New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-05

rested for their authority upon the theory OF NaLohsd
sovereignty, were brought about by those VINO dehSu
! that theory. IT, therefore, as was asserted Dy tne
had been converted into desposm iI was their own
handiwork In tul, however. neither these acts nor
any Others for which the sixty years OF Democratic
! nsccndancy were responsible, not even JacRsonS
vigorous assertion Of the powers of the Federal Govern.
m me cnr %Rcf the G party leaders were tins bring
Ing against themselves. 1t Is evident therefore, tlat
this not the real motive for secession Lei us see
| where that motive IS to be found
CAUSES LEADING TO SECESSION.
The steps that led directly 10 the secession move
mcnt are all comprised in the years from 1890 TO
1900 The struggle on the question OF extending
slavery to the Territories In the Louisiana Act the
! Introduction Of slaves had been restricted In the
Territory Of Louisiana. In the Missouri Compromise
slavery had been absolutely prohibited in that Territory
north of;}G degrees 80 minutes The object at which
the South now aimed to this policy and to
secure the Territories for slavery. With this end In
| View In the compromise Of 1850 new departure was
! made I'm the acts organizing New-MexicO and Utah,
and the question left TO the people Of the TERRITORIES
whether they should DC slayeholdinG or free Tie
North acquiesced chiefly the ground that the two
Territories in question were unsuited to slave labor aud
could never become slave States. But presently tho
demand came that the policy Of nonntcrfcreDce thus
adopted Known as the uoctt'e Ok PoP"I Ia t}
squatter sovereignty es II was usually calcd, sh0u1
be extended to the Territories erected out Of what had
formerly been louisiana from which since 1870 slavery
had been distinctly excluded. The result was tiie
Kansas and Nebraska Act, passed IN 1884 unCer the
Influence Of the Administration or President Pefcc,
by which the prohibitions Of the Missouri Compromise
were repealed and in their place was substituted tle
pngB PIE 2 P9R "a iTe w TrS not foot Of
National territory rom which slavery was excluded Dy
| the Federal statutes.
The result Of giving this local option rs we should
call il to-day, to the Territories Of Kansas and Nebraska
was seen al once They became the battlefield between
free and slave labor condition almost OF civil war
| lasted in Kansas from 1886 to 1859, but the Free
sellers were in the majority and the principle OF locai
option, which had been adopted In the interest OF
slavery resulted In il, exclusion from the new STATE
satisfied by this experience that the principle under,
| Wing the Kansas and Nebraska Act which under the
| Attractive name Of popular sovereignty had been IN.
dorsed by the National Democratic Conventions of le32
aud 1856, would not give them contrl OF The teIrores
! the southern leader, put forth new dogma. In
! February, 500 series of resolutions introduced
IN the senate by Jefferson Davis setting l0r ts new
| idea IN the following words: "Ncither Conge'; nor
the Territorial Legislature, whether BY direct lsElS
atOn or by legislation Of an Indirect or uhrichdy
character, POSSESSES the right 10 ann Or Impair the
constitutional rights Of any citizen Of the United states
and there hold and enjoy the same while the territorial
| conditions remain" In other words, not only was
the principle Of exclusion adopted IN Le SISaou ~
| Compromise unconstitutional but the principle %, o,
local option contained In the Kansas ana NcDraS.hh
Act was equally Unconstitutional as uierIeIims ,,,ir,
the rights OF the citizen To this departure, invoVng
evident Inconsistency the Northern Democrats, irt
| planting themselves firmly upon the principe u
! popular sovereignty. H.,
! 1SGO. When the southern leaders found mat they
could not induce their Northern allies to follow them
Hcet Of their own From tbs day dates the real
! beginning of the secession movement IT mas been
common for it, defenders to assert that was Induced
by the election Of Lincoln. but the election OF ke-
publican candidate was fOcgOne conclusion me mo
| mcnt that the Democratic party put two candidates
In the field The party divided on sectional lines
as the election aftcr"ard showed Nor was u the
object of those who nominated Brccdnndge, ana WHO
advocated the extreme doctrine OF permitting slavery
or not, to elect Democratic candidate upon any Hou
crate compromise platform. They wanted no com
promise platform. and the success OF the RepubIcan5
was inevitable the southern leaders resolved
20 break away from Douglas and his followers. -
The election ct Lincoln was therIl a. ,l' a
ground for secession as the SUPPOSED OEerIIO" VI
free government. The true cause lay in the hopeless
ASSUMPTION If the Democratic party on sectional hueI'
~nd on the question OF slavery aiter pohOc1l ascec
AnCy Of sixty years, which eNtnSuished forever the
possibility of extending HE institution INTO thJ lcTr-
macly be usfOrmed: and with all hope Of extension
gone there vas no reason to remain in the mon i2r
the pepetuiy oil slavery was more secure WI! Ht lug
! slave state. ont Of the Union. Not IN any idhced
overthrow Of constitutional government during the
sixty years when they had controlled its desunlea not
i'm an new danger which now meuaced II from Lhc
election OF Lincoln lay the ca'e, 81 ie eceI1lon ilt
act was purely revolutionary movement ~ inc lheT
est Of slavery but movement which, In the Dyes OF
Its participants; was clothed by me dogrHc u 9ta9
| sovereignty with the character OF a legal rGhL
NO HOSTILITY THEN MEDITATED.
The inaugural address Of the Incoming President no
less Than the Republican platform on which lie had
been elected showed that the now Government med
itated no act Of hostility toward The South
Mr. Lincoln expressly dec AIRED that he had no purpose
to interfere directly or indirectly with the institution
Of slavery in the states where it existed and that the
propery peace and security Of no section Of the Union
were TO be In any wise endangered By the AdmniS1c
ton. He quoted the provision OF the Constitution
relating to persons held to service OF LABOR Ia one
state and escaping into another ana SAID: III h
scarcely questioned that this provision was intended
by those who made 1t for the retaining OF what We
call fugitive slaves and the intention Of the lawgiver
Is the law Declaring his intention, in obedience 70
the command of the Constitution 10 see that the laws
| ID the Union should be faithfully eAeouteut III Ia %i
/ lid, "A tu doll
blOOd,hed or violence and there shall De none unless
! it is forced upon the National authority. ,...,..
The Coniederdtes waited for the new Administration
to commit some overt act Of hostility, DuI tliat 9c
! never came. only seven Of the states had mus lai
united their fortunes with the COniedeIacy hlgJ lad
refused 10 jOn Finally, Tor no other reason except
| the declared intention on the part OF the National
! Ejrt sumter the rtUels the l4tn Of April opened
fire tie fort. 1t was quickly deinon,isd, anu tns
garrison surrendered, and thus by the drtct act Oh
me Confcdcraoy war was precplated between Ii ana
the United states.
/ shall not attempt here to follow the history OF
! the war. The achievements Of the different armies
their marches aud counter marches their battles ana
cunpai,us are familiar Ia you alto some W actual
participation, to Others by following dly oS Jay the
psntI of tr alternate victories and defeats In that
tremendous contact. tn,re wa sci cey family tnat dd
| More fhau 200 OCO men gave their services TO tile
| GovrrnIlyut and 10000 persisted IN Ine struggle
Afta tour year- of toll and DOOdshed, Lee surrendered
ls army to Grant AppomatOX on April ., 1868, and
! an Npr,l 90 Johnston surrendered TO sherman and
tie war ended In the complete ana absolute triumph 0
the cause Of Tie Union. The Contederacy had lost
! CVSryfning for which it had fdTgnt. slavery
abolished during the war 10 war measure, and the
ccdcd states were restored again to their old rcia
INN, vim Inc Union. but the doctrine OF secession
and uulllucgtiOn was destroyed forever.
That the south believed they had the right peaceably
IA -pctds from the Union have doubted ms be
lief was the logical consequence VI the premises that
Vera assumed in the resolutions of l796. For sixty
! Year, IL had been instilled into the minds of the
southern people. The proceedings OF then political
| conventions were deemed incomplete without the re
! ofruancc Of Jefcrson's famous formula. Educated
frIu childhood under it, influence they had come to
rtgI.d allegiance 10 the state a., the cornerstone o.
/ fclI
and though their administrations rejected thi- narrow
scheme II government in practice, their creed never
lost h. hold upon the minds of the people Even
President isuchanan and M, Atorne} cncril, Jere
mian Black, denied the power " tht Nauohdl GoF-
rrnm.rt n, corrre seceilng state. The question has
been argued and reargued for half century, and argu
mont could not settle il. II could only be- determined
Ly the arl,tl4mcni OF arms. and 10 that tribunal the
sGnih appealed and a. people they have Loyalty and
| hcroically accepted the result. ,...
! And Shall We fclow-rtzens who came victorious
ont of the struggle, eud to fhem the precious uad
ton Of valOr and hcrol~m that th-It drhHt', cNch