Equally earnest against war were most of the Republicans, though
a few, to be sure, were ready to swing the "Northern hammer."
Summer prophesied that slavery would "go down in blood." But the
bulk of the Republicans were for a sectional compromise, and
among them there was general approbation of a scheme which
contemplated reviving the line of the Missouri Compromise, and
thus frankly admitting the existence of two distinct sections,
and guaranteeing to each the security of its own institutions.
The greatest Republican boss of that day, Thurlow Weed, came out
in defense of this plan.
No power was arrayed more zealously on the side of peace of any
kind than the power of money. It was estimated that two hundred
millions of dollars were owed by Southerners to Northerners.
War, it was reasoned, would cause the cancellation of these
obligations. To save their Southern accounts, the moneyed
interests of the North joined the extremists of Abolition in
pleading to let the erring sisters go in peace, if necessary,
rather than provoke them to war and the confiscation of debts.
It was the dread of such an outcome--which finally happened and
ruined many Northern firms--that caused the stock-market in New
York to go up and down with feverish uncertainty.
Pages:
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103