Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1862-09-26
AT LAST.

AZ ldbt tht Etcilcnl anu MS duNlrtIh naNt
discovered that Slavery is the sole cause of thi'
war, and the destruction ofSlavery its sole cure
At last it is determined that the nation mus
live, though Slavery perish. Az last it is dis
covered that traitors in arms against the Gov
crnment, have no right to be protected by the
Constitution and Laws they have trodden un-
der foot AT last it is to be practical fact that
property in Slaves is not more sacred than pro-
perty in cattle, horses and lands At last, after
the sacrifice of 100000 men and $l,000,000,00O
of money there is to be a blow struck at the
life of the rebellion. At last, after our Gener-
ais have forbidden the slave to enter our camps
though the slave alone was their friend; after We
have again and again returned the fugitive, even
when he came with words of warning in his
mouth; after we have guarded rebel property
while its owners were fighting against us; after
we have melted away vast armies trying to con-
quer rebellion without touching slavery--atla last
we have bought our wits at an awful cost indeed,
and if the rebels do not conquer us in three
months, we win begin to fight them in earnest.
At last we are convinced that while four mil
lions Of loyal blacks, men and women, are forced
by us to support the rebellion we cannot con-
quer it.
Let it be supposed that England or France
had been situated as we were when this war be-
CANA part Of their immediate territory slave
holding and in rebellion;--what think you
would either of those governments have done?
Within ten days they would have issued a pro-
clamation sayngto the rebellious Shareholders,
Gentlemen, we see that your rebellion is found
ed on Slavery, now we give you fair warning
that you may submit to the Constitution and
Laws at once, or we will arm every slave, we will
give every slave instructions to kill, burn and
slay, we will make this war-which is your get
ting up and not ours-short, sharp and conclu
sive When it is done there shall be neithe
slave nor Shareholders, but the very memory o
slavery shall be swallowed up in sea of fir
and blood"
Such in substance would have been the cours
ofFrance or England had they stood precisely i
our shoes And they would have been right
II man in town or city, sets his own hous
on FIRE to the instant danger of general destruc
tion, shall we not pull it down over his head?-
Shall we pause because his wife and children
or even his slaves are shut up with him2
But our Generals commenced this war by is
suing proclamations warning the slaves that an,
attempt at insurrection would be put down b,
US with an iron hand" We bowed down t,
slavery with the same idolatrous devotion tha
was offered by its own deluded worshippers.
was more sacred in our eyes than Constitutions
Laws or Liberty,--for we stood ready to sacri
flee all these to slavery, and not slavery to these
Thus have we carried on the war for eightee
rnonths,--with what success every man knows
We might as well have attempted to put out
confagration by heaping dry fuel upon it. Ou
hearts, conscience aud reason; our political, so
cial, moral and even religious life, were pois
,oned by the views of slavery, that we could no
see either the cause or the cure of our troubles
We have been infatuated enough to believe tha
we could nourish the aceursed system of Amer
ican Slavery in our bosom, and yet escape thu
retubution of heaven. We thought we wer'
toostrong, and rieh and prosperous, to be over
thrown--that even the Almighty had not Al
arm that could call US to account for our SINS
But our folly is expired. We see it ourselves
Would that we had seen it sooner, yet perhap
it is best as II is Had we struck down the re
bellion at blow, we should have seen a nev
combination ofthe shareholders with their north
ern doughfaces, and we should have been agail
trampled under foot by this monster ofiniquity
We may nov hope that when the war ends, Sla
very and its power, both North aud South, vii
perish together.