The National tribune., 1907-03-21

I
selves in favor OF asserting the author
ity of the Government, many other in
fiuential journals followed the lead Of
the New York Tribune and that of Sec
retary Seward in the belief that place
hos and emolIients literally used would
reduce the irritation and restore the
Southern pulse to normal.
The Democrats of Ohio, III State con-
yention assembled, Jan. s, had adopted
resolutions in the name of 100000
Democrats of Ohio saying that they
would stand firmly in opposition to
coercion until the demands of the South
with regard TO slavery Were complied
with. The action of the Democrats of
Ohio was initiated very closely by those
of ether States.
Beauregard's ring of "belching bat
teries" cleared the Northern atmos-
phere as bolt of lightning instantly
gathers the brOoding mist into drench-
ing shower. The telegraph flashed to
the North every few minutes news Of
the progress of the bombardment and
the appearance of things in the fort.
Every sentence in these messages was
well calculated 10 arouse the patriotic
heart to furious anger. That a little
band of Sc starving soldiers in United
States fort should be set upon by tens
of thousands Of Ccnfederates working
all the awful machinery of death
against them. that their fort should be
battered by shells and solid shot, their
quarters burned, the interior of the fort
made furnace OF fame. with the prob
able consequences 10 the garrison of
roasting suffocaiion or being blown to
fragments by the explosion of their own
magazine. was intensely narrowing TO
the readers Of the frequent bulletins.
The insult to the flag was personal
offense to every loyal man, but the out
rageously unequal fight against the gar
rison and the sufferings to which South
Carolina had subjected them were al
most maddenin2 TO large-he2rted. gen.
erous-minded men. From the shores
of the Atlantic TO the newly-settled
prairies of Kansas and Nebraska there
went up such a roar of wrath that the
timeseryers, the compromisers, the
apologists and pettifoegers were
stunned into silence. The old-time
politicians were dunbfounded. Have
the people OF the country gone insane?"
bIankly inquired the veteran George L.
Pugh longtime Senator from Ohio. and
the leader of the old Democracy. a few
of the pro-slaVerY papers Of the North
ern States. which had supported BrecE-
inridge during the last Presidential
campaign. tried in vain 10 justify or
excuse the act Of South Carolina, but
the mob which gathered around their
offices threatened them with destruc-
tion If thcy did not retract what they
had said and hoist The flag. Thus
I'VE bus teach
Bloody instructions, which, being
taught. return
To plague the inventor; this even
handed justice
Commends the ingredients of our
poison'd chslice
To our own lips
These papers had been conspicuous
In urging pro-slavery mobs to stiile
anti-sIavery papers, meetings and free
speech generally. Now their crows had
come home TO roost and for the next
few years they were to plaintively ap-
peal for that free speech for them
selves which they had denied TO their
antagonists
Stephen a. Douglas, the greatest OF
Democrats north of Mason & Dixon ;
line. and the one whom the pro-siavcry
Democrats had fought even more
viciously than they had the Republi-
cans, had been in favor of concession
and Cancellation almost up to the time
that the firing began. The next mo-
ment after however, he began 10 speak
for the Union in tones which had as lit
tie uncertainty in them as the peal OF
Beauregard's cannon. He admitted
no doubt as TO any mans
duty i'm the present crisis: ne
must stand by the Government and do
all that lay in his power to crush the