The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1861-07-31

and Of none of the conflicts which hav
arisen between men or between nations
could this be more truthfnlly said, than O
that in which We are now involved, Neu
trality necessarily implies indifference
Kentucky indifferent to the issues of thi
contest: Has she, indeed, nothing at stake
Has she no compact with her sister State
to keep, no plighted faith to uphold, no re
nown to sustain, no glory to win? Has sh'
no horror of that crime of crimes now beiny
committed against Us by that stupendou.
rebellion which has arisen like tempes
cloud in the Souths We rejoice to know
that she is still member ofthis Union, ant
as such she has the same interest in resisting
this rebellion, that each limb of the body
has in resisting poignard whose point il
aimed al the heart. 1t is her house that i.
on fire has she no interest in extinguishin,
the conaagration Will she stand alooof and
announce herself neutral between the raging
flames and the brave men who are periline
their lives to subdue theme Hundreds o.
thousands Of citizens of other Statesmen
of culture and character, Of thought and o
toll men who have deep stake in life and
an intense appreciation Of its duties and re.
sponsibilities who know the worth Of thi,
blessed Government Of ours, and do no.
prize even their own blood above tt say,
hundreds Of thousands of such men have len
their homes, their workshops, their offices
their counting houses, and their fields, and
are now rallying about our hag freely offer.
ing their all to sustain it, and, since the days
that crusading Europe threw its hosts upon
the embattled plains of Asia, no deeper OF
more earnest or grander spirit has stirred
the souls of men, than that which now sways
those mighty masses whose cleaning ban.
ners are destined ere long to make bright
again the earth and sky of the distracted
South. Can Kentucky look upon this sub.
lime spectacle Of patriotism unmoved and
then say to herself: ~ will spend neither
blood nor treasure, but will shrink away
while the battle RACES, and after it has beer
fought and won, will return to the camp,
we'll assured that If cannot claim the lau.
rels, l will at least enjoy the blessings of the
victory?' Is this all that remains of her
chivalry ? Of the chivalry Of the land Of the
Shelbys, the Johnsons, tho Aliens, the Clays
the Adairs, and the Davisess Is there a
Kentuckian within the sound of my voice
tonight, who can hear the anguished cry Of
his country, as she wrestles and writhes in
the folds Of this gigantic treason, and then
lay. himself down upon his pillow with this
thought of neutrality, without feeling that he
has something in his bosom which stings
him worse than would an addere Have we,
within the brief period of eighty years, de-
scended so far from the mountain heights
on which our fathers stood, that already, in
our degeneracy, we proclaim our blood too
precious, our treasure too valuable to be de.
voted to the preservation of such Govern.
ment as this? They fought througha a seven
years war with the greatest power on earth
for the hope, for the bare hope of being able
to found this Republic, and now that 1t is nc
longer hope nor an experiment, but q glo.
rious reality which has excited the admira-
ton and the homage Of the nations. and has
covered US with blessings as "the waters cov-
CT the. channels Of the sea-" hive we, their
children, no years of toll, of sacrifice, and ol
battle even, if need be, to give to save il
from absolute destruction at the hands OF
men who, stepped in guilt are perpetrating
against us and humanity crime, for which
| verify believe, the blackest page of the his.
tory of the worlds blackest period furnishes
no parallel? Can it be possible that in the
history of the American people, we have al.
ready reached point Of degeneracy so low
that the work Of Washington and Franklin
Of Adams and Jefferson, of Hancock and
Henry, is to be overthrown by the morally
begrimmed and pigmied conspirators who
are now tugging atits foundations Itwould
be the overturning of the Andes by the mis-
erable reptiles that are crawling in the sand.
at their base. er'''
But our neutral fellow citizens in the ten
dcrness of their hearts say: "This effusior
of blood sickens u.s." Then do all in you,
power to bring it to an end. Let the whole
strength of this Commonwealth be put fortf
in support of the Government. in order tha
the war may be terminated by prompt sup
preston of the rebellion. The longer tn,
struggle continues, the fiercer will be it,
spirit, and the more fearful the waste of lifi
attending it. You, therefore, only aggravat'
the calamity you deplore, by standing aloo
from the combat. But again they say, "w'
cannot fight our brethren" Indeed! Blu
your brethren can fight yoi and with goot
will too. Wickedly and wantonly have they
commenced this war against you and you,
institutions, and ferociously are they prose
cutting it. They take no account Of the fac
that the massacre with which they hop
their swords will ere long be clogged, mus
be the massacre Of their brethren. Howeve
much we may bow our heads at the confes
sion, it is nevertheless true that every fire
people that have existed, have been oblige
at one period or other Of their history to figf
for their liberties against traitors within tbei
own bosoms, and that people who haye nc
the greatness Of soul thus to fight, canno
long continue to be free, nor do they deserv
to be So