New-York daily tribune., 1861-09-12

parties aud there was fusion after certain
fashOn, but never one like this, which full final,
aud complete, has been created by the Decessi-
ties of the war. aud which only the honorable
conclusion of the war can resolve. The walls of
the Cradle Of Liberty have not witnessed such
spectacle since the days Of the Revolution. The
meeting was tumultuous; but il was because the
one noble feeling, which would not be repressed,
filed every heart and sought for utterance from
every mouth. 1t was tumultuous just as the Old
AtheDian meetings were 80, because TO the
Greek, as great historian observes, "his coun-
try was a necessary of life without which tx-
istence was impossible" II was meeting,
even in Boston, without subjective reflection"
1t was then and there determined "to live
for the country without further analysis "
Nor were the speeches which were made behind
the great popular sentiment, and below Its manly
instinct. For the sake of its triumphs, the war,
with all its terrors, was accepted. Nobody
talked dreamly of compromise. There was no
proposition to send select committee to Wash
iogton Nobody suggested that all would be We'll
if Boston would only surrender q fugitive slave.
NOOOu1 luOh iiI5 oCtdhiOu W biuuioti VI ." w
nounce the Abolitionists, or to scream out fear
that England would not respect our block
ade. Judge Thomas actually had the au-
dacity the refreshing audaeity to say;
4" But suppose England and France, or both,
" should recognize the Southern Confederacy,
"Uhat then? NoTmYoi" 81 am in favor"
he added, "of fighting the issue fairly out"
'' The people of Massachusetts" said Otis T.
Lord, care ready to act, and they want to act.
| We are ready with our treasures; we are
ready with our muscle; and we are ready
a. with our blood" " You come here" said
| Richard rockingham, "to sound the notes OF
honor to those brave men who are going forth
{" with their lives 10 their hands to defend their
{" country" Only five resolutions were passed.
They simply repeated without comment, the
words Of Joseph Holt of Gen. Butler, OF Arch
bishop Hughes, OF Daniel Webster, and ol An
drew Jackson. And we may sum up tie gen.
eral spirit Of all the speeches, resolutions, and
lctters, by quoting from the note Of Mr. VIM
throp We may differ" he said, " as TO many
&" things in the past We may differ as to many
things in the future. But we must act for the
present. Our misguided brethren Of the South
have left us 10 alternative but to fight. Our
" Capital must be defended Our flag must be
'' sustained. The authority Of the Government
81 must be indicated"
We have thus dwelt at length upon tie
characteristics Of this great meeting, not merely
becauge they show on oil but unanimous patriot
| lem in the chief city Of New-England, but
because they exhibit there singularly clear idea
| of the only means Of extrication which are left
US. This was unquestionably War-MeetiIg--a
meeting simply aud sternly in favor of raising
armies aud fleets, of fighting battles by land and
by sea, of sustaining in all ways war-mBkiDg
| Administration. It's record may not be cheerful
reading for the phlanthropist; but many things
not agreeable TO Anybody are certainly occurring
| in this world, which, pleasant or painful, must
| be met aud as We have not sought this strife
but have rather sought by all honorable means
to avoid it, there is nothing left for us 10 do
but to defy and to overthrow treason in
just the way, if not in just the spirit Of
treason itself 1t so happens, that between this
and anarchy there is ground upon WHICH
We can stand. 1t may be- said that we are au
unfortunate people, but We can imagine many
evils which might have come upon us more ter
.'Nle even than civil war. We cannot help think
. hat it is reason for Thanksgiving, that
IN, Emergencies haze not surprised tue nation
10 a state Of physical degradation; that they
have found it, not efete emasculate, eneryate
in the rotten belplessness aud hOpeeSsness of a
decay ing civilization, but young, vigorous, and
| hopeful; that we have, after oil, escaped that
peril which once was so imminent of yielding
all worthy impulses TO the shameful lust OF lacre
that we have been permitted in our day aud
! generation, to do something for those great po-
| htical principles upon the observance Of which
the happiness Of humanity depends; and that we
have not been willing 10 secure n temporary
peace at the cost Of adOring that arrogant,
embodied and living lie called Human Slavery.
| This is a contest which, if we are but faith.
| full can have for us only an honorable issue. The
passionless pen of the historic muse may record
either our victory or our defeat but the subject
matter Of this dispute is too simple TO admit Of
misrepreseuiatiOn, aDd too single TO be clouded
| by false traditions. The origin Of a hundred
| future wars may be buried by the dust Of cen
turies, and left to the merccs of antiquarian con.
lecture; but no fog of diplomatic cross-puposes
can hide from the ages to come the simple fact that
this was a war for Liberty, for Humanity, and
for Justice Let us, then, in the spirit of the as
sembly Of which we have been speaking thank
God thai we are living in historic times, and can
do something worthy Of honorable historic re-
cord