Year: 1863

]


Foremost among these was the predic-
ton that the revolution would be accom-
plished without bloodshed, because, in
the first place, as "COttOn was King, "
the manufacturing and maritime Powers
of Europe could not permit the outbreak
of any hostilities which might have for
their effect to deprive them of staple
whose abundant supply was the cOudi-
ton of their own social and political sta
bility. They would, therefore, promptly
interfere to prevent any attempt of the
North" to eoerce "the South" The
revolution would be bloOdless. In the
second place, it was said that the North
ern Democracy, who had SO long defend
ed what Wss called the constitutional
rights" of the South could at least q keep
the peace" between the two sections by
staying the hands of any in the North
who might persuade resort to coercion.


But, in fact, the Northern Democracy
had never engaged to sustain their South
ern political allies in any schemes for the
violent ACKNOWLEDGMENT of the Union;
and when the latter began the war by
firing on the national flag and capturing
Fort Sumter there was an end of all in
terpositiOn on the part not only Of Nor
thern Democrats, but of Northern Con-
servatiyes, to procure peaceful solution
of difficulties which the Disunion leaders
had deliberately chosen to decide by the
sword. Before this and similar acts of Vi
olence had been perpetrated against the
peace and dignity of the nation there
were many and earnest voices lifted up
in all parts Of the land in favor of the
longest possible abstinence from an arm
ed collision between the National Gov
ernment and those disafectsd citizens"
Of the Republic to whom President Lin
coin made appeal in his Inaugural Ad-
dress. Aud until the attack upon For.
Sumter the present Adminietrssjon,
after its accession TO power, maintained
an attitude Of ezPoctatiQn Il did not
ioin issue with the seeession;sts until
,hcy had made their appeal to the law OF
violence, and had thus forced upon the
National Government the necessity Of
either defending itself or Of accepting its
right to live at the hands of armed con-
spirators against Its veIy existence. And
it is probable that if the disunion leaders
had abstained from all violence, the States
in whose name they assumed to speak
might have preserved peaceful relations
long enough to procure at the hands of
the adhering States an eventual recogni-
ton of their independence, to be obtain
ed by arrangements concerted in a Con-
yention of all the States. Itwas by Gen
eral Convention of all the States that
they had been bound together under tho
Constitution. 1t was only by similar
Convention, whose work should be rati-
fed by the people, that they could be
peacefully unbound and released from
their obligations But, when they sought
to cut this Gordian knot with the sword,
and turned an armed hand against the
Union, the hand of every friend of
the Government was necessarily turned
against them; for to desert the Govern
ment under such circumstances was to
inaugurate violence and anarchy in the
place of rightful government and law.


But there was still another class at the
North which disappointed the e1peeta-
tions of the Southern disunionists. We
alluds to those who promised them i'm
punity in their schemes because, as it
was said, any armed resistance to their
revolutionary endeavOrs would be con-
trary to the fright of revelation" as
vindicated by our fathers and as assert
ed in the Declaration of Independence.
It is known that the New York Tribune
was constant as well as an earnest ex-
ponent of this view, and said much in
the winter of 186O-'61 to justify the
hopes of the Southern agitators that they
might at least count on Its aid in procu-
ring for them immunity from Federal
attack. As early as the 9th of NOvem-
beo, 1860, when the secession storm was
brewing in the Southern heavens, the
Tribune said:


- II the Cotton States shall become satisi-
ed that they can do better out Of the Union
than in it, we insist on letting them go in
peace The right to secede may be revo-
lutionary one but it exists nevertheless. =
We must ever resist the right OF any State to
remain in the Union and nulify or defy the
laws thereof. To Withdraw from the Union
is quite another matter; and whenever a
considerable section Of our Union shall delib-
erately resolve to go out we shall resist all
coereive measures designed to keep in. We
hope never to live in a Republic whereof one
section is pinned to another by bayOnets."
Seventeen days afterwards, on the 10th