The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1860-1863, 1861-06-20
Front the Baltimore Amerlcan.l
The Cost Of Building up Great Nation.
ality.


When we glance back at the life Of thi
nation and behold in imagination the lit
tie bands Of forIorn vOyskcrs, the heroi
few, who under so many Encouragement
laid the foundations Of a mighty empire
the rejecting mind is overwhelmed will
wonder at the comparison between It's OBJ
scure aud almost hopeless commencement
and the splendor Of its achievements il
after years.
Tossing for months on the stormy deep
they slowly found their way to these then
inhospitable shores. and when We dEeI
upon the causes which brought most o.
them here, aud read OF their decimalior
by hunger and disease. and the attacks o
savage hordes, follow them in iinagina
/ tiOn TO the time when The great cal4mit,
so they deemed it-telI upon them Of
+ struggle for existence with the most pow
erful government known, and then a.
'hey sternIy emerge from the contest
from poverty and cbscurity and weakness:
when we see with what singlrness O
purpose they endeavored 10 provide agains
all necessity for revolution and strlfs il
the futnre--we are made aware then Lov
deeply impressed they were with the de-
sire and the purpose to make the blessing
they had suffered and bled for perpetual
! Their right 10 be recognized as nation
accomplished, and start made on The
road to independence and grcain' ss; how
step by sep, they built up the splendic
edifce OF free government. None Of tht
cd and corrupt aud ambitious nations o
Europe were 10 be allowed to interfere
with themselves or their children in tia
great Western hemisphere. to which til,
srbler OF human drstinies had guide(
thei: fathers. 1t was 20 be reserved =
ser apart for lhe growth and the triumph
Of free principles. Nan here w"s to b
permittrd 10 work out bis own better des
iniss undisturbed By the daily clang 0
arms undislurbed by the great pressur
of great standing armies and crowns
robbers to lead them, such as had mad
Europe The military camp or hospital c
millions. "
And so the Monroe doctrine was de
elared; and as they became better expo
irienred 10 what constituted the best meth
cd Of securing the rights of men, thos
splendid checks and talances were pro
vi ed, which 90 10 secure the safety 0
the citizens.
The revolution which dissolved III
connection Of the Colonies with Euglau
having been completed, the nation wa
fortunate beyond all precedent in the out
set Of us career as an independent pow
, er, With no dark stains Of a war for cor
quest dcfacing its annals with blood, {
. evidence Of the extinguishment of otht
great nationslilies es-wilh no terrible rel
ord, like Macaulay's. of myriads OF il
: own people slain. be headed, drawn AL
lquartered.' before the eommonest righ
of men could be sccnred through the e!
tablishment of lbe Constitution on o SRI
bsSis-wilh no struggls chronicled lii
those which lasted for hundreds OF yeal
in France before the people had conquer
ed for themselves an honorable positio
in the State.-all that was needed was
belief in our better destiny and lhrowin,
overheard OF the purposes sought by wilt
ambition TO have made US, and speedily
too. the very head and front of the ma
liona|ities Of the globe, with power, b,
the force Of q great tx'mple, to have ul
timately revOlutionized the world in favo
Of free government.
Now to look back at the brief periot
that has elapsed since we became pow
er on the earth, We see that We have, a
yet, hardly begun to accomplish the glo
rious end Of our glorious mission. Wit
all our present magDi6cence, our ackuowl
edged greatness. with our millions OF fire
people, and our territory so vast that th
, limits Of most OF the Kingdoms and empire
sink almost into insigni6cance in compar
ison, what may we not hope for, if tru
to those great principles with which W
started? What may we not expect if, de-
spite the clouds that now darken arouu
US, we boldly hold On our course?
The successful rival-despite our in
tesline commotions the greatest pow
ers on earth, our flag flying in trump
and unchallenged on every sea, our terri
. tory extending from ocean to ocean. en-
bracing almost continent, how does
/ seem possible that for any temporar.
wrongs, which might have been righ,e
/ under such Constitution as was neve
before gwen to man to enable him 10 gov
! ern himself, that an attack could be mad
upon the integrity of such Government
aud it sought to be stopped on the road t
, glorious future, as the exemplar Of fte
principles. as the champion aud hope {
the oppressed Of all lands?
Except to carry out purposes so val
; aud so benefcent why was the MonIo
} doctrine declared? Why at vast cos
: were Louisiana and Florida, and later
the history of the nation. why did the az
QUESTION Of Texas and the regions on tl
Pacific coast follow? Sep BY step ii
; nation has nus enlarged its boundaries, AN
: with all these areas secured for the fl
ture development of national greatness
srssuals, navy yards and costly iortici
tons have been built by the same. grei
Government, TO maintain the right
them. Their war ships, too have carrie
!. our flag in triumph around the globe, mt
as the emblem Of mushroom Goverpmer
which might at any time fall and peris
in day, but as the ensign of q might
: power-a power to make itself respecte
abroad and obeyed at home.
We reflect on all this, and we behol
the Government, as yet capable Of yiud