The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1860-10-18

al wealth are agriculture, including the
subjugrotion of the forests, manufactures
and trade. Slaves are unit, African
slaves are absolutely unfit to be employed
in turning either of those wheels and it
thus enters into the clements of a great
and prosperous state that its people shall
not be slaves but freemen.
The reason is obvious; 1t is the inter
est of the freeman to cultivate himself as
we'll as he can, to produce the most be
can at the least cost aud it is the in
terest of the slave to be as disqualified as
he can, to consume as much as lie can,
aud produces as little more than he con-
sumes as possible.
1t is not wealth alone that makes a ma
ton. 1t must have strength and power
to command, by the mere signlfication of
its will, peace and good order at home
and respect and confidence abroad just
imagine the United States converted in
to planting States in which the labor was
performed only by negro slaves and Judge
if you can, what would be the police pow
er of the government in any of the States
The laborer in slave State is watched
night aud morning; his outgoings, his in-
comIngs, his path IS surrounded by po-
lice; he can pass to execute the order of
his master only on permit or license
Why he must retire to sleep at nine or
ten at night, and must not be abroad
from the plantation without a special Ii
cense for no other reason than, being
held in involuntary bondage by his mas
ter, lie regards him as an enemy to be
watched
Turn a whole nation into masters
watching slaves, and slaves regarded as
natural cnemes-what is the power OF
that nation to preserve peace at home
| What its power to command respect
abroad Make US for once a nation Of
slave States, and any feeble, worthless
power in Europe has only to apply the
torch of insurrcction and civil war by
! proposing to emancipate our slaves; in
stead of relying on ourselves we would
want to make federal union with Cana
da that we might get protection, just as
the free States now protect the slave
States
But all these-materal wealth and
power-are but low ideas Of what consti-
tute a nation. 1t should have a head, an
enlightened head, an open, free, manly,
honest heart. Such will enable any man
or woman to 90 through the world with
safety. A nation is only au aggregate OF
individuals, of SO many heads to work as
one head of so many hearts to work as
one heart You want an enlightened
free people to constitute nation aud if
you have such people, they are perpet-
ually reducing the labor, the sacrifice,
and toll Of muscle; and if it be true, as
theologans say, that labor is the primal
curse imposed by the Maker on man for
diSobed;ence, then this benevolent heart
aud enlightened head will suggest all
manner of machines to relieve them of
the necessity of so much labor. The
poor widow, who, to exc out a subsls-
/, tence, has to SOW for her neighborS, will,
with a machine that costs but from fifty
to one hundred dollars--the invention of
free people-make fifty garments where
before she made but one. And the steam
engine-it plows, plants, sows and har-
vests it thrashes, it gathers into the gra-
naries it hauls the cars loaded with pro-
duce it drives the steamboat on the
!, river That is What invention docs
Now, out of the million inventions which
the American people enjoy, there is not
one that was made by slave, and simply
} because the slave is iubruted in his heart
and stupGed in his intellect.
\ nation to be great wants character
character for justice, honesty, integrity
for ability to maintain its own rights aud
respect for the rights of others That it
cannot have If it be a nation of slaves.
1t is only nation of frecmen that can
cultivate the virtues which constitute a
character These virtues are two. JUS
tice, equal and exact justice among men ;
the equal freedom and liberty of every
other man. The nther virtue is courage.
The freeman has no enemies he is just
he oppresses nobody; nobody wishes to
be rlvenged upon him. A nation of
/, freemen are safe; they provoke nobody ;
they wrong nobody; they covct nothing
they keep the tenth commandment. And
nations must keep the commandments as
we'll as individuals, or suffer the same
penalty.
:, But YOU cannot have these virtues cx-
/, cept on one condition, and that is that
the people Of the nation are trained up 10
them. And how trained BY schools
!, and general instruction, free press, free
debate at home, and in legislative coun-
ellis !; and everywhere to be undisturbed
as they 20 in ard come out. Introduce
slavery in Iowa, and what kind of free
, dom of speech would you enjoy? What
Lid &c frnnInun ot IL, rrn-c 2 frnnlnrn Of