The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1861-11-27
OUR PRESENT DUTY.

! The American people with all their pre-
tended desire for change and for attaining
something better than that found in the pre-
sent, are yet slow to grasp facts and are inya-
riably opposed to anything that threatens to-
set-aside old-time customs Other countries
which are older and cohnt the years of their
governments by centuries have some reason
for dislike of change. their laws aid customs
have been weighed in the balance of expert
ence but we lave not lived long enough to
know from effects what causes should be
thrown into the scale, and therefore should
be more willing to act upon anything that
promises reform The United States is not
yet out of its childhood, the natural princi-
lied, it keeps under the Same roof and feeds
with the same hand systems entirely antago-
nistic, with one hand it raises freedoms flag,
with the other binds the chains of slavery.
The people, at the present time, do not ap
pear to have full appreciation of the trou-
bles which have come upon them, do not
feel that they who are fighting against the
country are any more than mere party ene
mics, and seem to think that as we have lived
upwards of eighty years and have conquered
past troubles, so now it is but an angry cloud
that is darkenipg our sky. which ii few short
hours may scatter and leave US but another
pledge of our strength and greatness This
is mistake which must be corrected, and the
sooner the better for the good Cf the country.
as We would toward foreign foe. We must
use every possible means for the speedy end
ing of the war. Whenever or wherever we
can weaken their power we must do So If
slavery is to them source of pecuniary and
physical aid, wipe it out and, if our Congress
needs a stimuiant for this work. the people
should give it in the shape of wel-flled petit
tions. If slavery is the cause of our troubles
AS majority of the people in the North
think it is-the sureSt way to free Us from the
effect is to remove the carse. BY some, this
may be called bigoted- -E,natical- -aboltioniSm,
that in the troubles of the country cares more
| for the ful6llment of its one idea than for the
peoples good but, different persons may
have different opinions and both be honest
and we believe there are IL majority of the
people in the North to day in favor of freeing
the slaves of every Rebel. and vino honestly
believe that in 50 doing tfey nos ouly do what
the country should have done years igo, bnt
| ,rh - Z ant
time to cripple the fast expiring energies OF
the ooutaern Rebellion. We hope this idea
will be made general Tin the form of pettionsl
throughout t,ie whole North, and that when
Congress meets, as twill in IL few days, it will
have laid before il lie desire of all free Amer
lea say ing, "make loose the bonds of the slave
and let the oppressed go free" Last year this
coUys might lot have been polite, as it wouid
have caused useless citation and effected no
cd either for the white man or for the slave
Now, when the South is in arms for the per-
petuation of this blighting system. the free
patt of the nation are under no obligation
either to keep or help pcrpetuating it, but by
all the laws of war and of self-defense would
be just and right in abolishing the whole sys
tenn The 'ollowing was the opinion of John
Quincy Adams, given on the floor of Congress
81 lay this down as the law of nations. |
say the military authority takes for the time
the place of all municipal institutions, slavery
among the rest. Under that state Of things
so far from its being true that the States where
Slavery exists have the exclusive management
of the subject not only the President of the
United States. but the Commander of the Army
has power to order the universal emancipation
of the slaves"
| From the instant that your Slave-holdiug
States become the tn atre Of war civil scrvie
or foreign, from that instant the war powers
of Congress extend to interference with the
institution of slavery, in every way in which
it can be intcrfered with from a claim of in
demnity for slaves taken or destroyed to the
cession of the State burdened with slavery to
a foreign power"
'If civil war come. if insurrection come, is
this beSieged Government to see millions of
of its subjects in arms and have no right to
break the fetterS which they are forging into
swords? No The War Power of the Gov
ernmeht can sweep this Institution into the
/ Gulf"
! PETERsoN'S MAGAZINE.-We are in