The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1853-03-03

| rected, And last, sir, though not least, the
signs of this danger may he found in the Il-reg-
ulated but fierce and strenuous, efforts of Young
| Amerca" to bring about war with anybody,
or upon any pretext.
All these things indicate that a spirit of change
] is abroad in the land. | may be told that word
! is written on every earthly thing. Perhaps it
may be so but justice, honor, mercy. are the
children of God, and knew change. In the
sublime morality of the Christians creed we
NAV find a guide for our footsteps which cannqt
! lead to error: .'DO unto others We would they
should do unto you" 1t is not in the Book of
Revelations that taught to coyet the
! goods of our neighbors. 1t is not there are
/ encouraged to indulge a lawless spirit of war
| and conquest. We do not learn from thence
! the duty of progressing backward from peace
! full age to period of barbarism, when the strong
| hand was the only law. and the steel blade the
only artiter of disputed questions
Sir have heard much of this thing called
progress. In the eyes of some gentlemen it
covers all defects, and makes atonement for
! every error. | am not its enemy, but wish to
! know exactly what it means, and in what direc
| ton | am to progress. If it means that glori-
Gus spirit which sweeps abroad upon the wings
of peace, shedding life, and light, and happi-
ness on the land and on the sea-which sends
the missionary among the heathen and gathers
the infdel and the unheheyer beneath the Cos
pel's ample shied-which doubles the produc-
tions of earth, and lays bare the treasures of
ocean-which plants the church of God in the
wilderness of the West and substitutes the
Sabbath bell for the howl of the panther-which
carries literature and science to the log-cabin
of the pioneer. and connects every part of this
wide republic by links so strong, close, that
the traveller feels every spot he treads is home,
and every hand he grasps brothers hand =
, if this be the progress which Is meant, most
gladly do | enlist under its banner.
But, sir. am not permitted so 10 understand
it. | understand progress, as interpreted by
modern politicians, to be quite different thing.
The first lesson they inculcate is sort of gem
eral defiance to all mankind, an imitation
of the worst practice of olden chivary-the
practice of hanging glove in some public place
as a challenge to every passer by to engage in
mortal cembat-a practice in no degree based
| u on wrongs 70 be redressed or injuries to be
avenged, but upon pure, unmitigated love of
blood and strife. They have borrowed also from
the crusaders another vicious and iudefensible
habit-that of impoverishing themselves at home
to raise the means of transportation TO other
lands to erect altars and inculcate principles by
, the edge of sword. They propose to grasp the
territory of an old and faithful ally, not only
without the shadow of q claim, but without
the robbers plea Of necessity--to hush the busy
hum of commerce-to Withdraw the artisan
from his workshop, the laborer from his field.
the of science and the man of letters from
their high purSuits-to convert the whole land
into one vast camp, and impress upon the peo
pie the wild and fierce character OF the followers
of King Clovis.
Sir | wish to indulge in exaggerated state
ments but let us in the cant phraseology of
the day, establish foreign policy" Let US
set about convincing the world that in
deed ''a power upon earth Let US rob Spain
of Cuba, England of Canada, and Mexico of her
remaining possessions, and this continent will
be too small II theatre upon which 10 exact the
bloody drama of American progress Like the
prophet of the East, who carried the sword in
one hand and the Koran in the other, American
armies will be sent forth to proclaim freedom
to the serf; but if he happens to love the land
in which he was born, ana exhibits some manly
attachment to the institutions with which he is
familiar, his own life's blood will saturate the
soil and his wife and children be driven forth
as houseless wanderers. in proof of our tender
consideration for the rights of humanity. Sir,
this is species of progress with which Satan
himself might fall in love.
Mr. President, there are in this connexion still
other lights in which the question before may
be presented. Look ut America as she now is
prosperous in ali things. splendid, magnif-
cent rich in her agriculture, rich in her COM
merce rich in arts and sciences, rich in learn
ing, rich in individual freedom. richer still in the
proud prerogative of bending the knees TO none
but the God who made US. and of worshipping
even in HIS temples according to the forms
which conscience, not the law, has prescribed
Gaze upon that picture until your soul has
drank in all its beauty, all its glory, and then
let me paint for you that which is offered a
( substitute. Look upon land where has
become passion. and blood ii welcome visitant;
where every. avenue to genius is closed
] that which leads through field of strife where
! the widow and the orphan mngle unavaing
tears for the husband and the father: where
! literature has become mockery and religion a
reproach; upon people, strong indeed, but ter
] rihle in their strength. with the tigers outward
beauty and the tigers inward ferceness upon
! people correctly described by the poet when
| he said
I ssReligion, blushing. wells her sacred fires,
/ And unawares morality expires;
/ Nor public flame. nor private, dares to shine,
1 Nor human spark is left, nor glimpse divine.
! Lo, thy dread empire, Chaos. is restored,
1 Light dies before thy uncreating word;
/ Thy hand. great Anarch lets the curtain fall,
! And universal darkness buries ALL"
Let one tell me that these imaginary
dangers. At the commencement of the French
! revolution, if any one had predicted the excess
es to which it gave birth. he would have been
regarded mailman. What security have
we against the occurrence of similar scenes p
We are human. as they were Our law of be-
! ing is the same: and if we once depart from the
/ plain path of prudence and of rectitude, no hui
! man wisdom can foresee the result.
The present acquisition of Cuba, in my opin-
| ion. in any way, is of questionable prepriety !:
but if il is to come to us as the result of war and
violence instead Of blessing, it will prove a
! deadly i'll. When Caractacus carried TO
] Rome, to grace the triumph Of his conqueror,
/ he gazed with wonder and awe upon the splen-
1 dor and magnifcence with which he was sur