wo believe, TINT II
WOE Events Layo shown that It was.
Candid persons among the Southern people
adult that 1t was Morally, politically, md
socially, II wns curBa to the people that
protected it. Tho injury 1t did tie negroes
was not moro than that which 1t
inflicted on tho whitoA Whilo It
ground tho former down in bestial Ignorance
aud tran,plod Oh their dearest righta, It on
courngesl tho latter In wastciul habits, and
aapped the cnergies Of tho whole people.
FREQ labor has aircntly given mighty i'm.
pulse to the South, aud IL destined to do
stiu moro for 1t. Sensiblo men recognize
this fact, and affection for alavsry, 1t II still
EXISTS In tl,o South, fingers principally with
the women, who ars not accustomed 10 zea-
son on political subjects
II slavery lad not been mn error, tho de-
fenso Of It would have been. Tho faot that
tha defollse deprived tho Bouth at recon-"
ponso for tle slaves, that It brought hostile
armies over tho whole land; tint 1t cost
millions Of treasure and hundreds Of thou.
sanda OF hves; aud that It wad unsuccessful
in the end, proven tie whote case against
the Boath. This, however, IL low view to
take OF tho question, bscau5a 1t loayos un-
touched tho ulain Issue ~ 10 tho in
dcfeusiblaness Of slavery; and wo regret
that Mr. KEY should have abandoned the
solid ground which ho occupied in Vermont
to stand upon the quieksapds Of oxpediency
in Tennesxee.
Nobody in tho North dcsires to put tho
South On the stool Of repsntance. It IL ini-
material TO u whether tbs people there con-
fess their osror publicly In words or not.
They have already confessed 1t iu deeds.
Their reception oG tho President recently
was confession. Tho conduct Of their rep.
resentasiyes In Congress- during tho critical
period OF tho Electoral Commission was q
confession. Their law-abiding conduct and
industrious attention to their own busiueas
u confession snost public Of all II they
dii uot feel that they woro wrong,
they neyer would return 10 their old
/ -Sk G-~o Y-{-