Year: 1861

His Views Of lie Slavery Question os In


volved IN tie War-7he War must be


Prosecuted for tie Bene,a Of Tie South


The hacompatiJiiiy Of Peoce and


DiSunion.


A statement was recently made by
President Fairfield. Of Michigan, relative
to the sentiments Of Gen. Cass. in refer.
ence to the slavery question and the war
The Detroit Free Press, (the old home
organ Of Gen. Cass, in its issue of
late date has the following authorized
statement:


CEN. cAss AND Mr.. FAIRFIELD.


With reference to our remarks in the
Free Press, of the 1lth inst, we are re-
quested by Gen. Cass to state, and we do
SO in his language, that his opinions as
private citizen. are Of no importance to
the public. Yet that he has not the
slightest objection to comply with our
suggestion. His opinions on the subject
of slavery have been heretofore often ex.
pressed, while in the public service, and
remain unchanged. He believes the Gen.
eral Government has no power under tbs
constitution to abolish slavery in che re-
spective States of the Union, nor to in
terfere with its status therein. What
measures. affecting the condition of the
slaves may be rightfully adopted, hagrantt
bello, in hostile operations in resisting
State, is a very different question, and
one which be is not called upon to consid-
er, but which will demand the grave con-
sideration OF the insurrectionary States,
before they abandoned the safeguards of
the constitution and engaged in the unho-
ly effort to break up the best and freest
government ever given by Providence to
man.


Some two months since, the condition
of our country was the subject of the con-
versation referred to between the Presi-
dent Fairfield and Gen. Cass, in which
the latter expressed his condemnation Of
the course of the South in the com
mencement and prosecution of hostilities
against the Constitution, and his con-
viction that it was the duty of every
citizen to support the government in its
efforts to assert the authority of the laws,
and to defend and maintain the Union in
its integrity as it came from the hands
o. our fathers. Gen. Cass fully concurs
in the views presented by the present able
Secretary of the Treasury, that the war
is ''not war for their subiugation, but a
war for national existence, and that an
auspicious result to the Union will benefit
as largely the States in insurrection, as
the States which have remained loyal"
He believes, indeed, that though this
"auspicious result is important for all
the States, it is still more important for
the South than for the North. No man
who regards the signs of the times can
fail 10 anticipate. that should the re-
bellion against the Union prove success
full, which God forbid, the alienated sec
tions would be influenced by bitter ami
mostly towards each other; the feeling
in favor of abolition would be rendered
more powerful by the course of events
and being freed from restraints which now
control its action, would soon be in active
operation all along the extensive border,
everywhere open to incursions, producing
the most fearful consequences, which it
would be equally painful and unnecessary
to describe. AS to any conventional ar
rangement for the surrender of fugitive
slaves, the effort would be simply i'm
possible. 1t was with reference to this
state of things that Gen. Cass expressed
the doubt whether permanent peace
could be maintained under such consider
ations, and the impression that the result
would lead to emancipation. This was
the view he intended to present to Pres.
ident Fairfield.


If the various members OF our coafed-
eracy cannot live in peace together under
q common government, empowered to
regulate their mutual intercourse, and to
prevent collisions among them, it were
vain to try to live together with the causes
of difficulty in full operation, when force
becomes the only arbiter. Looking es-
pecially to their relative geographical po-
sition, by which they are interlocked, and
to that unrestricted access to the ocear
vitally important to the West, which the
United States bought and paid for, i,
would be about as rational to attempt tc
stop he Mississippi and its tributaries, as
to attempt to stop the people living upon
those waters from going freely to the
ocean and returning by those routes Of
communication. In all the history OF
human pretensions, there has scarcely
been one less iustifable than this.