The Smoky Hill and Republican union. [volume] (Junction City, Kan.) 1861-1864, 1861-12-19
They Can't Be Conquered.

ment of Washington and the fathers Of the
Revolution, are fully impressed with the
notion, as they would have US believe, that
is impossible for the Government to subdue
the rebellion that has broken out in the
South-that it is impossible to conquer
people struggling for freedom" With
all due Difference for the rebels and their al
lies, we beg leave to dissent from the con-
clusion. In the first place We say, that the
rebels are not struggling for freedom, or to
throw off yoke that is burdensome and
grievous to be borne; but are fighting for
slarery and for the overthrow of the freest.
the least burthensome, the mildest and best
government the world has ever seen, that
they may rear upon its ruins government
based upon slavery, whose chief object,
avowedly, is the oppression and depression
of the laboring classes, BY keeping the poor,
both black and white, in ignorance and pow
erty. In the struggle, therefore, they will
lack the spirit which animate those whofght
for freedom, for justice, for the rights of
man against tyranny and despctism. But
it is all nonsense to say that people cannot
be conquered, unless all history is lie, and
even our own recollection a myth. We all
know the truth to be otherwise. To 60 no
farther back than the records of profane his
tory, we know that the Carthagenians were
conquered, that the all-conqucring Romans
were conquered, that the Greeks were con-
quered, that the ancient Br,ains were con-
quered, that the Gauls were conquered, that
the Celts were conquered, and, in short,
in turn, every State in Europe has been
compelled to submit to terms and conditions
which, at one time, all the leaders and all
the people vehemently protested they never
would submit to. Why even the recollec-
tion Of some of the youngest of us can 60
back to the time when exile Poles traversed
our own country appealing to us for assist
ance to throw off the triplicate yoke impos
ed upon them by Russia, Austria and Prus-
sia !; when the whole country was stirred
up by the eloquent appeals of O'Connel to
the Irish people to rise in rebellion to the
union with England; and to that most re-
cent period when the gifted Kossuth ap-
pea!ed to US for "material aid to rescue
Hungary from conquest by Russia and
Austria. All these people protested they
were contcnding for freedom against tyran-
ny, oppression aud despotism, and we're an
mated by the highest and holiest feelings
that can thrill the human heart or nerve the
human arm-they all protested that they
might be exterminated, but they never
could be conquered. And yet they have
all been conquered-even as thousands and
millions of people before them, with the
same protestations upon their lips, have
been conquered. Will any man in his
senses tell US that secessionists are braver,
stronger or more capable Of endurance, in
fight for slavery, than the Scotch, the
Irish, the Poles and the Hungarians, when
fighting for freedom Nonsense! Any
people, however brave, or BY whatever ami
mated, can be conquered by superior num-
bers and superior force. That our seces-
sionists are not to prove an exception to
this general rule, we have abundant evil
dence from our experience with them thus
far. Our troops have found them about as
ready to run away or to accept quarters, as
any enemy ever met in any field. What
they thus do in detail, they will do in the
aggregate when they can't help themselves.
| But, say our interlocutors, the hatred of
the South towards the North is such that
they (the rebels) will never consent to live
again under the same government, and
whilst this feeling continues, the re-sstab-
lishment Of the Union is impossible
i Again we answer, nonsense. The history
Of the world writes falsehood upon the bold
assumption. The hatred of the secession
lists towards the loyal people of the Union
Is not mere intense than that which char
acterised one portion Of the people of Eng
land towards another, in the days of Crom-
we'll, and the war Of the Roses" than
that of the Scotch for the English in the
days of the Pretender," nor of the Irish
for the English in the days of Emmet OF
even Of O'Connell-and yet today, We see
j. II xbo.o eor,n roo~lo