We  can  now  consider  it  fortunate  that  no  such
retaliatory  measures  were  taken  by  the  govern-
ment. Much  better  that  Jefferson  Davis,  and
his  confederates  in  the  secession  movement,
should  have  lived  to  witness  every  day  the  con-
sequences of  that  gigantic  blunder.  Th^  fact
that  they  adopted  a  name  for  their  newly-
organized  nation  which  did  not  differ  essen-
tially from  the  one  which  they  had  discarded;
that  their  form  of  government,  with  its  consti-
tution and  laws,  differed  so  slightly  from  those
of  the  United  States,  is  sufficient  to  indicate
that  their  separation  was  not  to  be  permanent,


THE    CLOSE    OF    THE    WAR  17

and  that  it  only  required  the  abolition  of  slavery
to  bring  the  Southern  States  back  to  their  for-
mer position  in  the  Union.  If  men  and  nations
did  what  was  for  their  true  interests,  this  would
be  a  different  world.
