Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1903-03-05
THURSDAY. MARCH 5, 1908.
wE WE HAD SUCCEEDED"

{ le Union by the secession movement
The ceremonies in Lee Camp on the ZU'h
ult., upon the presentation to that organ
ization of portrait Of General james L.
Kemper, we're of such a character as to
make this question live one in certain
circle. The Times, Dispatch says the
sneeches on that occasion were "a stern
reprobation and reputation of the absurd
and ignoble doctrine that we ought to be
glad that the South did not succeed in her
struggle for independence"
The Times. Dispatch then undertook to
show that it would have been best for the
South to succeeded in establishing a slave
holding republic, asserting that lit would
have been optional with it to propose
reunion of the States upon those lines and
with those safeguards which experience
had taught us were necessary" And
further declaring: $50 we, insist that in
either event-victory or defeat for the
Confederates-the abolition of slavery was
certain"
In our judgment both of the above
propositions are absurd and illigicai' 1t
is true that the Times-Dispatch IN its ell
fort to uphold the first proposition quotes
from a report of the History Committee OF
the Grand Camp, Confederate Veterans
made by Judge George j.. Christian, in
which it is stated, that after Mississippi
seeded it sent a Commissioner to the
State of Maryland whO.declaredithat the
object of secession was not to break up the
Union but to perpetuate it. Of cours'
the declaration of the Mississippi Commits
sioner was made to induce Maryland 10
secede. All persons now living who went
through the stormy scenes of secession
know that 1t was never the purpose OF the
Southern States TO return to the Union.
Certainly never to return, without they
were permitted TO occupy the dominant
position they bad held from the forming of
the Union until 1860. Judge Christian
in the report above referred to said:
"And so We believe, that with the sue.
cess of the South, the Union of our faith
ers,' in which the South was the principle
factor in forming, and to which che was
far more attached than the North, would
have been restored and re. established;
that in this Union the South would have
been again the dominant people, the con-
trolling power, and that its administr *tion
Of the government in that Union would
have been along constitutional and just
lines"
Might not this assertion of Judge Chris
tiAn be interpreted to mean that the South
. seeded from tue Union because it had
ceased to be tie dominant people, the
controlling power in the government?
If that was the reason for secession, how
ridiculous TO suppose that the Southern
States If they had succeeded would have
ever returned to the Union. The great
States of the East and West would never
have consented TO the South becoming the
dominant section of the Union, and only
on tbose terms would the South have ever
returned. 80 much for the first PROPOSE
ton of the Dispatch. Now for the
second proposition, that slavery was
doomed, no matter whether the South
had ucceeded in establishing a separate
government or not.
The war of secession was fought to ex.
tend and perpetuate the institution of
elavery. If that is not go, why the necessity
for or reason in secession2 Then, if slavery
was the cause of the war, is it reasonable to
suppose that its advocates would have con-
sented to the emancipation Of the slaves if
the Coniederacy had been established?
The very attitude that is now occupied
and has been occupied ever since the Civil
War by the men who are the political
leaders at the South demonstrates clearly
that they would never have consented to
an emancipation that would have made
the negroes really free. If there had been
any change in the condition Of the negro
it would have been from slavery 10 rf
dom. But we do not believe that could
have beeh done, without reputation Of
the men WHO were so strong in their pro-
slavery views as to wish to break up the
Union to extend and perpetuate the insti
tuition.
The Times Dispatch, which is the most
ultra Confederate, in.sentiment newspaper
we read, says in concluding it's article:
$50, we reiterate, that a cause so right
eous and just as ours deserved to succeed,
and for our part, while we are now loyal
to the Union and take pride in the great
ness of the nation, weshall never concede,
for we do not believe it in orr heart, that
It was best for the South hat her cause
failed"
We would like for Times. Dispatch,
in it's usual decided way, to point out the
reasons it may hold for believing the Con-