TheCivilWarintheUnitedStatesKarlMarxTheCivilWarintheUnitedStates\"Lethimgo,heisnotworththineire!\"AgainandagainEnglishstatesmanshipcries—recentlythroughthemouthofLordJohnRussell—totheNorthoftheUnitedStatesthisadviceofLeporellotoDonJuan’sdesertedlove。IftheNorthletstheSouthgo,itthenfreesitselffromanyadmixtureofslavery,fromitshistoricaloriginalsin,andcreatesthebasisofanewandhigherdevelopment。
Inreality,ifNorthandSouthformedtwoautonomouscountries,like,forexample,EnglandandHanover,theirseparationwouldbenomoredifficultthanwastheseparationofEnglandandHanover。\"TheSouth,\"however,isneitheraterritorycloselysealedofffromtheNorthgeographically,noramoralunity。Itisnotacountryatall,butabattleslogan。
TheadviceofanamicableseparationpresupposesthattheSouthernConfederacy,althoughitassumedtheoffensiveintheCivilWar,atleastwagesitfordefensivepurposes。Itisbelievedthattheissuefortheslaveholders’
partyismerelyoneofunitingtheterritoriesithashithertodominatedintoanautonomousgroupofstatesandwithdrawingthemfromthesupremeauthorityoftheUnion。Nothingcouldbemorefalse:\"TheSouthneedsitsentireterritory。Itwillandmusthaveit。\"Withthisbattle—crythesecessionistsfelluponKentucky。Bytheir\"entireterritory\"theyunderstandinthefirstplacealltheso—calledborderstates—Delaware,Maryland,Virginia,NorthCarolina,Kentucky,Tennessee,MissouriandArkansas。
Besides,theylayclaimtotheentireterritorysouthofthelinethatrunsfromthenorth—westcornerofMissouritothePacificOcean。Whattheslaveholders,therefore,calltheSouth,embracesmorethanthree—quartersoftheterritoryhithertocomprisedbytheUnion。AlargepartoftheterritorythusclaimedisstillinthepossessionoftheUnionandwouldfirsthavetobeconqueredfromit。Noneoftheso—calledborderstates,however,noteventhoseinthepossessionoftheConfederacy,wereeveractualslavestates。Rather,theyconstitutetheareaoftheUnitedStatesinwhichthesystemofslaveryandthesystemoffreelabourexistsidebysideandcontendformastery,theactualfieldofbattlebetweenSouthandNorth,betweenslaveryandfreedom。ThewaroftheSouthernConfederacyis,therefore,notawarofdefence,butawarofconquest,awarofconquestforthespreadandperpetuationofslavery。
ThechainofmountainsthatbeginsinAlabamaandstretchesnorthwardstotheHudsonRiver—thespinalcolumn,asitwere,oftheUnitedStates—cutstheso—calledSouthintothreeparts。ThemountainouscountryformedbytheAlleghenyMountainswiththeirtwoparallelranges,theCumberlandRangetothewestandtheBlueMountainstotheeast,divideswedge—likethelowlandsalongthewesterncoastoftheAtlanticOceanfromthelowlandsinthesouthernvalleysoftheMississippi。Thetwolowlandsseparatedbythemountainouscountry,withtheirvastriceswampsandfar—flungcottonplantations,aretheactualareaofslavery。Thelongwedgeofmountainouscountrydrivenintotheheartofslavery,withitscorrespondinglyclearatmosphere,aninvigoratingclimateandasoilrichincoal,salt,limestone,ironore,gold,inshort,everyrawmaterialnecessaryforamany—sidedindustrialdevelopment,isalreadyforthemostpartfreecountry。Inaccordancewithitsphysicalconstitution,thesoilherecanonlybecultivatedwithsuccessbyfreesmallfarmers。Heretheslavesystemvegetatesonlysporadicallyandhasneverstruckroot。Inthelargestpartoftheso—calledborderstates,thedwellersofthesehighlandscomprisethecoreofthefreepopulation,whichsideswiththeNorthernpartyifonlyforthesakeofself—preservation。
Letusconsiderthecontestedterritoryindetail。
Delaware,themostnorth—easternoftheborderstates,isfactuallyandmorallyinthepossessionoftheUnion。Alltheattemptsofthesecessionistsatformingevenonefactionfavourabletothemhavesincethebeginningofthewarsufferedshipwreckontheunanimityofthepopulation。Theslaveelementofthisstatehaslongbeeninprocessofdyingout。From1850to1860alonethenumberofslavesdiminishedbyhalf,sothatwithatotalpopulationof112,218Delawarenownumbersonly1,798
slaves。Nevertheless,DelawareisdemandedbytheSouthernConfederacyandwouldinfactbemilitarilyuntenablefortheNorthassoonastheSouthpossesseditselfofMaryland。
InMarylanditselftheabove—mentionedconflictbetweenhighlandsandlowlandstakesplace。Outofatotalpopulationof687,034therearehere87,188slaves。ThattheoverwhelmingmajorityofthepopulationisonthesideoftheUnionhasagainbeenstrikinglyprovedbytherecentgeneralelectionstotheCongressinWashington。Thearmyof30,000Uniontroops,whichholdsMarylandatthemoment,isintendednotonlytoservethearmyonthePotomacasareserve,but,inparticular,alsotoholdinchecktherebelliousslaveownersintheinteriorofthecountry。ForhereweobserveaphenomenonsimilartowhatweseeinotherborderstateswherethegreatmassofthepeoplestandsfortheNorthandanumericallyinsignificantslaveholders’partyfortheSouth。Whatitlacksinnumbers,theslaveholders’partymakesupinthemeansofpowerthatmanyyears’
possessionofallstateoffices,hereditaryengagementinpoliticalintrigueandconcentrationofgreatwealthinfewhandshavesecuredforit。
VirginianowformsthegreatcantonmentwherethemainarmyofsecessionandthemainarmyoftheUnionconfronteachother。Inthenorth—westhighlandsofVirginiathenumberofslavesis15,000,whilstthetwentytimesaslargefreepopulationconsistsmostlyoffreefarmers。
TheeasternlowlandsofVirginia,ontheotherhand,countwell—nighhalfamillionslaves。RaisingNegroesandthesaleoftheNegroestotheSouthernstatesformtheprincipalsourceofincomeoftheselowlands。AssoonastheringleadersofthelowlandshadcarriedthroughthesecessionordinancebyintriguesinthestatelegislatureatRichmondandhadinallhasteopenedthegatesofVirginiatotheSouthernarmy,north—westVirginiasecededfromthesecession,formedanewstate,andunderthebanneroftheUnionnowdefendsitsterritoryarmsinhandagainsttheSoutherninvaders。
Tennessee,with1,109,847inhabitants,275,784ofwhomareslaves,findsitselfinthehandsoftheSouthernConfederacy,whichhasplacedthewholestateundermartiallawandunderasystemofproscriptionwhichrecallsthedaysoftheRomanTriumvirates。Wheninthewinterof1861theslaveholdersproposedageneralconventionofthepeoplewhichwastovoteforsecessionornon—secession,themajorityofthepeoplerejectedanyconvention,inordertoremoveanypretextforthesecessionmovement。Later,whenTennesseewasalreadymilitarilyover—runandsubjectedtoasystemofterrorbytheSouthernConfederacy,morethanathirdofthevotersattheelectionsstilldeclaredthemselvesfortheUnion。Here,asinmostoftheborderstates,themountainouscountry,eastTennessee,formstherealcentreofresistancetotheslaveholders’party。OnJune17,1861,aGeneralConventionofthepeopleofeastTennesseeassembledinGreenville,declareditselffortheUnion,deputedtheformergovernorofthestate,AndrewJohnson,oneofthemostardentUnionists,totheSenateinWashingtonandpublisheda\"declarationofgrievances,\"whichlaysbareallthemeansofdeception,intrigueandterrorbywhichTennesseewas\"votedout\"oftheUnion。SincethenthesecessionistshaveheldeastTennesseeincheckbyforceofarms。
SimilarrelationshipstothoseinWestVirginiaandeastTennesseearefoundinthenorthofAlabama,innorth—westGeorgiaandinthenorthofNorthCarolina。
Furtherwest,intheborderstateofMissouri,with1,173,317
inhabitantsand114,965slaves—thelattermostlyconcentratedinthenorth—westofthestate—thepeople’sconventionofAugust1861decidedfortheUnion。
Jackson,thegovernorofthestateandthetooloftheslaveholders’party,rebelledagainstthelegislatureofMissouri,wasoutlawedandtooktheleadofthearmedhordesthatfelluponMissourifromTexas,ArkansasandTennessee,inordertobringittoitskneesbeforetheConfederacyandseveritsbondwiththeUnionbythesword。NexttoVirginia,MissouriisatthepresentmomentthemaintheatreoftheCivilWar。
NewMexico—notastate,butmerelyaTerritory,intowhichtwenty—fiveslaveswereimportedduringBuchanan’spresidencyinordertosendaslaveconstitutionafterthemfromWashington—hadnocravingfortheSouth,aseventhelatterconcedes。ButtheSouthhasacravingforNewMexicoandaccordinglyspewedanarmedbandofadventurersfromTexasovertheborder。NewMexicohasimploredtheprotectionoftheUniongovernmentagainsttheseliberators。
Itwillhavebeenobservedthatwelayparticularemphasisonthenumericalproportionofslavestofreemenintheindividualborderstates。Thisproportionisinfactdecisive。Itisthethermometerwithwhichthevitalfireoftheslavesystemmustbemeasured。ThesoulofthewholesecessionmovementisSouthCarolina。Ithas402,541slavesand301,271freemen。Mississippi,whichhasgiventheSouthernConfederacyitsdictator,JeffersonDavis,comessecond。Ithas436,696slavesand354,699freemen。Alabamacomesthird,with435,132slavesand529,164freemen。
Thelastofthecontestedborderstates,whichwehavestilltomention,isKentucky。ItsrecenthistoryisparticularlycharacteristicofthepolicyoftheSouthernConfederacy。Amongits1,135,713inhabitantsKentuckyhas225,490slaves。Inthreesuccessivegeneralelectionsbythepeople—inthewinterof1861,whenelectionstoacongressoftheborderstateswereheld;inJune1861,whenelectionstotheCongressinWashingtontookplace;finally,inAugust1861,inelectionstothelegislatureoftheStateofKentucky—aneverincreasingmajoritydecidedfortheUnion。
Ontheotherhand,Magoffin,theGovernorofKentucky,andallthehighofficialsofthestatearefanaticalsupportersoftheslaveholders’party,asisBreckinridge,Kentucky’srepresentativeintheSenateinWashington,Vice—PresidentoftheUnitedStatesunderBuchanan,andcandidateoftheslaveholders’partyinthepresidentialelectionof1860。TooweaktowinoverKentuckyforsecession,theinfluenceoftheslaveholders’partywasstrongenoughtomakethisstateamenabletoadeclarationofneutralityontheoutbreakofwar。TheConfederacyrecognisedtheneutralityaslongasitserveditspurposes,aslongastheConfederacyitselfwasengagedincrushingtheresistanceineastTennessee。HardlywasthisendattainedwhenitknockedatthegatesofKentuckywiththebuttofaguntothecryof:\"TheSouthneedsitsentireterritory。Itwillandmusthaveit!\"
Fromthesouth—westandsouth—eastitscorpsoffree—booterssimultaneouslyinvadedthe\"neutral\"state。Kentuckyawokefromitsdreamofneutrality,itslegislatureopenlytooksideswiththeUnion,surroundedthetraitorousGovernorwithacommitteeofpublicsafety,calledthepeopletoarms,outlawedBreckinridgeandorderedthesecessioniststoevacuatetheinvadedterritoryimmediately。Thiswasthesignalforwar。AnarmyoftheSouthernConfederacyismovingonLouisville,whilevolunteersfromIllinois,IndianaandOhioflockhithertosaveKentuckyfromthearmedmissionariesofslavery。
TheattemptsoftheConfederacytoannexMissouriandKentucky,forexample,againstthewillofthesestates,provethehollownessofthepretextthatitisfightingfortherightsoftheindividualstatesagainsttheencroachmentsoftheUnion。Ontheindividualstatesthatitconsiderstobelongtothe\"South\"itconfers,tobesure,therighttoseparatefromtheUnion,butbynomeanstherighttoremainintheUnion。
Eventheactualslavestates,howevermuchexternalwar,internalmilitarydictatorshipandslaverygivethemeverywhereforthemomentasemblanceofharmony,areneverthelessnotwithoutoppositionalelements。AstrikingexampleisTexas,with180,388slavesoutof601,039inhabitants。
Thelawof1845,byvirtueofwhichTexasbecameaStateoftheUnionasaslavestate,entitledittoformnotmerelyone,butfivestatesoutofitsterritory。TheSouthwouldtherebyhavegainedtennewvotesinsteadoftwointheAmericanSenate,andanincreaseinthenumberofitsvotesintheSenatewasamajorobjectofitspolicyatthattime。From1845
to1860,however,theslaveholdersfounditimpracticabletocutupTexas,wheretheGermanpopulationplaysanimportantpart,intoeventwostateswithoutgivingthepartyoffreelabourtheupperhandoverthepartyofslaveryinthesecondstate。ThisfurnishesthebestproofofthestrengthoftheoppositiontotheslaveholdingoligarchyinTexasitself。
Georgiaisthelargestandmostpopulousoftheslavestates。
Ithas462,230slavesoutofatotalof1,057,327inhabitants,thereforenearlyhalfthepopulation。Nevertheless,theslaveholders’partyhasnotsofarsucceededingettingtheConstitutionimposedontheSouthatMontgomerysanctionedbyageneralvoteofthepeopleinGeorgia。
IntheStateConventionofLouisiana,meetingonMarch21,1861,atNewOrleans,Roselius,thepoliticalveteranofthestate,declared:
\"TheMontgomeryConstitutionisnotaconstitution,butaconspiracy。Itdoesnotinaugurateagovernmentofthepeople,butadetestableandunrestrictedoligarchy。Thepeoplewerenotpermittedtohaveanysayinthismatter。TheConventionofMontgomeryhasdugthegraveofpoliticalliberty,andnowwearesummonedtoattenditsburial。\"
Indeed,theoligarchyofthreehundredthousandslaveholdersutilisedtheCongressofMontgomerynotonlytoproclaimtheseparationoftheSouthfromtheNorth。Itexploiteditatthesametimetoreshapetheinternalconstitutionsoftheslavestates,tosubjugatecompletelythesectionofthewhitepopulationthathadstillpreservedsomeindependenceundertheprotectionandthedemocraticConstitutionoftheUnion。Between1856
to1860thepoliticalspokesmen,jurists,moralistsandtheologiansoftheslaveholders’partyhadalreadysoughttoprove,notsomuchthatNegroslaveryisjustified,butratherthatcolourisamatterofindifferenceandtheworkingclassiseverywhereborntoslavery。
Onesees,therefore,thatthewaroftheSouthernConfederacyisinthetruesenseofthewordawarofconquestforthespreadandperpetuationofslavery。ThegreaterpartoftheborderstatesandTerritoriesarestillinthepossessionoftheUnion,whosesidetheyhavetakenfirstthroughtheballot—boxandthenwitharms。TheConfederacy,however,countsthemforthe\"South\"andseekstoconquerthemfromtheUnion。IntheborderstateswhichtheConfederacyhasoccupiedforthetimebeing,itisholdingtherelativelyfreehighlandsincheckbymartiallaw。Withintheactualslavestatesthemselvesitissupplantingthehithertoexistingdemocracybytheunrestrictedoligarchyofthreehundredthousandslaveholders。
Wereittorelinquishitsplansofconquest,theSouthernConfederacywouldrelinquishitscapacitytoliveandthepurposeofsecession。Secession,indeed,onlytookplacebecausewithintheUnionthetransformationoftheborderstatesandTerritoriesintoslavestatesseemednolongerattainable。
Ontheotherhand,wereittocedethecontestedterritorypeacefullytotheSouthernConfederacy,theNorthwouldsurrendertotheslaverepublicmorethanthree—quartersoftheentireterritoryoftheUnitedStates。
TheNorthwouldlosethewholeoftheGulfofMexicoandtheAtlanticOcean,exceptthenarrowstripfromPenobscotBaytoDelawareBay,andwouldevencutitselfofffromthePacificOcean。Missouri,Kansas,NewMexico,ArkansasandTexaswoulddrawCaliforniaafterthem。IncapableofwrestingthemouthoftheMississippifromthehandsofthestrong,hostileslaverepublicintheSouth,thegreatagriculturalstatesinthebasinbetweentheRockyMountainsandtheAlleghenies,inthevalleysoftheMississippi,theMissouriandtheOhio,wouldbecompelledbytheireconomicintereststosecedefromtheNorthandentertheSouthernConfederacy。Thesenorth—westernstates,intheirturn,woulddrawafterthemintothesamewhirlpoolofsecessionalltheNorthernstateslyingfurthereast,withperhapstheexceptionofthestatesofNewEngland。
WhatwouldinfacttakeplacewouldbenotadissolutionoftheUnion,butareorganisationofit,areorganisationonthebasisofslavery,undertherecognisedcontroloftheslaveholdingoligarchy。
TheplanofsuchareorganisationhasbeenopenlyproclaimedbytheprincipalspeakersoftheSouthattheCongressofMontgomeryandexplainstheparagraphofthenewConstitutionwhichleavesitopentoeverystateoftheoldUniontojointhenewConfederacy。TheslavesystemwouldinfectthewholeUnion。IntheNorthernstates,whereNegroslaveryisinpracticeunworkable,thewhiteworkingclasswouldgraduallybeforceddowntothelevelofhelotry。Thiswouldfullyaccordwiththeloudlyproclaimedprinciplethatonlycertainracesarecapableoffreedom,andastheactuallabouristhelotoftheNegrointheSouth,sointheNorthitisthelotoftheGermanandtheIrishman,ortheirdirectdescendants。
ThepresentstrugglebetweentheSouthandNorthis,therefore,nothingbutastrugglebetweentwosocialsystems,thesystemofslaveryandthesystemoffreelabour。ThestrugglehasbrokenoutbecausethetwosystemscannolongerlivepeacefullysidebysideontheNorthAmericancontinent。
Itcanonlybeendedbythevictoryofonesystemortheother。
Iftheborderstates,thedisputedareasinwhichthetwosystemshavehithertocontendedfordomination,areathorninthefleshoftheSouth,therecan,ontheotherhand,benomistakethat,inthecourseofthewaruptonow,theyhaveconstitutedthechiefweaknessoftheNorth。OnesectionoftheslaveholdersinthesedistrictssimulatedloyaltytotheNorthatthebiddingoftheconspiratorsintheSouth;anothersectionfoundthatinfactitwasinaccordancewiththeirrealinterestsandtraditionalideastogowiththeUnion。BothsectionshaveequallycrippledtheNorth。
Anxietytokeepthe\"loyal\"slaveholdersoftheborderstatesingoodhumour,fearofthrowingthemintothearmsofsecession,inaword,tenderregardfortheinterests,prejudicesandsensibilitiesoftheseambiguousallies,hassmittentheUniongovernmentwithincurableweaknesssincethebeginningofthewar,drivenittohalfmeasures,forcedittodissembleawaytheprincipleofthewarandtosparethefoe’smostvulnerablespot,therootoftheevil—slaveryitself。
When,onlyrecently,LincolnpusillanimouslyrevokedFrémont’sMissouriproclamationontheemancipationofNegroesbelongingtotherebels,thiswasdonesolelyoutofregardfortheloudprotestofthe\"loyal\"
slaveholdersofKentucky。However,aturningpointhasalreadybeenreached。
WithKentucky,thelastborderstatehasbeenpushedintotheseriesofbattlefieldsbetweenSouthandNorth。Withtherealwarfortheborderstatesintheborderstatesthemselves,thequestionofwinningorlosingthemiswithdrawnfromthesphereofdiplomaticandparliamentarydiscussions。
Onesectionofslaveholderswillthrowoffthemaskofloyalty;theotherwillcontentitselfwiththeprospectofafinancialcompensationsuchasGreatBritaingavetheWestIndianplanters。Eventsthemselvesdrivetothepromulgationofthedecisiveslogan—emancipationoftheslaves。
ThateventhemosthardenedDemocratsanddiplomatsoftheNorthfeelthemselvesdrawntothispoint,isshownbysomeannouncementsofveryrecentdate。Inanopenletter,GeneralCass,SecretaryofStateforWarunderBuchananandhithertooneofthemostardentalliesoftheSouth,declaresemancipationoftheslavestheconditiosinequanonoftheUnion’ssalvation。InhislastReviewforOctober,Dr。Brownson,thespokesmanoftheCatholicpartyoftheNorth,onhisownadmissionthemostenergeticadversaryoftheemancipationmovementfrom1836to1860,publishesanarticleforAbolition。
\"IfwehaveopposedAbolitionheretofore,\"hesaysamongotherthings,\"becausewewouldpreservetheUnion,wemustafortiorinowopposeslaverywhenever,inourjudgment,itscontinuancebecomesincompatiblewiththemaintenanceoftheUnion,orofthenationasafreerepublicanstate。\"
Finally,theWorld,aNewYorkorganofthediplomatsoftheWashingtonCabinet,concludesoneofitslatestblusteringarticlesagainsttheAbolitionistswiththewords:
\"OnthedaywhenitshallbedecidedthateitherslaveryortheUnionmustgodown,onthatdaysentenceofdeathispassedonslavery。
IftheNorthcannottriumphwithoutemancipation,itwilltriumphwithemancipation。\"
TheDismissalofFrémontKarlMarxTheDismissalofFrémontLondon,December19,1861
Frémont’sdismissalfromthepostofCommander—in—ChiefinMissouriformsaturningpointinthehistoryofthedevelopmentoftheAmericanCivilWar。Fremonthastwogreatsinstoexpiate。HewasthefirstcandidateoftheRepublicanPartyforthepresidentialoffice(1856),andheisthefirstgeneraloftheNorthtohavethreatenedtheslaveholderswithemancipationofslaves(August30,1861)。Heremains,therefore,arivalofcandidatesforthepresidencyinthefutureandanobstacletothemakersofcompromisesinthepresent。
DuringthelasttwodecadesthesingularpracticedevelopedintheUnitedStatesofnotelectingtothepresidencyanymanwhooccupiedanauthoritativepositioninhisownparty。Thenamesofsuchmen,itistrue,wereutilisedforelectiondemonstrations,butassoonasitcametoactualbusiness,theyweredroppedandreplacedbyunknownmediocritiesofmerelylocalinfluence。InthismannerPolk,Pierce,Buchanan,etc。,becamePresidents。
LikewiseAbrahamLincoln。GeneralAndrewJacksonwasinfactthelastPresidentoftheUnitedStateswhoowedhisofficetohispersonalimportance,whilstallhissuccessorsowedit,onthecontrary,totheirpersonalunimportance。
Intheelectionyear1860,themostdistinguishednamesoftheRepublicanPartywereFrémontandSeward。KnownforhisadventuresduringtheMexicanWar,forhisintrepidexplorationofCaliforniaandhiscandidacyof1856,FrémontwastoostrikingafigureeventocomeunderconsiderationassoonasitwasnolongeraquestionofaRepublicandemonstration,butofaRepublicansuccess。Hedidnot,therefore,standasacandidate。ItwasotherwisewithSeward,aRepublicanSenatorintheCongressatWashington,GovernoroftheStateofNewYorkand,sincetheriseoftheRepublicanParty,unquestionablyitsleadingorator。ItrequiredaseriesofmortifyingdefeatstoinduceMr。SewardtorenouncehisowncandidacyandtogivehisoratoricalpatronagetothethenmoreorlessunknownAbrahamLincoln。
Assoon,however,ashesawhisattempttostandasacandidatefail,heimposedhimselfasaRepublicanRichelieuonamanwhomheconsideredasaRepublicanLouisXIII。HecontributedtowardsmakingLincolnPresident,onconditionthatLincolnmadehimsecretaryofState,anofficewhichisinsomemeasurecomparablewiththatofaBritishPrimeMinister。Asamatteroffact,LincolnwashardlyPresident—elect,whenSewardsecuredtheSecretaryshipofState。ImmediatelyasingularchangetookplaceintheattitudeoftheDemosthenesoftheRepublicanParty,whomtheprophesyingofthe\"irrepressibleconflict\"betweenthesystemoffreeLabourandthesystemofslaveryhadmadefamous。AlthoughelectedonNovember6,1860,LincolntookupofficeasPresidentonlyonMarch4,1861。Intheinterval,duringthewintersessionofCongress,Sewardmadehimselfthecentralfigureofallattemptsatcompromise;theNorthernorgansoftheSouth,suchastheNewYorkHerald,forexample,whosebêtenoireSewardhadbeentillthen,suddenlyextolledhimasthestatesmanofreconciliationand,indeed,itwasnothisfaultthatpeaceatanypricewasnotachieved。
SewardmanifestlyregardedthepostofSecretaryofStateasamerepreliminarystep,andbusiedhimselflesswiththe\"irrepressibleconflict\"ofthepresentthanwiththepresidencyofthefuture。Hehasprovidedfreshproofthatvirtuososofthetonguearedangerouslyinadequatestatesmen。Readhisstatedispatches!Whatarepulsivemixtureofmagniloquenceandpetty—mindedness,ofsimulatedstrengthandrealweakness!
ForSeward,therefore,Frémontwasthedangerousrivalwhohadtoberuined;anundertakingthatappearedsomuchtheeasiersinceLincoln,inaccordancewithhislegaltradition,hasanaversionforallgenius,anxiouslyclingstotheletteroftheConstitutionandfightsshyofeverystepthatcouldmisleadthe\"loyal\"slaveholdersoftheborderstates。
Frémont’scharacterofferedanotherhold。Heismanifestlyamanofpathos,somewhathigh—steppingandhaughty,andnotwithoutatouchofthemelodramatic。Firstthegovernmentattemptedtodrivehimtovoluntaryretirementbyasuccessionofpettychicaneries。Whenthisdidnotsucceed,itdeprivedhimofhiscommandattheverymomentwhenthearmyhehimselfhadorganisedcamefacetofacewiththefoeinsouth—westMissouriandadecisivebattlewasimminent。FrémontistheidolofthestatesoftheNorth—west,whichsinghispraisesasthe\"pathfinder。\"Theyregardhisdismissalasapersonalinsult。ShouldtheUniongovernmentmeetwithafewmoremishapslikethoseofBullRunandBall’sBluff,ithasitselfgiventheopposition,whichwillthenriseupagainstitandsmashthehithertoprevailingdiplomaticsystemofwagingwar,itsleaderinJohnFrémont。WeshallreturnlatertotheindictmentofthedismissedgeneralpublishedbytheWarDepartmentinWashington。