Prince John: let the South go in peace
From the Richmond Daily Dispatch October 23, 1862:
“Depart in Peace.”
The New York Herald has one of its characteristic sneers at the willingness expressed by John Van Buren, if the Federal should capture Richmond, and the South should still refuse to come under the Union, to endorse the language once expressed by General Scott, “Wayward sisters, depart in peace.” Nothing will satisfy the Herald but the complete and thorough subjugation of the Southern States.
Nevertheless, the best policy, simply as policy, to say nothing of right and justice, which the Lincoln Government could have pursued at the time of his inauguration, and at any time since, would have been to permit the South to depart in peace.–The Government would have lost nothing by that policy, which it could have preserved by any other, and it would have saved the hundreds of thousands of lives and the hundreds of millions of treasure which the adoption of coercive measures has cost. So it will be to the end. Peace now, late as it is, is a better policy for the North than war. The South is never to be re-united to the old Union, except by the extermination of its whole people.–And when this is accomplished, of what value will the Union be to the North? With the whole framework of Southern society overthrown, the proprietors and directors of the labor dead or exiled, and the laborers themselves turned loose, what practical gain will ensure to the North? Their success would be as destructive to them as their defeat.–Why, then, push on to the bitter end this war of coercion, which is as senseless as it is brutal? Why, then, persist in Inflicting upon us protracted sufferings and loss of life, unless it be to gratify a mere spirit of revenge and inhumanity?
not according to today’s editorial
It must be evident enough by this time, to the most uncompromising coercionists, that their policy annihilated the Union sentiment of the South the moment it was adopted, and that every hour the war has continued has put the two people further and further apart, until now there is a gulf between them as wide and impassable as that between Lazarus and Dives. There are no two nations of Europe which have ever hated each other with more intense and implacable hate than North and South. There are no two nations in Europe more dissimilar, politically, socially, in almost every other respect that can be named. The two races, apart from their present hostility, do not think alike, do not look alike, do not even talk alike, and have nothing alike but their mutual hate. It is useless to attempt the union of such opposing elements. Better let them part in peace.
I’m pretty sure the Dispatch is casting the South in the role of Lazarus.
John Van Buren, the second son of Martin Van Buren was nicknamed “Prince John” because he danced with Queen Victoria in 1838. Along with his father, John was active in the Free Soil party. On October 17th the Dispatch published a letter in which Prince John seemed to conditionally offer to join a New York regiment. I’m not sure if was tongue-in-cheek or princely coquetry. (See yesterday’s post for an editorial accusing the Lincoln administration of coquetry)
Don’t think, look, talk alike?
