The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-02-15
The Welding of the Nation.

National holidays ought to serve the
purpose of familiariZinS the people with
the history of their country and, through
addresses and publications, correcting
popular and plausible misapprehenslons.
Unfortunately every recurring blrthday
of Mr.. Lincoln is used for the purpose OF
deepening totally false impressions re-
garding the Civil War, its causes and the
issues which it settled. 1t is not unnatu-
raj that the impression of the crowd
should be that the war was fought to
free the slaves, but it is extraordinary
that with few exceptions the persons VINO
take upon themselves to address the
public on the life and work of Mr.. Lin
coin should so readily confirm the same
impression.
1t was only Indirectly that the slavery
question was involved. From the very
beginning of our history it was an open
Question-not originally sectional. but
gradually becoming such-whether the
Thirteen Colonies constituted one nation
or d confederacy Of nations The con-
stitutional theory became an intensely
practical question when the admission OF
new States raised inevitably the Ques-
ton OF the right of Congress to legislate
upon slavery. The State rights party
held, the anti-imperialist, Republic
can and Democratic do now, that the
Constitution followed the flag; hence
Congress could not keep slavery out OF
the Territories. The party OF a single
nationality, broadly constituting the ma
tional power. held that the Constitution
did not follow the flag, but was extended
by act of Congress; hence slavery might
be prohibited in the Territories
Eleven States withdrew from the Union
in pursuance of no new theory of the
Constitution, but one old as the docu-
meut itself one which inspired the reso-
Iii
eXpounded in Congress by a Massachu-
sets statesman. Mr.. Quincy, in opposi-
ton to Mr.. Jeffersons expansion policy.
This act was resisted not by abolition
lists alone, or chiefly, but by the men who
believed in the idea of a single nation
atty. The enlistments in the Union
armies exceeded by a million the votes
cast for Mr.. Lincoln, and no one supposes
that everyone who voted for Mr.. Lin
coin enlisted. Mr.. Lincoln's own atti-
tude was most succinctly stated in his
letter to Mr.. Greeley, that if he could
save the Union by freeing the slaves he
would free them; if he could save it by
keeping the slaves in bondage he would
keep them in bondage; if he could save
the Union by freeing some of them and
leaving the rest in bondage he would
free some of them and leave the rest in
bondage. 1t was the question which had
always existed, Was there one nation
or We're there many? Slavery was only
incidentally cause of the war. and the
emancipation proclamation was merely
an incidental military measure like con-
fiScation.
All considerable political movements
have their economic founda ton. Indeed,
they are economic movements under po-
litical forms. There were economic
reasons why there should be one nation
rather than two, or three, or several.
These reasons had brought the most re-
luctant of the colonies, after much hest
tation, into the Union, and these reasons
finally welded the Union into a single
nationality ~ multiplication of nations
meant multiplication OF the costs of
government, Of armies and nayies, of the
occasions for war, and they meant the
interruption of the course of trade A
series OF custom houses along Mason and
DiXon's line, another this side of the
Rocky Mountains, for if there had been
one division there would certainly have
been another, would have put the econ
omic growth of what was. and happily
still is, the United States into letters All
the political rights that are dear to us
would have been left untouched by Sc
cesSlon. So far as white men are con-
cerned, human liberty would have pros
pered as well under two, or ten, as under
one Republic. But there would not have
been liberty of trade, and there would
nave peeh purdensome taxation to sup
port national governments and military
forces. Mr.. Lincoln asserted the right of
Congress to legslate for the Territories,
that IS, for the area acquired from
France and Mexico. He asserted the !
right of the United States to maintain
its sovereignty where it had once ex-
listed regardless of the wishes of the gov
erned. Whether he was entirely con-
n M yy-
fought. and the cause of the Union
triumphed. because it was for the best
interests of the people of the United
only one government, with one army
and one navy. and no dangerous neigh
Dor, and to enjoy free trade from the
Great Lakes to the Rio Grande across
under no other conditions could ANYTHING
approaching the present degree of pros-
5perity IN the United States, and In each
section thereof. have been attained
y1x&Io11rpa1 soN