The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-07-18
WORLD OFF LETTERS.


occurred In New England during the
war OF 1912 between the United States
and Great Britain, which was from the
first very unpopular In the New Eng
land states, although the war was really
undertaken in the interest of their COM
merce.
The war was denounced as unholy
and without any plea of Justification.
Even in the pulpits disunion was boldly
advocated as the only remedy for the
monstrous wrong. When Commodore
Decatur was chased into New London
by a British squadron, he made repeated
attempts to steal out in the darkness
OF night, but in every instance the
enemy was warned by the burning of
blue lights on shore. Thus that brave
officer. to his great evaporation. was
held powerless by enemies at home.
When the news arrived of the declara-
tlon Of war. the flags were half
masted in Boston harbor and at other
points. New England decided that her
militia should not be permitted to go
outside the state limits 90 help carry
on the war. Not content with negative
measures. the six New England states
sent delegates to Hartford. December
IL. 1914. where they sat with closed
doors. They determined that the ma.
tional government must make a radi-
cal change Of policy, or New England
would Withdraw from the Union. Hav-
ing decided on this momentous step,
they adjourned to the following June
for more decisive action. Before the
day for reassembling arrived, the war
ended. But for this. the United States
would have had at that time TO face
the question of subjugating the New
England States or OF allowing their un-
doubted right to secede from the Union
and set UP for themselves.
In celebrating the fifth anniversary
of the Inauguration of Washington.
April 80, 1899. ex-President John Quincy
Adams made speech, which was re-
ceived with wide approval in New Eng
land. In which speech. after deploring
the growth Of sectional feeling, and ar
guing that If the time came when the
States should lose fraternal feeling for
each other, II would be better for them
to separate. and far better for them to
part in friendship from each other than
to be held together by constraint," he
says: Then will be the time for the
reverting to the precedents which oc-
Cured at the formation and adoption
Of the constitution. to form again a
more perfect Union. by dissolving that
which could not bind. and to leave the
separated parts to be reunited BY the
law Of political gravitation to the
centre"
Three years later. January a. 1912,
Mr.. Adams presented a petition to con-
gre"s from the citizens Of Haverhill,
Mass. praying that congress would "im-
mediately adopt measures peaceably to
dissolve the Union of these states"
and assinging reasons for such action.
Resolutions censuring Mr.. Adams for
presenting this petition were introduced
by Mr.. Marshall of Kentucky. but.
after two weeks debate on them. dur
ing which Mr.. Adams ably defended
the petition and his relation to 1t. the
resolutions were laid on the table. the
house seeming to approve the position
Of Mr. Adams.
In 1914. and again on the 22d Of Febru-
ary. ls4j the legislature Of Massachu-
sets passed resolutions avowing the
right Of secession. and threatening to
secede, II Texas was admitted into the
Union. Indeed. there seems at that
date to have been no serious question
North. South. East or West Of the right
OF state to secede.
This view of the question was iterat-
ed and reiterated by leading statesmen
and newspapers throughout the north.
Even after the election Of Mr. Lincoln.
and up to the actual breaking out Of the
war. Horace Greeley, one of the ablest
and most influential Republicans in the
country, advocated again and again In
the New York Tribune the right Of the
Southern States to Deaceably with
draw from the Union. and the wicked
ness and folly of the claim that the
general government had any right to
coerce them. He said: "1f the cotton
states shall become satisfied that they
can do better out Of the Union than in
1t. we insist on letting them go in peace.
The right to secede may be a revolu.
tiOnary one. but 1t exists nevertheless"
Again: We hope never to live In
republic whereof one section Is pinned
to the residue by bayonets." And again:
IF the Declaration OF Independence
justifies the secession from the British
Empire Of 100000 colOnists In l176. we
do not see why It would not justify the
secession Of 100000 Southrons from the
Federal Union in 1861"
The New York Herald. of November
2S. 1850. said Coercion. in any event.
Is out of the question. A union held
together by the bayonet would be
nothing better than q military despo-
tism."
After the Inauguration Of Mr.. Lin
coin. the Commercial. Of Cincinnati. one
Of the ablest Republican papers in the
country. said: We are not In favor
Of blackading the Southern coast.
We are not in favor OF retaking by
force the property Of the United
States, now in possession OF the
seceders. We would recognize the ex-
istence Of a govrnment formed of all
the slaveholding states and attempt to
cultivate amicable relations with It,"
General Scott. the commander-in-
chief Of the United States army. was
very emphatic In advising that there
should be no war on the seeding
states. and that the Federal Govern
ment should say to them: "Wayward
sisters. depart in peace" 1t would
seem. therefore, that the right of the
all reasonable dispute. and that 1t was
even recognized by large part OF
the public sentiment Of the North
But had they sufficient cause to ex-
ercise this inalienable right? Did their
grievances justify this extreme meas
ure? The answer to this question re-
quires only brief summary of the
facts. Slavery had been introduced
into the colonies by the cupidity of Old
and New England. and against the fire.
quent and earnest protest Of the
southern colonies, especially Virginia
and Georgia. 1t had been most dis
tinotly recognized by the Federal Con-
stitution. which provided for the re-
turn of fugitive slaves. The privileges
OF the slave trade had been extended
twenty years under the constitution OF
1887 by the votes of New England,
whose ships were so largely engaged in
it, against the earnest protest Of votes
Of Virginia, Delaware and Maryland
It had been finally abolished by the
action of Virginia. Georgia and other
Southern states. which passed laws