The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1849-09-22

40 longer to be defeated in her eager desir
TO invest favorite son with the emblem
of office.
Disunion presents, indeed, a dark future
and / envy the nerves of that man, thougl
do not his heart, who can lonk on il IN
troubled and undislnayed. | almost rejoice
however, that the Union is again to be pre-
senied Tor discussion, again TO be weighe,
in the affections Of a free and intelligen
people. Errors have periodical resurrec
tons, and have TO be buried by every gene
ration anew; and truths are never so impreg
nably fortified, but that they invite occas
ional attacks, which call for vigorous de
fence. The union Of the States, and tht
Constitution of the Union, were recon-
mended to the love of our fathers by reason
and experience; they had tried disunion
and had tasted its bitter fruits. We have
inherited the faith of our fathers, and have
looked on il as thing too sacred to BE-
touched without reverence. Now that it il
tudely as,alled. let us come up to its de-
fence, and prove, by argument and reason
that II is the hallowed thing which our
fathers thought il, and that il is indeed, and
in truth, the veritable offspring Of wisdom
and patriotism which have no counterparts
at the present day. This will be done, and
| greatly err If the day is not now dawning
when the union of the States will be far
dearer to Americans than it has ever been
since the first gush Of patriotism which ush.
cred it into being.
But what shall we do, says the disunion-
ist. IN case the Wilmot Proviso is passed by
Congress To yield to this aggression will
show so mean spirit in the South, that we
shall, in the long run, be brought to the feet
of the North.
This whole question is an abstraction, or
rather a punctilio, in which the North are
wrong; but it is yet punctilio, and nations
have long since ceased TO go to war for a
Punctllio. Trifies cease 10 place nations in
deadly hostility against each other. Tea
may now be split on Ms. Masham's
gown, without being washed out in the
blood of two Kingdoms. Modern civiliza-
ton has interests at stake, which the bar.
barism of past ages never dreamed Of in
its highest prosperity. Kings and despots
may make, as they have made, their SUBJ
jects draw their swords, and spill their
slavish blood, for a fancied insult, for
scott, for sheer; but free people, who
know the value Of freedom, and the peTils
which Surround il, will run no risk which
its preservation does not demand. They
will hardly be persuaded to forget the glo-
res OF the past, or their hopes Of the future,
that they may have the privilege Of extend
ing slavery where they do not expect or wish
to extend it, and where, if il were planted,
it would not grow. The prohibition of an
unwished indulgence, know, often awakes
the dormant desire-Oftener, however, in
the minds of children, than OF full grown
men; but that serious national contention
should grow out Of such prohibition, would
be something new in the annals Of human
folly.
When the Saviour OF the world was
asked how often we should forgive our
brother, when he offended against us--till
seven time? He replied, until seventy times
Sc en-. But the union Of the States of this
ConGederacy should De nearer and dearer 10
US than any brotherhood; and il its preser-
walton depend on patience, kindness, chart.
ty, and forgiveness, then | would forgive
not seventy times, but seven hundred times
seven. These are the doctrines OF Scrip
ture-a source whence have been derived
more conservatism, more liberty, more solid
wisdom, and more enduring political hap
piness, than from all that has been written
by Grotius. Puifendorf, Vattel, or Monies.
quieu. When this Union is dissolved, it
will be for something touching more nearly
the interests of the South than Mr.. Viii
mot's proposition. A practical, q continu.
ed, and & weighty grievance, can alone drive
any very large number Of our people into
the desperation Of severing the bonds which
have so long linked brethren together, and
which have been forged by nature herself
We ae one by position, we are one by
language, we are one by interest; we have
ole past, one present, one future, and one
We shall he, until we have fulfilled the mis-
sion on which God himself has sent us
involving IN its mighty consequences the
liberty, the civilization, the religion, OF
America and the world, now and forever.
UNION.