The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-02-12

| what you can spare, and then take the rest, and
send home missionary to the seat Of your ma
tional government TO proclaim in the of
your national rulers, the first principles of that
religion which is to send "deliveraace to the
captive, and the opening of the prison doors to
them that are bound"
The war was commenced and is carried on in
behalf Of slavery. Have the people then no
interest in the natter Are the free States con-
tent to be QUIET
Do the citizens of Massachusetts, owe moth
ing to themselves, to the fame of better days, to
the memory Of your fathers, nor to the plighted
faith you have written upon your Constitution
III they can see their national character prostra-
ted, the nationa. energies, wealth, and resources
all pledged to such a purpose this, and do not
wake up, let me ask you what oiH do it, What
new purposes must they disclose to wake the
dormant patriotism and sleeping energies Of
those who believe il Is not quite time to arousel
confess that do not know, cannot see any
thing in the future darker than the present
which now envelopes US; and IL the measures
now publicly avowed be not enough to rouse
the people of the free States to a sense Of their
danger and degradation, l confess that have
not optics which will see desp enough into the
pit OF infamy 20 roach the point where they will
wake up.
i know that the doctrine prevails extensively
that sets il down as treason 20 make inquiry be-
cause We are engaged in a war. II is admitted,
that in time Of peace you may scrutinize with
the greatest severity, and there is no fault TO be
found, but it is maintained that in time Of war,
different rule Of morals prevails. Then the
voice of opposition should be paralysed, then
there should be no voices but peans of praise,
no notes but shouts Of hOsannas. do not so
understand our duty. | have not read his
tory; because | read that in the days whom the
country from which our ancestors em.nated,
waged war upon our fathers, the brightest and
purest patriots Of English history found the path
of duty leading them TO the denuneiation Of a
war hostile 10 liberty, and those names will live,
sacred and dear in the memory and hearts of pa
triots as long as the love of liberty finds a rest
ing place in the human bosom. The names Of
those distinguished men who plead the cause Of
freedom and of justice, against the hand Of pow
er in the British Parliament, have not yet been
held up as traitors to their country or enemies
to liberty and so long as civil liberty shall nd
an advocate, so long shall Chatham, and those
that stood by his side, be held in esteem.
| am at a loss to know how a different rule
has ever been established. If an administration
has been guilty Of minor hagrancy. and would
wash themselves clean of the pollution, they
have only to baptise the land in blood and they
are clean. IL seems to me that the condemna-
ton Of such a scale Of morals cannot be too loud
or too severe. Ii seems to me that the present
is the time for il, and that Massachusetts, is EN-
phatica.ly the place. Why,I wonder that Bunk
or Hill Monument, with all lis pondsrous weight,
can keep the bones of our Revolutionary fathers
quiet in their resting places while such senti-
ments are uttered.
This is still going on. More men and more
money is the cry. have been amused at seeing
the attempts to throw the responsibility frsm
one party to the other. Ihave heard it serious
y stated that if the Congress of the United
States had only promptly voted the volunteers
six weeks. And | could not help admiring the
answer. I" Sir, have We not voted every man
and every dollar that the President wanted -
And il turned out to be true that he had got ev-
! erything he had asked, and has been at work
: two years to 81 conquer a peace" and has not
conquered it yet, and now he calls for more
] men Were il not too serious for Joke, / might
} illustrate IL by an incident. knew fond faith
er and a foolish son whom the father trusteC
with money and it ruined him. When tn,
father was bewailing the result, the son said
' Sir, the only fault was that You didn't give M
e money enough | had enough Just to ruin me
n a little more would have made gentleman o
Q me-"
. Ii is not necessary for me TO state my policy
for | have stated it again and again. / believ,
q the war to be wrong, totally wrong, wrong in
its inception, wrong in its purpose, wrong in ID
$ object, wrong in its aim, all wrong, rythin,
n wrong. am at loss TO conceive how patriot
ism or duty, requires any man who believes THU
war 10 be wrong in all its phases, 10 vote money
. to carry il on / am still more at a loss TO know
7 hsw any man can vote 10 furnish the means Il
n the administration, and avoid the responsibility
: of carrying on wrong and unjust war. tt
A my mind it is palpable as if saw an assassin
and should give him dagger, and should say
n Mind, throw the responsibility upon you. 1
is principle of law and good sense too, that il
= murder there are no accessories before the fact
They are all principals, those that strike tn
blow, those that aid and zbet, and those tina
=, furnish the means, before the deed, all are prin
A cipals.
I am aware that shall be accused of fanati
cism. I know that il is said 10 be absurd to al
At tempt to apply Christian morals to national POI
= itics. know il is said that when the Most Hig
:, promulgated His command. "Thou shalt do n
!, murder He meant that you should not kill on
= man, but might kill a thousand when he sal
:, "Thou shalt not steal He meant that yO
IN should not pick one mans pocket, but il DO,
n not apply to robbing nations of their TERRITORY
Of or men Of their manhood, Oh, no, this 10 Il
-. naticisn Of the worst kind. IL is absurd IN
x ridiculous, a narrow and contracted view
n things, to undertake TO measure objects Of M
va tional concern by such narrsw and fanatic,
Ia ideas as these. | am willing to be fanatic 81
no on this subject. | believe, my friends, thu
an while the God Of Justice sits on the throne
a. Eternity, it is no more safe for nations than &,
IA individuals to violate this law. | am willing
an go further than this
.r am willing to subject myself TO all the cd
"a UNI and opprobrium Of avowing before Il
American people, that had rather take my i
he with the French Atheists, and deny the ext
hs tence Of a God and hereafter, than TO BELIEF
hs that there is God that will permit our natio
m. TO pursue its present career and prosper. u
-, less all history, the light and experience of Il
"a past, is delusion, the end Of our career is ne
W., Their distant nor doubtful. We must stop v
~. r.usf rafrace sfeps -lss .ha s"d si.@s
20. before us cannot be mistaken. IL requires
A very vivid Imagination to fancy that we Ct
~, hear the genius Of departed nations all cryir
n. out to US from the depths in which they a
we buried, and telling US to beware that we sail n
81 upon the course where they have found pc
- and destruction. To carry out the smile,
m, would call upon you who are quietly sleepii
nv in the hold, to wake from your slumbers, TO 10,
~. out and see if you do not see the breakers ahes
m, And are we so mad, stupid, 30 blind 10 4
QUE past and needless Of the present and the futul
M. as to think we can 60 on and find safety a
nm. peace where all that have gone before us ha
Va found peril and destruction
!, Let me ask you, therefore, 10 give this matt
ara your personal attention. Weare told that "Ets
nal vigilance is the price Of liberty" Wake
INA and use this vigilance. Every day 10 big wi
M. events We ars writing our history. We
an impressng with footsteps as indsllible as any
,n- the imprints of Time, that little space that ,
- IL. a.