The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1860-1863, 1861-07-25

~, ~ >" "'Nei 'DuI tHe "hI may De TER I
by a prompt suppression Of the
rebellion Tie longer the snuegls con
tinucs, tie 6ercer will be its spirit, md
the more fe,Iful the waste Of life altend.
iHg il, You, u eref1re, only asgravate tie
cslamiy you deplore, by standing aloof
from the combat. But again ,bey cay,
"we cannot fight our brethren" Indeed
But your brethren can fight yoh and with
a good will too. Nichedly ard wanion-
y have tEey commenced llis war against
you and your institutions, and frociousIy
are iley prosecuting il. They take no ac
count Of the fact that the massacre with
which tley hope their swords will ere
lcng be cIogged, mus, be the msssacre
Of their brethren. However much we
may now bow our beads at the confession,
IT is nevertheless true that every free peo
pie that have existed, have been obliged
at one period or other of their history to
fight Tor their liberties against traitors
within their own bosoms, and That pco-
pie who have not the greatness of the soul
thus to fight, cannot long continue to be
free nor do they deserve to be so.
There is not and there cannot be any
neutrality ground for loyal people be-
tween thtiI own Government and those
who at the head of armies are menaciug
lis destruction. Your inaclion is not neu
tTallty, though you may delude your
selves with the belief that il is so. With
this rebellion confronting you, when you
refuse to cooperate actively with your
government in subduiDg it. you thereby
condemn the government and assume To-.
ward 1t an attitude Of antagonism. Your
inactlon is virtual endorsement of the
rebellion, and if you do not therel y give
to the rebels precisely that laid and com
fort" spoken of in the Constitution. you
certainly afford them most powerful en-.
couragemeLt and support. ] hat they
regard your present position as friendly
to them, is proved by the fact, that, in a
recent enactment Of the Confederate Con.
gress confiscsting the detts due from
their own citizens 10 those Of loyal States,
the debts due to the people of Kentucky
are expressly excepted. Is not this sig
nifcant? Does il leave any room fol
doubt that tie Confederate Congress sup.
pose they have discovered under the guise
Of your neutrality lurking sympathy for
their cause which entities you to be treat.
I'd as friends if not as active allies? Pa
riotic as was the purpose of her appre-
hensive statesmen in placing her il. the
anomalous position she now occupies, i
cannot be denied thai Kentucky, by he
present attitude. is exerting potent in
fuence in Strengthening the rebe lion, an,
is therefore false alike to her loyalty an,
10 her fame. You may rest vel assure,
that this estimate OF your neutrality i
entertained hy the true men of tie coun
try in all the States which are sustaining
the Government Within the last few
weeks, how many of those gallant volun
teers, who have left home ard kindred
and all that is dear to them, and are now
under a Southern sun, exposing them
selves to death from disease ana 10 dcati
from battle. and are accounting their livei
as nothing in the effort they are making
for the deliverance of your Government
and theirs; how many of them have salt
10 me in sadness and IN longing Evil
not Kenuucky help me?' How my sou
would have leaped could have snswere,
promptly, confidently, exultingly, aye
she will" But when / thought of thi
neutrality. my heart sank within, me, an
| did not and | could not Look these bray
men in the face. And yet could no
answer "no.' I could Rot crush my Sc
TO the earth under the seif,abasement {
such reply. therefore said-and ma
my country sustain me-"I hope. trust
l pray, nay, | believe, Kentucky vii! ye
do her duty"
If this Government is to be destroyed
ask yourselves: are you willing it sba
be recorded in history that KeutGcky stoo
By in the greatness of her strength an
lifted not a hand to stay the catastrophe
J, Ilf'it is 10 he savcd-as I verify believe
is-arc you willing that it shall be wri
. ten that in the immeasurable glory &hic
must attend the achievement Kentuck
had no pa,t9 r tr-., .a-.r 60.
will only add, if Kentucky wishes tt
waters Of her bpaurifuI Ohio 10 be dyc
: in blood; fshe wishes her harvest ielt
now waving in their abundance, to !
d tIampled under the feet of hostile soldier
e as flower. garden is tlampled benca'
o the tbresbings of the tempest; if she wist
es the homes where her loved ones al
T. now gathered in peace, Invaded by IL
+ prosrrip,iye fury Of a military despoisn
: sparing neither life nor property; if 81
= wishes the streets Of her towns and cltit
a grown with grass, and the steamboats,
i her rivers to lie rotting at her whaive
e then let herjoih the Southern Con 'eder
d cy But if she would have the brig
: waters Of that river flow on in their gla'
IS ness: if she would lave Fer harves
'I peacefully gathered to her garners;'it 81
, would have the lullspes Of her cradle an
Is the songs Of her homes uninvaded by Il
% cries and terroIs Of battle, if she won
lie have the streets Of her towns and citl
J. again filed with The hum and lhrongs
n busy trade, and her rivers and their shor
g once more vocal with the steamers whi
u tle-that anthem OF free and prospero
re commerce--then let her stand fast to &
Stars and Stripes. and do her duty a.
l. her whole duty as member ol this .
IN ion. Let her brave people say to t
NJ President of the United States, "You a
OF our Chief Magistrate; the GOvernme
ID you have in charge and are trying to sa
Do from dishonor and dismembermenI is .
ID Government; your cause is indeed o
cause; your battles are our battles; ma