Year: 1862

The Problem OF Inc Ddy.


A loval mans catechism in this day reads
somewhat thus: What Is the duty Of the
American patriot IN the present crisis? To
save tie Union and the Constitution. Why
are The Union and the Constitution in danger {?
Because large number Of the citizens Of the
United States at the South have rebeiled
against both, and large number at the North
have called them q league with death and
covenant with he'll. Is there any moral DIS
tiuction between the two classes of disunion-
ists? None. How is the Union TO be saved
from these enemies? By converting them into
friends aud making them Union men. How
is that to be accomplished {?


Here the catechism ends. And the reason
why the last question IS not answered so readily
is that the difficulty presented is one Of two
fold aspect There being two classes Of dis
unionists, the methods Of conversion may not
be the same in both cases. We can easily lay
down plans for making Union men out of
Southern disunionists, but to make a Union
man out Of a Northern Republican enemy of
the Union IS another affair, and reason shrinks
from the task.


There can be no possible doubt that it Is
more practicable to make a good Union man
out Of secessionist, than out of a northern
nineteen year disuniouist. There is a close re-
semblance between the two classes in their
modes Of reasoning and acting, and both avow
uncompromsing hostility to the Constitution.
But the Southern rebel is a reasoning man,
while the Northern rebel refuses to listen to
reason. The Southerner may, after becoming
convinced that the Constitution is too strong
for him, abandon bis resistance and relapse
into good citizenship but the Northern rebel
regards the Union as league with death and
a covenant with hell, and refuses on principle
to eat sugar or wear cotton that is grown
under the protection of such Union. The
Southeruer is proud of Washington and regards
with reverence the counsels of the fathers
The Northern disunionst teaches that Wash.
ington sinned grieyously in the formation OF
the Union, and regards the fathers as counsel
ing with Satan when they made their league
with hell and one Of this class said in a pub
lie speech in New York few days ago that
Satan made the Constitution.


This is to-day the dark cloud on our national
prospects. \ war is raging in the land The
Government on the one hand, supported by the
loyal sentiment Of the nation, is engaged in a
contest with ,,iiIioDs oc roh.I, ,,I,o Lo,.,
at the Constitution. Two great parties may
thus be said to exist-the rebels on one side,
the loyal men on the other But a third party
exists which is to-day praying for the ven
geance of Heaven on both contestants, unless
the 10y m n shall adopt Repubhcanism and
agree overthrow the Constitution. We do
not mistake this fact. The prayers of the
Republican leaders stand recorded, and the
curses which they have invoked upon the Gov
erument, if it shall restore the Union as it was.
are known to all men. These men indeed pro
TESS loyalty but admit that their loyalty is
only conditional. They are loyal if we viii
abolish slavery, disloyal if we refuse. Thus





on the North and On the South. and the labor
of making both classes good Union men seems
too great for accomplishment.


The great block in the way of the Union
today is Republicanism. Sweep it away, and
in four weeks the rebel military power would
be destroyed and the people of the South would
hang their own leaders in treason. Without
removing Repubicanism we can only expect
to outvote and overcome it. The hope of the
Union, therefore, is to unite the entire conser-
vative force of the country and drive the Re
publican disuniouists into obscurity Rebellion
with force of arms will be put down by force
of arms Rebellion with the tongue of hatred
TO the Constitution can then be disposed Of by
the voice Of the people


y. Y Journal of Commerce.