Year: 1864

Presidency next turned Nullifier to es-
tablish seperate empire, was slow to per-
ceive this fatal defect in his schemes. But
no sooner was this willy conspirator brought
to realize 1t, then he stopped the insurgent
movement and babe his associates ssbide
i their time. 1t is a great mistake to sup
! pose that the spirit of disunion expired in
4 1882. with the fires of notification, that
then, unhappily mostly oftheir own accord,
went quietly out. The high crime commit
ted against the nation was not punished
The wicked criminals, all of them, went
unwept of justice, and the foul conspiracy
itself was not even broken up; it was only
adjourned sine die, to meet again at the call
of its accomplished chieftain Andrew jack
son, that man of strong sense as well as
strong passions, (for it is Plutarch who OBJ


serves that "great parts are often attended
by great vices, as well as great virtues,')
early OWNED this. Knowing, necessarily,
more of Calhoun's plans than any other man
of that day, he felt, in his inmost soul, that
he had only scotched The snake, not killed
it. To the day of his death, it was his la
ment, that he had not hung Calhoun and
his chef associates but the Jeffersonian
spirit of the times would not permit such an
act of federal tyranny In correspondence


since published, he declares that the tariff
question was then "only pretext;" that
the real "object'' of the conspirators was an
| independent government" and then adds,
with "a prescience beyond his times, "the
next pretext will be African Slavery" :
Mr.. Calhoun, casting about for platform
on which his malcontents, however disagree
ing on other points, might there stand un-
itedly, was not slow to perceive this ebony
one ready made to his hands. What mat
tered it, that slavery was then everywhere
regarded as an evil, and its speedy extinc-
tion generally desired There was the
bond Of aaion to suit his purpose, and, with
the rice field and the cotton gin as his aux
ilaries, decade or two would suffice to rev.
olutionize the theology and the politics of
his times. So with an industry and a gen.
ius worthy of a better cause, he set himself
seriou sly to work, and, unhappily for his
countrymen, succeeded but to we'll in his
nefarious designs. TWAS not given to him,
however, to see the ripe fruit of his baleful
doctrines. 1t may have been thought that
| it would be too sweet a satisfaction to the
traitors soul. But year by year, indoctrin-
| ated from platform and pulpit, the southern
communities become more and more fused
together, until in 1860 the time and the op-
portunity had come for the outburst of the
great rebellion whose iron hoofs now desc
late the land. We repeat, slavery onlyunites
the parts; the real cause of the rebellion lies
deeper. Slavery is only the common plat
FORM the bond of union, the vital cord,
which must itself be completely severed be-
fore the parts by it united can return to
their old condition of peace and loyalty
But it is, after all, only condition of the
rebellion; necessary condition, we grant;
a condition which zoe would be blind not to
see and allow for. But our real struggle,
as struggle, to the calm eye of history,
rises higher than the question of slavery,
and is rather an armed resolve of the ma
tional government to assert for ITSELF at last


authority and power. The rebellion under
the form of secession, is simply Jeffer


sonianism pushed to its logical results the
war for the Union, waged under the form
of coercion, is merely the healthy return
of the government to the sounder doctrines


of Washington and Hamilton. They fight
for anarchy !; oe fight for government


They fight for lawlessness; zoe fight for
law. The battle at Charleston harbor did
not come moment too soon. 1t was high
time to test the question, whether the
American government dared to return a
domestic blow. During those last madden
ing days of the reign Of Buchanan, while
the nation like strong man bewildered,
was yet struggling in the Valley of Humil


iation, we barely escaped "as by fire. from
becoming by-word and kissing among
the nations. The conflict had already been
put of too long. Too many insults had
been received unresented, too many indig-
mites already endured. The great cause
of the nation 0ersus the states had been
adjourned from time TO time, so often,
that the defendants had already come to
the conclusion that the plaintiff did not
mean to prosecute at all. But at last the
plaintiff, mysterious as it seemed, was
goaded to think better of his cause. With