The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1860-10-17

TCoNTIsUKp I

ICoNTINUKD.
! know thie national idea or ours ia jus,
| and right for another reason; it is, that in
| the whole history Of society. human nature
| hiss never, mover honored one man who re.
duoed another man To bondage. The we#ia
| ia foil Of monuments IN honor OF men who
| have delivered their fellow men from slavery.
Since this idea lie self-evidently just, and
| is OF itself, pure, peacaable, easy TO be en-
| treated, and foil Of good works, will you tell
me why 1t lie that il has not been accepted by
the common people? Alas that it should be
so. Perhaps / can throw lighs on that BY
asking another question: Is not Christianity
pure, peaoeable, gentle, easy TO be ensreated,
aud full OF good works, and yet lie not the
church Of Jesus Christ still church mill
tant? Alas that ii should be so. Chris
tianisy explains for herself how it is that SD e
is rejected of men. She says it il because
men lsse darkness rather than light, because
their deeds are evil. | shall not say this in
regard to the sufject Of freedom; | know
better know that my conntrymen love light
not darkness. They are even in the state
and disposition Of the Roman Governor,
ssalmost thou pursuadest me to be Chris
tan" and almost the American people are
persuaded to be Republican. [Cheers and
lauebter.1 Why, then, are they not alto.
oeih er persuaded? Tho answer cannot be
given without some reflection. 1t involves
an examination of our national conduct and
life.
Tbs reason why the country is only almost
and not altogether persuaded TO be Republi-
can, is because the national sense ia pervert-
ed--the national sense and judgment have
been perverted. We inherited slavery il lie
organized into our national life-inso our
forms of government. 1t exists among us,
unsuspected IN it's evils, because we have be-
come accustomed, out OF national habit, to
enduring and toleratiDg slavery. The effect
Of this habit, arising from the presence of
slavery, 10 TO produce want OF moral cour-
ago among the people and an indisposition
80 entertain and examine the subject. 1t is
not, however, the fault of the people. This
lack Of moral courage ia chiefly the fault Of
the political representatives OF the people
In every district in the United States, and
for every seat in Congress, the people might
select men apparently as brave, as truthful,
as fearless and as firm as Owen Lovejoy.-
[Applause.l
You NAV FL the halls of Congress with
men from all The freq States who seem TO be
as reliable as Owen Lovejoy; but on the
cIAngor of the slavery bugle in the hall they
begin to warer ard fail. They retire; they
suffer themselves "a be demoraized; and they
return to demoralize the people. Slavery
never heaitntes TO raise the clangor of the
trumpe's to terrify the timid.
Slavery has, too, another argument for the
timid than terror; it is power. The conccn
tration Of slavery givts il u fearful political
power. You know how long it has been the
controlling power in tho executive depart
ments Of the Government. Slavery uses that
power, as might be expected, TO punish those
who oppose ito reward those who serve it.
All Representatives are naturally ambitious !;
all representatives. like fame; if they do not
like pecuniary rewards they like the distine.
tions of place; they like to be popular
" hon the people arc demoralzed, he who IL
constant, becomes offensive and obnoxious /;
be loses position, and the party chooses some
other representative who will be less obnox
ious. These eemoralized representatives in.
culcate among the people promiscuous les
sons and sustain themselves by adopting
compromises. They compromise so far, if
possible, IA to save place and a show OF prln-
ciple; they save th amselves first, and let free
dom take what remains.
A community thus demoraiEed by it's rep
resentatives Is feaI ful of considering the sub
ject of slavery Mt all. IL does not like TO
look back upon its record; il does not dare
TO look forward to see what are to be the
consequences Of errors. Ii desires peace and
quiet. We shall see in IA moment what fear
full sacrifices have been made under the in
fuence of this Generalization Of the power
oil tho government
The frst act OF Generalization was to sur
render toe Territory of Arkansas and the
n n.f m al al he
implication all the rest Of the Territory Of
Louisiana acquired by purchase from France,
that which lies south of thirty six degree.
thirty minutes north latitude. Take up your
maps when you e. hcme, and zee what a
broad bsls OF country, lying south Of that
line vas surrendered, with the States of Mis-
souri and Arkansas, TO slavery. Next, IN
der the influence Of this sams demoraliza.
ton, the whole Of the peninsula Of Florida,
acquired from Spain, was Surrendered TO
slavery, rendering il practically useless for
all the national purposes for which IT WAS
| acquired, making Il a tnrthen instead Of =
national safeguard in the Gulf OF Mexico.
bur Texas was surrendered TO slavery, and
brought IN with tie gratutous agreement
that four slave States should be made out Of
that Territory. Next, in 1850, Utah and
New Mexico were abandoned to slavery
After these events, following in quick sue
cession, came the abrogasion, in the year
1854, of the restriction contained In the Mis-
souri Compromise, by which il bad been
stipulated that all north Of sc deg. 80 min ),
excepting the State OF Missouri, should be
dedicated to freedom. That was abandoned
to slavery to take il if she could get it /; and
the administration Of the government Of the
United states, With scarcely protest from
the people, went on TO favor It's occupancy
by slavery. As "A legitimate consequen ee
came the refusal, on the part Of the natl onal
goyernment--for it was u practical refusal,
or negleet--to admit Kansas into the Union
/ because she would not accept slavery.
After ths decentralization bad been carried
/ out in these prsotical measures, what RICH,