Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-09-28

a
mont, but the very Indians whom We iroYG
out 70 please Florida and Texas. We gave
the South proponderance Of honor and for
eign ofices-end when the war begins we
find most Of them in the confidence and
employ Of the South. Almost every man
that struck hands with the Government,
while under their control, became their ally,
our enemy. Cotton and the negro have
come back to Us in unrighteous legislation,
in immoral compromises, in the embezzle-
ment Of millions Of money, and the larceny
Of every defense that could be stolen in
the perjury Of hundreds Of oficial 8, in the
desertion and treason Of States, and in
bloody rebellion and civil war. The slave
has mingled his curse with the cotton, and
the selfish cotton spinners feel it. The long
arms Of vengeance stretch across the seas
and smite old England, the author and sus-
tainer Of our slave, with the Palled lsprosy
OF fear and famine. 1t destroyed the VII
party-the helping hand, which the great
Democratic party stretched out TO it, has
been palsied, and has dropped It's grasp
The churches that stifed the voice Of the
oppressed and his helper, have been rent In
twain. The papers that defended the in
iquity have periShed. Is there no retribu-
tlcn in all this? And then turn South
waId---the very geography Of the insti-
tuition cries out against il, not only
in the stricken tones Of poverty-but Of
treason and bloodshed. The crime and the
penalty tread in each others footsteps. The
more complete the sway of slavery, the
more intense the hatred of our Government,
and the more direful will be thsvengeance.
The free uplands Of Georgia, North Caroli-
na, TenHeSses, Virginia and Maryland, will
sutier much-but that black crescent border
ing the Atlantic and the Gulf and the Mis-
sissippi will suffer most Of ell. The blood
of many brother cries, and is beginning
TO be avenged. How our sin is finding US
out. Three hundred thousand men in arms
to slay each other. Thousands slain already,
thousands more to fall. How our sins come
back. But the end is not yet. The mills
of the gods grind slOW-and now already
secured by reason Of our hardness Of four
score years, but they grind fne-very fine,
and when they stop there will be, l think,
not single slave yoke or whip, or fetter in
the land. But our sins have already found
US out, and what shall we do 10 avert the full
punishment? We must repent, and our re-
pentanee must be in line Of our sins. five
have Worshipped mammOn-let ua repent
of our covetOusness. If the love Of mate
lial interests hes made us negligent Of our
liberty and forgetful Of the liberties Of
others, let us confess our sin and be vigilant.
Let US have new race of office holders in
the room cf those who "to party, give up,
what is meant for mankind If we have
been faithless TO our promises, let us hence
forth begin and speak each man truth to
his neighbor, and oRe no map anything
Let US repent of slavery, and put it away
from US, for I'VE are verify guilty concern
ing our brother" in that for centuries we
have seen the anguish of his soul, and we
would not hear. Therefore is this distress
come upon US. In the Providence of God,
the South has thrust the question upon u.s.
let us accept the challenge. It ia the crisis
IN our history not commercial, nor indus
trial, but moral. We never had a grander
opportunity--n had any nation, to i'm
mortaliSs itselfto die Hobly, II die We
must, or to live nobly, il we NAV. Once
and again this question has come before us.
Will We write our name in the golden book
of national glory? It was offered to US at
the adoption of tho constitution, and again
On the admission of Missouri, and a third
time in the annexation of Texas but the
price we deemed too high. Each time she
demanded more and offered less, and now,
for the last time, she offers the mutilated
volume, and asks more than ever. Nothing
less than the destruction of slavery will we
t1y pAASS1 0h0 nhdAA nlC GAbAb lkb pages
upon US forever3 Thus far politicians have
oVerruled us once and again. We have
thrown this hell hound his sop to stop his
baying, but hehas grown only more noisy,
and more hungry. At last he has broken
his chain, come up from his internal ken
mel, and clutched the master by the throat.
Both cannot live. Let the man live---let
the beast die, and let all the people say
Amen,
One thought more. By our coming to-
gether this day, by our confessions ard sup
plications, We profess our faith in God, and
in the dominion of his justice. We shrink
from that justice, and we have appointed a
fast TO avert our doom. We afflict our souls,
we be W down our hesds---but shall we call
these sorrowful needs fast? or these signs
ofmourning an acceptable day to the Lord ?
Is not this this the fast that He has chosen;
To loose the bands of Wickedness
TOundo the heavy burdens
To let the OPPRESSED go free
And tn break every yoke
Then shall we call, and the Lord will an
swer. We shall cry, and he shall say,
fHere, l am"