The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1861-05-03
90 FORWARD.

week ago last Sunday. which appeared In tho
Traveller few day. since, presents his views
OF the position Of Affairs. which are truly
patriotic. We may not endorse everything
he says, but give the following extracts As
breathing the spirit Of the early days Of tho
Republic. Everybody willrc them.
The whole lesson Of the past, then, IL that
safety and honor come by holding fast TO
ones principles; by pressing them with
courage; by going into darkness and defeat
chcerfully for them.
And now our turn has como. Right bo-
fore us lies the Red Sea OF war. Ii Is rod
indeed. There Is blood in II. We have
come to the very edge Of IL, and the word Of
God to-day Il, speak to the people that
they 20 forward Il Is not our procuring.-
II Is not of our wishing. Itisnot our hand that
has stricken the first stroke. nor drawn the frt
blood. We have prayed against It. westrug-
eled against Ii, Ten thousand times We have
said, Let this cup pas from u.s. II has
been overruled. We have yielded every
thing but manhood, and principle, and
truth and honor, and we have heard the
voice of God saying, Yield these never "
And these not being yielded, war has bean
let loose upon the land.
Now, let US look both ways into this mat.
ter. that we may decide what 1t 10 our duty
| to do.
/. There Il no fact susceptible Of proof
In history, II II be not true that this Federal
| Government was created for the purpose OF
justice and liberty and not liberty. either,
with the construction that traitorous or bc-
fooled heads are attempting TO give it-liber.
ty with devil In 1t We know very well
what was tho breadth and charity Of tho
faith of those men that formed the early ar
ticles of our Confederation. II there was
any pecularity to their faith, II was that
their notion oi liberty was too eItrayagant.
But there was no doubtfullness to their posi-
tion. And tho instruments which accom-.
panied and preceded It, and the opinions Of
| the men that framed Il. put this fact beyond
all controversy that tho Constitution OF
the United States, together with tho Declar.
| alton of Independence. was meant to DO -
| We now hold II, as we now defend II, a. wo
have held II, and as We have been defending
it. And at length even this Is conceded by
the enemies of liberty In this country. Tho
Vice President Of the so-called Southern
| Confederacy has stated recently that thero
was n bunder made in the Construction OF
our Constitution on this very truth Of uni.
ycrsal liberty, and he has declared In for
| NAL speech, that our Constitution was fram.
| ed on fupdamental mistake, inasmuch as IL
took il for granted that men were horn for
freedom and equality thus admitting tho
grand fact that the immortal instrument, a.
held by the North, embodies the views Of
those who framed il; and those views are un-
msiakably in favor Of liberty TO all.
9. There can be no disputing the fact, that
from commercial causes. an element OF slay-
cry which had u temporary refuge in the be-
| ginning in this land swelled to an unforeseen
and unexpected power, and for City years has
held the administrative power the country
In its hands. No man acquainted with our
politics hesitatcs 10 say that while the spirit
Ofliberty frst suggested our national institu-
tions, after that work WIS done. the govern
ment passed into the hands Ol the slave pow
er f; and that power. has administered these
institutions during the last fifty years for Its
own purposes, or in a manner that has been
ant gonis,ic 20 the interests Of this country.
3. Against this usurpation for the last
TWENTY-FIVE years, there has been rising up
and organizing a proper. legal, constitution
al opposition, wishing not the circumscrip-
ton or injury Of any section in this land, but
endeayoring TO keep our institutions out OF
the hands Of despotism, and on the sido OF
liberty. For twenty-five years thcre has
been struggle to sec to 1t that those immor-
tai instruments that werv framed for the
purposes Of liberty should not be wrsted
from their original intent-that they should
be,maintaincd for the objects for which they
were created
What is the means that have bcen employ
ed to maiutain our institutions Free dis
cussion.-That simply. We have gone bc-
fore the people in every proper form. For
twenty years Of defeat, though OF growing
influence. we have argued the question OF
human rights and human liberty, and the
doctrines Of the Constitution and OF our "a.
tbers; and We have maintained that the
children should stand where the fathsrs did.
At length the continent consented. We be.
gan as handful, in the midst Of mobs and
derision, and obloquy.
We have gone through the experience OF
Gethsemane and Calvary. The cause OF
Christ among his poor has suffered - the
master suffered, again, again, and again (;
and ut last the public opinion OF the North
has been reyolutionilcd. What revolution
iled away from the doctrines OF the fsthers7
No. back TO the doctrines Of the iathes. Re-
yolutionizcd against our institutionsf No /;
in fovor Of our institutions. We have tax.
en- simply the old American principle. We
have taken merely the ground which was
taken BY our venerable ancestors, and from
which, owing to foreign influence, We have
hrscd. This 10 the history very simply mar.
rated. The children have gone back 10
the old landmarks. We stand for the doc.
trines aud instruments that our fathers gave
US.
The vast majoritics OF this nation arc now
on the sido OF our American Institutions, 40
cording to their original intent. We ask
only this that our government may DO whst
II was made TO be-an instrument Of justice
and liberty. We ask no advantages no
new prcrogatiyes; no privileges Whatsoever.
We merely say, Let there DO no intestine
revolutions in our instruments, and iet them
stand ms they werc made, and Tor tho Por'
n. ses for which they were created. 10
there anything unrea'onaole' anything
Is II wrong to discuss Is II wrong tog be-
fore free people with their business, and In
the field, and In the caucus, and IN tho ~
sembly. 10 all delibcratiye bodies, argue fair
iy, and express the result by the American
means-the omnipotence Of the vote3 IL that
wrong? Il Is what We have been doing the
past few year,. BY the prescribed methods
OF the Constitution. and in the spirit Of lib
erty which II embodied and evoked. we havo
done our proper work. Before God. wo
cleanse our hands OF all imputation Of do
signing injustice. or OF seeking wrong, We
have not sought any ones damage. We
hayo aimed at no invidious r-trictions Tor
any. We have simply said. God. through
our fathers. committed to us certain instiiu::