On the record
The importance of cotton to the civilized world could hardly be exaggerated, and yet it was this very importance that forced the United States to the course which was pursued.
Source
gutenberg.orgJames Blaine: “The importance of cotton to the civilized world could hardly be exaggerated, and yet it was this very importance that…”
Editor's note · Context
Blaine highlights the critical importance of cotton to the world economy and its impact on U.S. policy.
Share
More from James Blaine
Without the exercise of those functions which belong exclusively to the civil service, the laws cannot be executed in any event, no matter what may be the physical strength which the Government has at its command.
You can use force only to repel an assault on the public property and aid the Courts in the performance of their duty.
Under such circumstances, to send a military force into any State, with orders to act against the people, would be simply making war upon them.
The right of the General Government to preserve itself in its whole constitutional vigor by repelling a direct and positive aggression upon its property or its officers cannot be denied.
Other voices in this conversation
