The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1881-09-15

themselves and upon their eoansrr sncl
an s.ful calamity. add for cause 10 com
parsiivel, slight, 90 unreasonable, and "
II ssrisnoe ~iih the frat principles q
Amrrican liberty. The problem can b
understood and solved ouly by close ob
serhBos Of the condition Of the Soniher'
mind. slavery haa fouoc ue powerful
effect upon Southern character. u mad
the rnling classes sespoiic, fierce, aud i'm
psticnt Of opposition, and i bred The mar
rov contempt 10 he found In greater o
iess degree in every aFisiocrAey for all WIZ
diiier from them, or who engage IN pur
sniia which they think Illuminating le
this ~ itself IL an inadequate explanation
~ the action ofthe South Slavery servet
merely 10 prepare the soil. in which tbs
ideas carefully planted and injured b,
southern leaders, drawn from the slave
holding elsss. grew rank and hourshed
The leading theory was that the North bad
neither courage nor principle, and u Il
sorely lsmpnted tina, there was some
ground for this in the conduct ofNoriherI
politicians who helped the South, and
we're called "dough-faees" for their pains
But the universal acceptance OF the theory
Law in the colossal ignorance Of the
North which prevailed 10 the South. Most
Souilerners bs ieyed that they could leave
the Union in peace when they saw III, aud
that the North would no, fight. Others,
add among tbup Mr.. Davis, thought there
would b. var. an opinion which makes
their course still worse than ii would 9TH
crpise hnye been. But il is safe TO say
that all SUutherners alike felt that the
North could not fight, even IL they tried,
The cowsrlice, mean spirit, and love Of
money in the North had been preached 80
long that the Southern people had come 10
accept them as immutable truths Tie
South was cursed with the same miserable
ignorance AS that displayed by England
when Lord Sandwich proclaimed the Yam.
KEGS towards The South assumed that
men of English blood, the descendants OF
the Puritans. the boldest and hardest OF
their race, could not fight. and they paid
for this CHASTITY mistake by four years OF
desolating war by the ruin Of their social
system, and by utter and crushing defeat.
Blinded by this error, they were led by
their false guides to believe that they were
fighting for the constitution and liberty;
Even the fact that they held slaves could
not disperse the idea that they were the
champions OF freedom. TO people thus
confused, and with passions heated by a
political issue which they were taught to
think threatened their well-being, when it
really could affect only class, every spe-
cies OF lie was told, and upon them every
deception was practiced. Mr.. Davis says
now, ~ lie and others said then to their
followers, Look at the awful growth Of
the national government! The very life Of
the States Is in danger" They failed to
point out that this overgrown government
had reached that condition in half cen
tury OF almost complete control by the
South. They omitted to show that the
greatest stretches of power by the central
government up to that time had been eff
fected by Southern statesmen. And this
is specimen OF their reasoning. The air
was full OF lies, equivocations, deceptions
aud half truths, and in this atmosphere
the South lived, thanks TO the effects Of
slavery and profound ignorance OF their
neighbors! Everything in the Southern
mind was distorted and twisted. Nothing
appeared to them az it really was, nothing
had its true proportions; they lost in this
way even the capacity to recognize exist
ing facts, an attribute which Mr. Davis, rs
we see in this book, has never recovered,
and the lack OF which does so much to
make the work typical and living repro
duction OF an extinct species Of thought.
This atmosphere OF deceit went with
them into the war, deepened their misfor.
tunes, and made their downfall more com
plete. Take few examples at random
from Mr.. Davis book. What, for instance,
can be said to man who calls mob, com
posed OF the scum of great city in a State
forming part Of the Union, engaged in
throwing brickbats at national soldiers,
noble and unarmed citizens" who refers
TO Gettysburg as "a check" who says the
government at Washington initiated the
worst days of the French Terror, In the
border States? Words fail to do justice to
4 man who comes from region where, in
times Of profound peace, men were hunt
ed, imprisoned and had price set on
their heads because they spoke and wrote
against slavery, and who abuses fercely
The government of the Union for suppress
ing freedom OF opinion and free speech
because in time of war they put traitors in
prison and kept them there, and no doubt
made mistakes and confound.
ID the innocent with the guilty.
There is no need to dwell upon such
lhings they are mere illustrations of the
utter falseness which beset the South with
, thick darkness. The South got light at
last, but it was painful operation. As
We read this book we know where to place
The deepest blame for the war 1t lies not
upon the Southern people as whole, nor
upon their soldiers who fought SO gallant
" aud well, for we have no need to be.
little ourselves or our country by abusing
and slandering our opponents, as Mr..
Davis does iu the treatment OF the North
sru armies No. the heavy burden OF caus.
ing the war. OF IN king it possible, rests
upon the leaders OF the South, at home
and IN Washington, who represented the
great planters and shareholders, the rulers
and governors of their States. 1t was for
heir interest to MAINTAIN slavery as it
stood. When 10 the march OF progress
md OF modern ideas, it became evident
that human slavery was doomed, instead
of accepting the inevitable; instead Of
welding TO a worldwide public sentiment
which forced even the Tsar of Russia TO
abolish serfdom; instead Of seeking to
guide the movement Of emancipation, and
by gradual steps destroy slavery and so
save themselves, they set themselves
against tho tide With great skill and te-
nacity they held the government and made
The Union subseryient to slavery for near
y fifty years. When power passed from
them without single overt act on the 9th
rr side, they hurried the country into rev.
plution and war, setting the national life
at stake by so doing. They made il their
business 10 deceive Others, they may per-
haps in some instances have deceived
themselves; but their purpose was to rule
unchecked and il that was not possible
over the whole country, then the nation
must he sacrificed. II was n great crime
against the country and against humanity,
md among the class aud the leaders who
were guilty OF it and responsible for il
Mr.. Davis stands conspicuous. We have
no wish to indulge in any sectional feeling.