The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1860-01-05
Considerations upon Liberty.

uPoh AApCit
Gg- In our last we made some remarks
upon the nature and extent of Liberty,
with the design to pursue the subject
still further this week. In these times of
slaveholding degeneracy and opposition
to Freedom, it behooves true democrats
and republicans to renew their %acquain.
lance with principles, and to have dis
unct ideas of the rights of the people.
In this Union there is indeed an %"irre.
pressible conflict" going on between lib
erly and slavery-between despotism and
freedom, for Of all despotisms on the face
OF the earth there is ION to exceed that
now reigning in the Southern States. OF
all atrocious and terrible tyranny, either
existing now, or recorded in history.
none is more black, hideous and detesta-
BILE than Southern slavery. Yet it has
Northern supporters, and even in Blu
chanan County it has Northern apollo
gists. There is, then, danger of a COR
ruption of popular sentiment as to the
claims Of liberty and the higher law"
upon citizens. We therefore continue
our remarks. although we only state trite
truths to those who are familiar with the
teachings of our revolutionary ancestors,
and state them in no pretentious style.
The love of liberty is an appetite so
strongly implanted in the nature of all
living creatures, that even the instinct of
self-preseryation, which is allowed to be
the strongest, seems to be contained in
1t since by the means of liberty they
enjoy the means Of preserving themselves
and of satisfying their desires in the best
manner which they themselves choose
and like best. Many animals can never
be tanned, but feel the bitterness of re-
straint in tine midst Of the kindest usage !;
and rather than bear it, grieve and starve
themselves to death and some beat out
their brains against their prisons.
Where liberty is lost. life grows pre-
c%arious, always miserable, and often in
tolerable. Liberty is to live upon ones
wi terms /; Slavery is to live at the mere
mercy Of another, and a life of slavery is,
TO those who can bear it, a continual
state Of uncertainty and wretchedness,
often an apprehension Of violence, often
the lingering dread of a violent death.
TO others, when no other remedy is to
be had, death is welcomed, and even in
duced, as a good one. Thus, to many
IN N. and to many other creatures as well
AS to men. the love Of liberty is beyond
the love Of life.
This passion for liberty in men, and
their possession Of it, is of that efficacy
and importance, that it seems the parent
Of all the virtues. Therefore, in free
countries and in free States. there seems
TO be another species of mankind than is
to be found under tyrants and slayehold-
ers. Small armies of Greeks and Ro-
mans despised the greatest hosts of slaves,
AMI a million Of slaves have sometimes
been beaten and conquered by a few
thousand freemen.
Men eternally cursed and oppressed by
naughty and ~insolent rulers and oligar-
oh'es. made base themselves by the base
ness OF that sort of government. and be-
come slaves by ruling over slaves, want
spirit and soul to meet freemen who love
liberty, and with whom lone can chase
n thousand. and two put ten thousand to
flight ;" and a JOHN BRowN. with a score
ri men devoted to freedom, can brighten
whole States which are conscious of
wrong aud oppression. 1t is a benef-
cent dispensatiop that tyranny curses it.
self. and that wrong makes itself unhap-
pr. A STAKEHOLDER quakes even with
out a JOHN BRowS. except when he is
confronted with a northern doughface .