Union County star and Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1859-1864, 1860-05-18

On The banks equally OF the ST. Lawrence and
of the RIO Grande, on the Atlantic and the
Pacific coasts, on the shores of The Gul. vi
Mexico, and in the delis Of the Rocky Noun.
tains, among the fishermen on the Banks OF
Newfoundland, the weavers and spinners OF
Massachusetts, the stevedores o. New York
the miners Of Pennsylvania, Pixies Peak and
California, the wheat-growerS OF Indiana, the
cotton and the sugar planters on The Missis.
sippi, among the voluntary citizens from eve
ry other land. not less than the native born,
the Christian and the Jew, among the Indians
on the prairieS, the contumacious MormnnS
in Deseret, The Africans free, the Africans in
bondage, the inmates of hospitals and aims
hous es, and even the criminals in the peni
tentiaries, rehearse the story Of your wrongs
and their own, never SO eloquently and never
SO mournfully, and appeal to them TO rise
They will ask you, 'Is this all !" "Are you
more jusl than Washington, wiser than Ham
ilton, more humane than Jefferson o. "Wha,
new form of government or Of union have
you the power 10 establish, or even the cum
ming TO devise, that will be more just, more
safe, more free, more gentle, more beneficen,.
or more glorious than this - And by these
simple interrogatories you will be silenced
and coniounded.
Mr. President. We are perpetually forget
ting this subtle and complex, yet obvious and
natural mechanism of our Constitution and
because we do forget IT, We are continually
wondering how it is that a confederacy OF
thirty and more States. covering regions SO
vast, and regulating interests so various OF
SO many million OF men, constituted and con
ditioned SO diversey, works right on We
are continually looking TO see 1t stop aud
stand still, or fall suddenly into pieces. BIT,
in truth, it will not stop; IL can not stop; II
was made not TO stop, but 10 keep IN motion
in motion always, and without force. For
my own part, as this wonderful machine,
when 1t had newly come from The hands OF
IFS almost divine inventors. was the admra-
ton of my earlier years, although il was then
but imperfectly known abroad, SO now, when
il forms The central figure III the economy of
the worlds civilization, and the best sympa.
thes of mankind favor lis continuance, l ex-
pect that il will stand and work right on un-
I'll men shall fear its failure no more than we
now apprehend that the sun will cease 10
hold his eternal place in the heavens.
Nevertheless, do not expect TO see this
purely popular though majestic system al
ways working on unattended by the presence
and exhibition Of human temper and human
passions. That would be 10 expect to enjoy
rewards, benefits, and blessings, without Ia
hor, care, and waichtulness-an expectation
contrary 10 divine appointment These are
the discipline Of the American citizen, and he
mus, inure himself 10 il. When, as now,
great policy, fastened upon the country through
IT'S doubts and fears, confirmed by its habits.
and strengthened by personal interests and
ambitions, is TO be relaxed and changed, in
order that the nation may have It's Just and
natural, and free Developments, then, indeed,
all the winds of controversy are let loose up
on US from all points ol the political compass
we see objects and men only through ma
yes, miSts, and doubtful and lurid lights.
TIE earth seems TO be heaving under our
feet, and The pillars OF the noble fabric that
protects us 10 be trembling before our eyes.
But the appointed end of all this agitation
comes at last. and always seasonably; the
tumults OF the people subside the country
becomes calm once more; and then We find
that only our senses have been disturbed.
and that they have betrayed us. The earth
is firm as always before, and the wonderful
structure, for whose safety we have feared So
now more firmly fixed than ever,
still stands uumoved, enduring, and immov-
able.