Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1861-08-30
VOL. 81. No 3d.

ty crime, for which, yerily DaASge, tas
blackest page of the history os fts Norld'a
darkest period furnishes 20 paFsllel aa 80
be possible that in tbe history Of Sue Agsegisan
people we have already reache poiat q
degeneracy so low, that the work o. sssagiou
aud Franklin, of Adams aud JsEsreen, of
Hancock and Henry, is to be overthrow by
the morally begrimmed aud pigmied co1sPirse
tors who are now tugging at its fouodations2
Il would be the overturning of the Andes by
the miserable reptiles that are crawling 10 tle
sands at their base
But our neutral fellowcttizens 10 the ten,
derness of their hearts say sThis efusion of
blood sIckens u.s." Then do all 10 your power
to bring ii to an end. Let the whole strength
of this Commonwealth be put forth in support
Of the Government, in order that the var may
be terminated by prompt suppression of the
rebellion. The longer the struggle continue,
the fsrcer will be It's spirit aud the more fears
full the waste Of life attending il. You there
fore cooly aggrAvate the calamity yon deplore:
By standing aloof from the combat. But
again they say, sswe cannot fight our Brethren"
! Indeed But your brethren can fight yon aud
with good will to. Wickedly and wantonly
have they commenced this war against you and
YOUR institutions, and feFociously are they
fact that the massacre with which they hope
their swords will ere long be clogged, mn9t be
the massacre of their brethren. However
much we may bow our heads to the confession,
it il nevertheless true that every FREQ people
that have existed have been obliged at one
period or other of their history, 10 fight for
their liberties against traitors within their cRn
bosoms, and that people who have not The
| of rbu Grhf
continue to be free, nor do they deserve to be
so.
There Is not and there cannot be any neu-
trail ground for loyal people between thcir
own government and those who at the head of
armies are menacing its destruction. Yonr
inaetion is not neutrality, though you may de-
lude yourselves with the belief that IL Is so.-
| With this rebellion confronting you, wbeu yoa
refuse to cooperate actively with your govs
erument in subduing it. you thereby condemn
| lie government and assume towards it an ata
tGude OF antagonisn. Yonr iBacsion Is yir-
tual endorsements of the rebellion, aud If you
do not thereby give to the rebels precisely that
said and comfort spoken of in the Constitution
| you certainly afford them most powerful ea>
couFagement and support. That they regard
your present position as friendly to theu, is
| proved by the fact, that, in recent enactment
Of the Confederate Congress confscating the
debts due from thelr own citizens TO those OF
loyal States the debts due to the people of
! Kentucky expressly excepted. Is this not
| Significant Does il leave auy room far doubt
that The Confederate Congress suppose they
have discovered uEdcr tLS guse of your neu~
traliiy lurking sympathy ifor their cause
which entities you to be treated friends If
not as active alliesl Patriotic as was the pur-
pose of her apprehensive statesmen IN placing
her in the anomalous position she now occupies.
1t cannot be denied that Kentucky by her
( present attitude is exerting potent influence
| in Strengthening the rebellion, aud Is therefore
false alike to her loyalty aud to her fame. You
may rest assured that this estimate OF your ueu-s
trality IS entertained by the true men Of The
country in all tho Safes which are now sustaining
the Government. NithiE the last fsw weeks how
many of those gallant volunteers, who have lett
| home and kindred and al that ~ dear 20 them,
| AMI are now under Southern SUP, exposing
| themselves to death from disease aud 10 death
! from battle, and are accounting tbeIE lives as
nothing in. the effort they making for the de-
! liyerance Of your Government aud theirs; how
many OF them have said 70 me in sadness and 10
longing, 'sWil not Kentucky help ne2" How
my sonl would have leaped could have answer
ed promptly, confidently, exutngly, "yes, she
wiii.' But when thought of this neutrality, my
heart sank within me, and did not and | could
not look those brave men in the face. And yet l
could not answer ssne.o l could not crush
myself to the earth under the self abasement of
such reply. therefore ait--and may my coun-
1 try sustain me--s.I hope, / trust, / pray, nay.
! believe, Kentucky will yet do her duty
Ii this Government is to be destroyed, ask your
selves are yon willing it shall be recorded in lis
tory that Kentucky stood by in the greatness of
her strength and lifted hand to stay the cat
| aStrope IL it is to be saved-as verify believe
it isare you willing it shall be written that in the
undesirable glory which must attend the achieve
| ments, Kentucky had no part
I will only add, if Kentucky wishes the waters
of her beautiful Ohio to be dyed in blood; if she
| wishes her harvest fields, now waiving in their
| abundance, to be trampled beneath the threshings
| of the tempest if she wishes the homes where
| her loved ones now gathered in peace, invaded
by the proscriptive fury of military despotism,
spairing neither life nor property if she wishes
the streets of her towns and cities grown with grass
and the steamboats, of her rivers to lie rottening at
her wharyes, then let her join the Southern Con-
tederacy. But if she would have the bright waters
of that river flow in their gladnesS; il she
would have her harvests peacefully gathered to her
| gamers if she would have the lullabics of her
cradles aud the songs of her homes uninyaded by
the cries and teTrors of battle il she would have
the streets of towns and cities again filed with the
hum and throags of busy trade, and her rivers and
their shores once more vocal with the steamers
whistle--that anthem of free and prosperous COM
merce-then let her stand by the and stripes,
and do her duty and her whole duty as member
of this Union Let her brave people say TO the
President of the United States, esYou are
Chief Magistrate; the government you kaye T.
charge and are STRIVING 10 save from dish0nor ana
dismemberment is our government; your cause u
indeed our cause; your battles are our battless
make room for lls therefore IN the ranks OF your
armies, that ycur triumph may be our triumph
r. alSo.1
|
Even as with ths Father of us all would pies5
for salvation, so my countrymen, as upon ms yert
KEGS, would plead with you for the hie, of on