New-York tribune., 1886-05-16
TREASON ODIOUS.*
GENERAL LOGAN's ISTORY OF THE GREAT
CONSPIRACY.

ARMS AND AT THE DALLor-Box AND IT'S FINAL
TRIUMPH.
This is the work Of q man who is thoroughly in
earnest Others have forgotten that rebellion was
a crime ; he has not. Others have drugged their
memories that they might not remember the delip-
hrate conspiracy which caused the Civil War-the
sacrifices of that great struggle, the unspeakaoie
infamcs and cruclties of treason in arms, aud OF
more cowardlv coppcrheads Mt the reari the pre-
tended submission of rebel leaders at the South
tho campalgn of assassination by which
the Constitution and the laws have been
suppressed in Southern States, and the peo-
nle therein deprived of a republican form of
government General Logan has not To him it is
ur,ef beyond expression to recall all the heroisms
and agonles of the War; the blood shed aud the noble
lives Land down. and to reflect that in n high sense
these sacrifices have been in vain. HIS book will
not be pleasant reading for those whose crimes are
therein held up to the eXecration OF the civilized
world nor to those others who have fed their vanity
or graticd their spite by turning over the govern
ment OF the Union to men who fought to destroy it,
But il is full stOrehouse Of Information for those
who want to know just what the war was, how it
was caused and pushed to its conclusion, and how
IL came to pass that those who could not conquer in
the field nor yet at the baot-box, have neverthe-
less seized the Government.
polish his sentences There is no prctence of litcr
ary finish no effort at fine writing, iu this grim
sodierly recital of fact and yet there Is at times
real coqnence of expression, and throughout re-
markable wealth Of information marShallcd with
the power OF one who feels that Others must share
his own intense convictions il he can bat get the
Same facts before them. Thus there is patience in
the recital of events and dates and the quotations
in support of each position taken are so full that
some may complain of superabundance. But in
his earnestness AID his to get the evidence
properly arranged. the writer has at times been
careless in his expressions Thus on page he
SAWS that rebuffs by Congress prevented the
tax ing of any further steps to Implant slavery on
the soil of that Territory" To Jefferson he says,
eve also owe the acquisition of the vast territory of
the Mississippi Valley burdened with slavery in such
shape that only war which nearly wrecked our
Republic could get rid Of" (p 81 The JEFF
ferson "fatuitously believed in the saving common
sense of his race and country capable of correct
ing an existing evil when it shall have developed
into i'll effects" Up. 20J Speaking of the condensa-
ton OF the Linc0in-DouglaS debate, he says: 1T
will convey to mind impressions which, perhaps,
no critical or descriptive analysis could pretend
to-" p. S2J Introducing evidence regarding his
own position at the outbreak of the War, he SAYS:
"And here il NAV not be considered out of place
for brief reference to the writer's own position at
this tnnc especially as it has been much misappre
hended and missta' cd" tp 265.) And regarding
the tariff debate in 1868 Washburne. of Illinois,
got back at this part of Mr. Voorhees's speech
rather neatly" tp. 5j6) few such examples of
lnaccuracy or infclicy of expression will be found
by those critics who search for them. But it would
be absurd to find fault with slcdge- hammer be-
cause it was not polished like looking glass This
volume makes no preionsiOnstO beauty Of STYLE and
is 10 be Judged not by its polish but by its strength
Aud strength it has. There is aiectaton of MIS-
torica mpartalitv. While the facts are stated
with fidelity, whether for or against the cause
which has his sympathy General Logan leaves no
one in doubt from the first page to the last that he
is n Republican, profoundly convinced of the JUS
ticc of the Republican cause and intensely hostile |
in every fbr OF his strong nature t. the Rebellion,
its ideas and its party.
General Logan begins by history of the origin |
of slavery in this country. With characteristic |
flankness, he states his belief that the fathers of
the Republic blame worthy for consentIng to |
what have been called the compromises of the Con-
stitution. Thus he SAYS:
The fac Of the matter is. that the Convention
tha framed OuI Constitution lacked the courage of
its convictions. and was buIldozed" by the few
extreme Southern slave-holding STATES South
Cdr' lima and Georgia especially. II actually pal
tered with those convictions ana with the truth it
sef. Its cOnvictOns-th0Se at east OF a great ma
i,rity of its dcegates-were against not only the
spread bmt the very existence Oi slavery: vet we !
have seen what they unwillingly agreed TO in spite
OF those convictions; and they were guilty, more
over, OF the subtertuge OF using the terms per
meant "slaves" and slavery" .Thcy dId this
latter Mr. Madison SAYS. because they did not
choose to admit the right of property in man." vet
i'll liking the basis of direct taxation well Con-
CTessi0ra representation az the total free pOpula
tIon OF each state with "three-iifths of ali other
persons they did admit the right Of property iD
man.
Briefly reviewing the adoption of the ordinance
of l7S7 and the Louisiana purchase by Jefferson
he points out the fact that Ar. Jefferson could not
have been that the acquisition of territory
thus effected insured the extension of slavery, and
remarks:
1t is more reasonable TO suppose that. as he be-
lievcd he ascendancy of the Republican party of
thar day essential to the perpetuity Of the republic
itself aud reyolted against being driven INTO an
AIMED alliance with MOnarchlcal England against
what he termed our National friend Republican
France. he reached the conclusion that the pre-
servatlon of his Republican principles was of more
mmcia moment than the question of the per-
petuation and increase of human slavery. BE that
as II may, it none the less remains curious fact
tla, il was to Jefferson. the faT'eeing statesman
aud hateT OF African slavery and the author Of the
ordnance of l7S4-which sought to exclude
'avery from all the Territories of the United
states south of, as well as northwest of the Ohio
RveT-that we also owe the acquisition of the vast
erritor> of the Mississippi Valley hardened with
layery IN such shape that only a war, which nearly
wrecked our Republic, could get rid OF! ,
The history of the Missouri struggle and COM
Promise are briefly stated, and there follows in the
econd chapter strong review of the early history
# the country in the matter of taxation 1t is
hown that the first tariff imports. "Approved
" President Washington July t. 1899, a date not ,,
without ITS significance" was next to the act pre-
crloing the oath used in organizing the govern I
nent the first act OF the first Federal Congress- OF
he more distincively pro ,ective acts of 1890 he
cmarks tpp IA:
In other words while the Southern States were
or the bill in the proportion of II TO 3 and the '
liddle States by 13 to l, New-EDgand was against
by 10 3 or again, while 10 Of the l3 votes 4
gaInst II from he New England and Middle |
tates, n or more than halH of the 80 votes for 1t
eTe rom the S0ut hern States. l
Ii will thus be seen-slnguarly enough in view Y
subsequent events-that we not only Q
alnly owe onr first stops in Prorective Thrift leg I