New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-11-29
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
CIVIL WAR CONSPIRACIES.

THE SOUTHERN EMPIRE with o'ss7 :b,d BY
MifHin 4 Co. Boston and New York.
ASSASSINATION OF LINCOLN. history OF tne
great conspiracy. BY T: NJ. Harris. octave pp'
400. American Citizen Company. boston.
The motive for Mr. Morton's essay is found in
the presentment of a Grand Jury in Indiana dur
ing 1862 against various members Of the knights
of the Golden Circle. After exhaustive inves-
tigation Of the evidence brought before them the
Jury declared that the primary object Of this treas
enable association when it originated was 70 or
ganize the friends Of the institution OF African
slavery in the United States for the purpose OF ac-
curing more territory In Mexico and the Cehtrai
American States and by the annexation OF Cuoa
TO extend and foster great slave empire Inc
author regards this not merely as Key 70 thc
purposes of a secret order, but also as reveal
ton OF the ulterlor object Of the slave hoNemehV
itself The Golden Circle was line drawn from
Havana as a centre, with a radius OF sixteen dc-
rrees latitude and longitude Here was vast do
main adapted to slave labor, extending from c'ie
confluence of the Ohio and the Mississippi TO The
1sthmus of Darien, and from the west ihuies "
the Pacific coast Of Mexico
The authors theme is developed with not
little literary and polemcal skill. He disnnsscs
with cynical contempt the assumption that the
South tried To sAcede from the Union simply TO es
tablish an abstract proposition OF constitutions
law He regards the slave-holdlng icaoers d.
pursuing their ends In utter indifference 70 coh-
sttutiona trammels as locallzing slavery by loose
construction in the territories OF Missouri Arkdn-
sas and Florida and then protecting IL from Gov
eminent interference by strict construction when
those territories became States; as alternately
agreeing 10, and repeating. the Missouri Compro-
misc when they hoped for. and finally despaired
OF. extending slavery through the Mexican pur-
Ito IN lnIY aNh
for the establishment Of great slave empire The
authors treatment Of the subject will naturally cN-
cite hostile criticism. but 1t is logical as well as
ingenious and comprehensive There is very much
in this brief essay TO promote philosophical ref'ec
tiop upon the secret history Of the American civil
conflict.
General Harris has prepared from ohical sources
a detailed account OF the assassination plot with
which the Civil War was brought TO a close. III
IL one OF the darkest chapters OF American his
tory. and thorough and exhaustive as is the
authors treatment OF it. there are few readers
who will be grateful for the exposition OF 'he
motives, preparations and doom Of the assaSslns
and Of the legal proceedings which established
their completely and guilt In the most infamous
conspiracy of modern times. General Harris was
a member of the military commission, and conse-
ouently was we'll equipped for unravelirg all the
threads of a murderous and barren p.ot, WHICH
shocked the moral sensblities Of the world His
work has been done with lucidity of mind and
keenness of discernment; but there are few read
els who will feel under obligations TO him for
his exhaustive study OF the subject. Nations as
we'll as families have their skeleton closets, and
the doors cannot be kept too tightly Closed. We
are unable to find any compensations, apart from
morbid curiosity, for this unwholesome revela-
ton Of American character and the worst passions
of wartime.