The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-07-02

probably have followed the adoption Of
.ne alternative OF peace, with those
which did actually follow the adon-
non OF the alternative of war.
Had the Federal government re-
framed from waging war upon the
seceued states and recognized the
right of the people of those States to
.s.apHsh a government of their own,
"hat would have been the result?
u is claimed that the recognition of
such principle would have inevitabIv
led to the disintegra ton of the ITnIon
mat ilrst one. and then another State.
or group OF States, would have Sc
ceded until the republic would he
broken UP into a number of severed
aid discordant fragments.
There Is, and can he, no proof of his
contention, and ] controvert II with
the utmost confidence
1t is based on the theory that n
union of force is more reliable and
more desirable than a union OF con
sent. "a Coii-
The mighty bonds 90 interest Of
mutual trade and commerce, OF muiuaI
dependence. of the ties of, friendship
ana blood. of glory In common his
.oly ana aspiration in common des.
stronger than any Union maintained
by pinnins the States together by
sword and bayonet.
virginia and the other border Stataa
and North Carolina and Tennessee
would have remained constant to tho
Union. NO man who knows the temper
ana convictions of the people of those
sites at mat time Will have any
doubt as to this.
y, - :.
eleven days before Mr. Lincoln's war
proclamation, and thirteen DAYS befora
the adoption of the ordinance of So
cessioh the Virginia Convention voted
a i proposal In favor of the seces-
sion of the Commonwealth by a yota
of 90 TO AS and the Union sentiment
was as strong. or stronger, In the
other border states and In Tennessee
and North Carolina.
THOSE border States and North Caro-
INA and Tennessee never would have
seeded but for the war of subjuea ton
Oh the seeded States which Mr. Lin
CONS administration inaugurated.
Is there any Intelligent man who
VIII claim that any other States would
nave withdrawn then or since that
lime' unless IT had been because OF
sdoh oppression and Injustice at the
hands or the Federal government as
would have justified revolution.
Assuming. as we have n right to do.
mat those states would not have been
me victims of such tyranny and
wrong, there is no warrant for the
contention that the adoption by Mr.
Lincoln of the alternative of peace
would have meant the disinteeration
Of the republic
IL is hy no means certain that the
il-shapen, sometimes called shoe
sari Con1federacy, formed by the
seven seeding states would have been
permanent.
II is so evident that their interests
and manifest destiny would have
prompted their return to the Union
OF their fathers that it is not improb-
able that. If treated with kindness and
Just consideration by their former as.
sociates and by the Federal govern.
meht' they would In time, when pas
siohs cooled and reason and Justice re-
sumed their sway, and wiser counsels
prevailed In both the great republic
ana in the new confederacy, have como
pack into the Union upon terms inst
ana honorable to all the states, and
that the Union would thus have been
made stronger than force could ever
make it,
But upon the hypothesis that thew
would never return TO the Union, my
insistence is that II would have been
better TO have let them depart In
peace. and that the adoption of the
alternative of war was terrible mis-.
take.
Even II 1t was not demonstrnbly true
mat until that sad mistake was made
our American Union was a Union Of
consent and not Union of compui-
sion. and that a war to bind the States
together by force was an uncons,itu.
tional exercise of power and grtevous
wrong. the adoption OF the alternative
of force and fire and sword was an
economic and a political blunder.
All that can be fairly claimed to
have been actually accomplished by
the war. which could not have been
erected without resort to arms. was
t she coercion of the seven seeded
states and the writing into our Con-
sttution in letters of blood the doc
trne that no State can peaceahTv
withdraw from the Union, or para
phrased that the Union is a Union of
force, and no longer Union of con-
sent.
What 7 will now briefly point out is
mat the United States have paid an
excessive price for this result. Consid-
erins the subject from the lowest
plane. the economic point of view, the
price paid for all that was accom-.
pushed by the war was enormous
Let us see what the direct pecun!arv
cost was. Down to June 30. 1879, ac-
cording 10 the official statement or
senator then Secretary of the Treas
nrY, John Sherman. the actual cost or
the war to the Federal government in
money had been. exclusive of PENSIONS
S!,7S2.50o,715.7 (See Vol s. Senate
document second session of Forty
Sixth Congress)
The report OF the United states Com
missioner OF Pensions for the fiscal
year ended June 30, 1910. shows thot
TO that date there had been paid ont
Tor pensions on account of the Civil
War the sum Of $s.sS7,4sS.171.42. Total
actual money cost of the war of coer-
sion to the United States government
to June 80. 1910. sa.619,as8,se6.2
ABOUT S1hO,p0o. 600 per annum are being
PAID on ACCOUNT OF such pensions, and
this is to continue, possibly in steadily