The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1857-05-07


where the Indian still roamcd at will in his
native forests, or padded his light canoe
on river and lake !; and where no sign of
cultivation, no mark of civilization, was to
be seen, save i'll the glorious banner of the
stripes and stars floating over some mill
tary station or outpost, 10 be witness of the
omniprescnt power Of the Union. Here,
again. the thought came to me,-can it be
that all this wealth of land and sen is to
remain lost to the uses Of human greatness
and happiness 1t half tempted ono TO
impeach the divine justice, to reflect that
millions and millionsof men were. at that
hour sitting for want of space in tho
ero"ted countries of Europe" cabincd,
cribbcd, confined" in narrow lanes, where
industry had no field to work in, aud am
bition was devouring its own heart for want
Of scope and object; and wives and chill
dren were pning away on the crusts of des-
titution and miscry-whilst here was earth
enough to be the seat of imperial domin-
minion, squandered apparently on hand
full of untamed and untumablc Indians
But impious would have been such a
thonght-thc foolish impicty of mans i'm
providence and ignorance. Gods wisdom
is not our wisdom. lie had his own great
purposes to work out in his own good time,
and with the instruments Of lis own cleo
Is,,r IL
lty, industry, enterprise, have been cxerted
and yellow harvest fields OH the prairie,
busy mills ut the waterfall, populous COM
munitics by the riverside, have transiyured
the face of the desert and another power
ful -Minncsota-lIas arisen there to
add to the greatness Of the American
Union.
Is not that manifest destiny? Is not that
Il providential mission! Is not that one of
the steps in the "march, march, march " of
the Union, which, when suggested by nc
on former occasion, rs what the Union
had pcrforcc to do, was taken to be the per-
sonaion of some awful monster shaking
forth restiIcncc and death from its horrid
hair! Ay, i'll t!i;s pioneer colony of Mass
achusctts, doubled with rlymoth, OH the
very rock Of Plymoth itself, where free
compact Of scli.govcrnmcnt first found a
foot-stand OH earth, and from which point,
together with the coeval starting point of
Jamestown, there moved tile two parallel
columns Of emigration which commenced
Americas marcll-at that very place, a
good and honored friend of mine felt called
upon to protest against my suggestion of
the onward march, march, march," of the
advancing hosts of civilization, liberty and
power which follow the westward fight of
the eagle of the Union. I stand to nv
thought. 1 rcitcratc it. Istick to the pur-
pose which brought my forefather, John
Cushing, from bingham, in England, to
bingham in Massachusetts. I say that
every ship load Of colonsts which came in
the beginning to Virginia and to Massa-
chusetts, and each one Of US their dcscen-
dants, who arc but moving on with an ac-
ccleration Of the original impetus which
they gave lis, and every ship load of colo
his from Ireland and Germany, all and
each one of US arc but tho humble minis
tiers of God, appointed to occupy, to cult
vate and to civilize America. 1t is oppres-
sion seeking to be freedom. It was want
demanding to be want no longer. 1t is the
strong man without air and without room,
and determined to lave them, or at least
10 die galantIy in the struggle for h,em.-
1t is the irrcRressible expension of over
compressed human energies. 1t is the ex-
odus of the nations. It is the outpouring
of the too fuli blood of the old world into
the all capacious veins of the new world.
IT is the foundation in America of Rupnb:
liean empires to outcount in numbers and
outvie in strength the parental States of
Europe: [ say that it is the work appoint
ed Of God for us to do, will, the blessing of
God upon us, that work we will do. If riv-
ers run across our path, we will bridge
Them; 1t mountains rise up to stop US, We
will tunnel them; if deserts appear, we
will reclaim and cultivate them if oceans
intervene, we" will navigate them. to wl,ich
last end, so long as there's an oak left on
earth, gallant s',ips shall continue to- be
launched into the waters Of this, sagF Mer-
rimac. No. material obstacle caf arrest
our progress. We WOO this fair nhiSture
which lies before sns, and .we WOO. it as tts
eorquercr, like the vikings Of the old ,tinia
winning their brides qf tAe. sea .ineopen
tcslnbat Fsag this ip the sasSbe ssbiel ls6afd sncs
Esf. .cohsieaop asnd satos sssiag ihe essnp
get forth from aae lolakls 81 flis asss may
EsRsak fof is opss,l a9atss to slta. I =; =
Fer time uas slieh: N sG sl1ified j ssatssswsre M
Ebpt weak tue & 8 I Esglss scat,
tered aIos 6;sfka o. lsrs, 1thd pfss.
| flowed tie XlleohanisA sdntS st,,a sIiaJ :,