Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1861-02-16
RETRIBUTI0N.

ing through, may teach it lessons Of wisdom by
which it's future course may be shaped. aud lead
1t 10 so detest all com promises Of principle, that he
who propose one shall be looked upon us worse
thau q traitor. The experience that the North
has had ID the compromises it has made with the
slave power, oil 20 to prove that honesty is the
best policy" us well as best in priuciple-thut
while righteousness ekalteth a nation" any devi.
alton from il. is followed sooner or later by disas-
ferrous consequences.
The present condition Of national affairb Is DEM
onstrating that not only in the grose, but in the
several details, that the compromises which the
North has from time to time made with slavery
in fact, pretty much all the timo-do NOS pay.
They certainly do not pay morally and as certainly
DO not pay pecuniarily. In the States which have
already ueceeded, AMI in others which are pure to
20, o large amount Of northern capital has been
invested, and grieyous complaints are made that
some OF these States so coolly walk out OF the
Union with territory to which 1t is alleged they
have but a smsll claim, and leave the North in as
bad a condition as the creditors Of other abscon.
ding debtors. 1t is a hard case for one 10 loose
bis money whatever may be tho circumstances;
but when an Investment is nado for the psrpose Of
carrying on a business wrong in itself. the verdict
which the public passes upon UHch loss, lie very
likely to be " Serred him Fiskf."
1t is related that a Frog WAC saw n Bull grazing
in the meadow, admired his vast proportions, and
was seized with a desire to equal hiR in bulk. lie
thereupon made great efforts to disrend his ski,
and so far succeeded as to burst himself in the at
tempt,
When the thirteen American colonies had estab-
liShed their independence, The seven years war
through which they bad passed had materially les-
rsened their population, which was not over nu2ier-
Gus when the war com menced. One would natu-
rally have concluded that under such circums.an-
,ces they would have desired above oil things to
settle down in the enjoyment of peace, and aim TO
finish to the extent of human perfectability the
government whose foundation stone they had laid.
Bnt that did not suit their ideas. Progression.
with them, meant expansion; and their national
greatness was to be calculated 10y the area Of their
territory. To begin with, they had ten times as
much territory as they could occupy or probably
ruse, q diversity of soil and climate that ought tc
have more than satisfied q reasonable people, a
large extent. Of seaboard washed by the Atlantic,
and a stretch Of INLAND seas the like Of which no
other country ever knew. But hardly had their
government manifested the first evidence OF stabil,
lily, before q proposition was made to acquire more
territory. TO be sure, Specious reasons were given
why this should be procured by purchase or 9th
.erwise, and the Teasone assigned were, that this
nation might command The mouth Of the Missis-
aippi. Aud Just as specious reasons have been
given FOR every subsequent expansion OF territory
which has taken place either by purchase or con-
quest, extending even 20 the proposed annexation
OF Cubs, and the conquest Of Central America.
They have never experienced the least difficulty in
finding ,Yeaeons for acquiring all adjacent or neigh
boring territory, and there appeared to be a sufi-
.ciens stock on hand to serve unit! the North Pole
was aunczsd, and Cape Horn f!libustered into the
Union.
i, is truo the first purchase was made I'm willing
Nv BY President jefferson, who had con ',isutionai
~scruples in regard 10 the matter; hut the slave
power insisted upon it. and he yielded. So in or
der to please slavery, fifteen million OF dollars was
paid to France for she territory of louisiana. EN-
bracing what,is new the State of louisiana, and
several States Contiguous. Slavery mex! wanted
Florida, and Florida wss purchased of Spain fol
five million. She nett demanded Texas, which
WAS obtained al O cost Uf Rot less than twenty nil
dion; aud arterward fifteen million was paid by
treaty for New Mexico. Add to these sums the
amount of interest paid on the louisiana and
FLORIDA purchase money, and we have in round
numbers SixtyFiVe million of Dollars. This
however, was only the price of The seed-the cost
OF the Florida war and tho removal OF the Florida
Indians; the cost Of The Mexican war, and amount
of payments nado to the creditors Of Texas; the
value of soldiers pensions and bounty land; the
the payments to extinguish Indian titles in New
Mexico, and the othor etcetras growing out OF the
North's obedience to savery's demand TO acquire
new territory has cost the nation over Eight Hun
dred Million of Dollars-Six Hundred Million Of
which came out Of northern pockets.
It now appears that the effort at expansion had
gone a little too far, and before this nation had at
tanned the size of john Bull, it met with the
fate of the Frog in the fable. The States in which
the North invested Six Hundred Million for the
.uuport of slavery. have seeded or will secede.
and the money thus invested is a total loss. Grum-
bling about the injustice of it. will not help the
matter o. bring back the dollars. the North be-
gan the game by hszarding upon q measure about
.be coustitutionality Of which there we're serious
doubts, and for a purpose, about the immortality
Of which there was, or there ought to have been
no doubt. Hootsty would Rave paid better; an
investment for the benefit Of freedom would have
brought more valuable returns, or even in sUch q
ease il tho North had lost, they would have had
the consolation of knowing that they LIST in a
good cause-a consolation thcy cannot enjoy under
the present circumstances.
Retribution has come upon them; they have
lost the money they had paid; their governmental
prestige in passing from them; commercial Difficult
lies threaten them; manufacturing losses are
knocking at the door. If they do not now exper-
fence punishment for every compromise of princi-
pie they have made, il will be because it is resorv-
ed for tie future, when it will CONS with added
force.
HSv-R r O.. will find. on referring 10 tho letters