The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1861-02-20
She l. inf,.Ili,renf con sci.

'StSOh SoiSbuC'ohS lS6asotSoS VI SotSS4uVho
ces. She is the ultimate result of free So
ciety, society free from all trammels Of au-
thority, Of respect for age, honor, virtue, or
truth. She fearlessly takes hold Of things
esteemed most sacred and measures them
by her tape line Of free thought. She 1e-
nies the axioHls Of the rest Of mankind,
postulates which the wisdom OF all men in
all ages, Pagan and Christian, have admit
ted, and rejects them unless they fit the
ProcruStcan bed Of her logic.
The consequence is that belief has died
out; faitn is unknown, chaos is come again,
and ut this moment no man in Massa 'hu-
setts is certain Of anything whatever. The
social system is br .aking up under it. Pa
rent and child is known in years Of infan-
cy; but soon ceases to exist, while chilli
aud parent is exploded. Husband and
wifi, does not pretend to be advocated and
practis .d--they have improued OH that and
substituted limited partnership dissoluhle
ut pleasure. Divorce is as frequent as
bankruptcy, and looked upon in the sam
light: such unfortunate individuals gather
up their erempted property and try it again.
This is a strong and highly colored bu'
true picture Of free society. The clearest,
strongest apostles that know of it ar
Holmes and EmerSon-thry state conse-
quences: the mass are still struggling with
proc sSes. Massachusetts, is "the hub of
thc Universe" Of this FIRE. Thought
Her school of statesmen and philosophers
supply the ideas for the rest of Free Soci-
ETY. Having then this appreciation Of re-
suits, and differing frsm them as widely as
people can do, we have at last been brough;
face to face with one Of these historical cri-
ses in which diff rent social systems seem
som times to be obliged to stop argument
and resort to blows.
Our ideas are all different. OuI system
= opposite to the fire system. We are
deeply imbucd with ours, devotedly attach
ed to it, firmly convinced of its beniicence
to humanit and willing to trust to results
to vindcate Us before history. We have
no intention or desire to force it on others.
Still less have we any wish to upbraid them
for th>ir faults, or ridicule them for their
misioltunes. We are willing to let each
philosophy, that of Freedom" and that of
Slavery" if you will. work side by side,
and let tae 'irreprcssible conflict" of natur-
al law go on, and are ready to abide the re-
suit Acknowledging the many and dircful
disadvantages and evil consequences Of our
present chattel slavery, we believe it to BE-
better than the opposite system, and capa-
ble of infinite Christianzation and improve.
Inent.
While every fact and every incident Of
Mrs. owes book has had it prototype in
slave society, a Dickens could aggregate as
terrible histories from the relation of master
and apprentice, or husband and wife, or
father and child, in the city of Boston it.
self. The facts as logically resulting from
the one system as the other. Divorce has
never been granted in South Carolina. In
Massachusetts, what is it? Virtue, honor.
chaStity-in which society are they held in
highest repute? Is there more faith and
religion among the 500 slaves Of my friend
Moore's plantation, with their weekly
church service from chaplain and cate
chiSt, or in the inteily yctual, wealthy and re-
fined congregation Of Rev. Blank in Bos
ton. Who are most like the tent makers
and fishermen, and humble mechanics, and
common people," who listened to car.
penter, preaching by tn. sea Of Galilee-
Aunt Minty and Uncle B ,b, and Aunt Su-
sanah, that you and used to sit with, and
eat with, and sleep with, or the Merchant
ihSCS dua " 10 aAio VI 11CSS-
con Hill?
Right or wrong we arc welded to our
idols. IL slave society or the institution of
serflom, is the sum of all villainies, SO belt,
as long as Northern people keep their opin-
ions to themselves, we need not quarrel
We get along comfortably enough in life,
with rough people, whom we think rascal>.
and who probably similarly appreciate us.
But when our neighhor, in the highway and
public places, distinctly and emphatically
repeats and reiterates with opprobrious cpl
thcts his belief that we will steal, and that
in fact, he has known us to commit petit
larceny. and that, in truth, the very coat on
our back was feloneously purloined from a
ready made clothing tore, the Least that
can BE- can be said is that such conduct j.
not calculated to contribute to the pleasure.
of living in each others neighborhood. A
prudent regard for the soundnesS of his
own skin, ought to admoniSh such one to
provide at least a hickory Of stout size,
solely for the purpose of selt-defence.
When however in addition to this my
neighbor and partner in business, not salts
fled with destroying my character as far as
he could By exposing my foibleS, dragging
To light my Weaknesses and dcnOuncing my
crimes, if you please, actually takes all oi
our common stock in trade for himself, be.
cause as he alleges to the public, my char
acter and habits are so bad that it will waste
and destroy it, and further still, hires IA
parcel of stout fellows who lock me in my
house and keep me in without food, light
or air, then in such case, it might probably
be expected that the partner so treated.
would make some limited expostulation.
If he should get sword and slay his per-
secutors and traducers, then and there he
would be justified by the laws Of God and
man.
This is now our position The dominant
party of the North, believe that slavery is
sinfnl and ruinous. True to the old Puri-
tan instinct it seeks to impress that convic-
ton on us. 1t claims to think and act for
all, and to believe for all, as it did when it
burnt witches at Salem, or more recently
the foreigner and Catholic, in
Baltimore and Louisville, or cxilcd poor
Irish woman and her infant child from
Boston. Knowing that our Shareholders arr
living in sin. and will take effectual means
Of preventing US from propaya,ing our
crime, while it provides for our sure and
swift destruction. 1t takes all the common
the territories, the flag, the COM
mon name, the policy of the common agent,
and places them in antagonism to US. II
brands US before the world a. pirates, and
worse, 1t prohibits our taking position
among the nations of the world, for as far
as possible it has destroyed our character
among them, but for fear least we should |
possibly get out, and vindicate ourselves,
it has shut US up securely within our pre-,
sent limits, and promises in the next de.
cade to drive IS gradually into more limited |
space; till when it proposes to us the al
Of suicide, .. emancipation, rs.
sassination, !. O. insurrectipn, or starvation,
]. .. 10000, 900 slaves compressed into the |
Cotton States.