Year: 1861

Public opinion throughout the North is almost
unanimous in the determination that the Union
must and shall be maintained;" the representa-
tyes of the people in Congress have voted down
every attempt at compromise; the Republican
journals become daily more begerent in tone,
and however much we may lament the fact, it is
useless to deny that civil war is almost unavod-
able. The doctrine of peaceable secession has
not vet taken root in Europe, and the chances of
its establishment in America are much less prob
able than in the Old " orld. Every civilized per-
son must desire that the horrors of fratricida
war should be avoided but it is not therefore.
necessary to DENY the right of the President to
enforce the Federal laws, and if blood should
flow in consequence, Mr. Lincoln will be justified
in declaring that it is the fault of the South and
not his own. Nor is il necessary for us to close
tLr eyes to the fact that the chief magistrate of
the Republic, the different leaders of his party,
the Legislatures of the free States ami the ma
jOrity of Northern citizens, regard this resort to
arms rs inevitable, and the secelers themselves
evidently consider such result as probable by
the warlike preparations they are making to op-
pose coercion. We may differ with them as
to the necessity of SUCH measures, and as
sert that union and reconciliation are i'm
possible through civil war; we may question
whether the Federal Government, backed or
rather pushed on by the cit lens of the
North, ia sufficiently powerful to determine the
result in its favor. and believe that victory in
such contest will be as bad if not worse than
defeat but it is not, therefore necessary to ignore
the facts which may be adduced against our
opinions. Zone country. one people, one des-
tiny" is cardinal principle of American politics
and the vast majority of the citizens of the North
and West believe, not merely that the independ-
ence of the South is nmcal to their interests
but that should the Federal Government fail in
what they consider its duty toward the seceders
Il.
against themselves. The institution of slavery
must extend or die, and it is easy to predict the
period when the soil in the seven seeded States
shall become exhausted, and the planters viii be
compelled to emigrate with their negroes to new
ground. Where they go into the territory o
the United States, which they look upon az the
common property of all the citizens? Here the,
are met by the veto Of the North and howevei
powerful they NAV be i'm defense OF their OWL
confines against invasion, they will he compare
lively weak when assuming the role of conquer
ors. Yet they must undertake such a conflic
eventually, for it is not to be supposed that thu
North will willingly give up single foot of ter
rtory to men whom it regards rebels agains
properly constituted authority, and whose CRANE
! object is to perpetuate and extend the system o.
slavery to the exclusion of free labor.


1t is now almost certain that President Lilcoll
has resolved upon the most active measures o
| COciNOhs VIC hcftalteT IetTn t0at III
never thought of pursuing any other policy
When the first blow is struck, events ar
likely to follow each other in quick succession
but we nevertheless continue to hope although
we are hardly justified IN believing that the swor


will remain in its sheath. We yield to no man il
detestation OF slavery, and feel convinced tina
the peculiar institution upon which the Souther
! Confederation is bases is false, both morally an


politically. We satisfied that no two princi
pies can be more adverse and antagonistic tina


free and slave labor. and that peace will not b
assured to the Republic until one is supreme owe
the other; but we trust the question will be ds
cided by other means than resort to arms, an
that the sober second thought of the citizens
! either section will coerce the rival Government,
and compel them to arrange their difficulties Will


out plunging the country into the horrors of civ
/ war. We do not despair of the result if the ds
csiOn be transferred from the party leaders to III


citizens themselves.