Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1859-12-15
WHAT ISSUES WILL BE BEFORE
Us IN l86Ol

The GAINESVILLE Courier in presenting this
matter 10 its readers says:
And, frat of all, there is no doubt that
the great, the overshsdowing issue will be
the irrepressitle. moral and political conflict
between liberty and slavery-between free
labor and slave labor--between right and
wrong. 1t is no use to blink it-no use
dCdging the question. that will be the issue.
and meet it we will, and that, too, without
without fears as to the result. This issue
is not one tha, was choser BY the North,
but one that was forced upon them BY those
South of the Missouri Compromise line,
aided by few doagh-fsces of the North;
and wherever it has been met by the people,
the result has been uniformly decision on
the side of rish. So sacred was that COM
pact regarded ahd venerated for the years
of peace which if caused between the North
sna the Ssuth, that even he who was first
to Law his ruthless hand on il, declared tha at
it had been "cannoni1ed in the hearts of
the American people. and was only less
sacred than the Constitution ITSELF" When
that barrier was stricken down which fenced
out slavery the conflict began--the war be-
tween free labor and slave labor commence
ed. Having By the aii of Douglas and the
Dred Scoti decision. opened the way for the
inrosds of slavery, the next step has been q
bold declaration for the re-opening of the
Siave Trade The design has been pro-
claimed of Afdicaniring all The South west;
fllibustering, annexation and the African
Slave Trade, are expected to convert all of
Northern Mexico and Cuba into slave States.
These will be the results, and these the
aims of the so called Democratic party
Not many of their papers and speakers, 80
far North as this. will willingly admit these
as the legitimate fruits of the men and
measures they advocate; but further South.
where they are more bold, they openly pro-
claim them as the object .or which they
contend. This conflict, then. has been
forced upon US of the North We believe
that 'irutb is mighty and will prevail."- II
slavery is wrong, and freedom is right, ifI
the right Gnc the wrong are antagonls'ic,
there mus, be confetti cannot be 9TH
erwise. Our relisnce lie upon the weapon
Vi uccuOu CFCl
"Thefe is weapon frmer set,
And better than the bayonef,
A weapon, that comes down as still
As snoVflakes fall upon the sod,
But executes freeman's will
As iighinings do the will of God"
This peacsfu. moral contset is the ire
l. oh fb L. II
be invited by the Republican party in 1860.
And how will the material interests of the
nation be affected By the triumph of the
Republicans,
We verify baliese that it viii not only be
the triumph of freedom and the Constitu-
ton. hut it will restore prosperity to our
embarrassed and suffering country. 1t will
arrest The most corrupt and pro6igate admin
istraton which our country has ever seen,
snd transfer its power to those who vii: ad-
minister the government with purity, and a.
wise regard to the interests of free labor
And as we look at the matter, there is not a
farmer, there is not mechanic, there ia
no. merchant, there is not citizen, any
where, but has direct pecuuiary interest
in the triumph of free labor next year
Settle this issue u favor of free labor, now
henceforth and forever, and then turn the
attention of cur lawmakers to the import
snce and bearing of the Tariff, the Home
stead Bill. the Pacific Railroad, the impro-
ment oe Rivers and Herbors, the incourage-
ment OF Agriculture, al! of which have been
almost wholly neglected, or ignored by the
slave labor party for the last few years.