The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-10-11

them Of the grain produced by those la
borers. Had those slaves been taken
from them last spring. their fields would
now be uncutivated, their granaries un-
filled, and soon starvation would drive
them from the field.
1t is urged that we must subdue the
rebels before we can free theslaver. Not
so, exactly. We may not be able to free
All of them. All ,oithtn our lines will be
free And most Of the le-bodied, the
really valuable ones, for miles around, will
make their way to our lines We have
to-day, negroes in our camp, who have
travelled sixty miles through the eneny's
country, for the privilege Of working on
our breast.works. Had Hslleck been
commanded to give liberty to the slaves,
all Tennessee, Northern Mississippi, and
Northern Alabama would have been
free. Curtis would have sounded the
trumpet of liberty over half of Ar
kansss, and the glad tidings Of the Amer
lean jubilee would have been heard along
the coast from Baltimore to New Orleans.
But on higher grounds do / hail the
Presidents proclamation as the "glad
tidingH ofgreat JOY" to all lovers Of liberty.
A mighty people have been guilty of a
great and crying sin. The voice of our
brothers blood has been "crying unto
the Lord" against us, and the NJ messengers
of God s wrath have been sent through
the land to scourge the people. Thai,
proclamation officially. in behalf of this
nation, renounces that sin and pledges
the discontinuance thereof. 1t is when
the guilty acknowledge their transgres
slons and cry unto the Lord, that they
can hope for mercy from his hand. In
vain did tn. Egyptians strive to get rid of
their seven successive plaques until they
repente and promised to let the children
of Israel 90 free. Ia vain might we have
marshalled our armies and gone forth to
the field of death. Although We may
have outnumbered our foes and been
commanded by Cesar or Napoleon Bo-
napartc, yet, ike morning dew, would
our hosts have withered away even un-
/ smote By the sword.
I But now the issue is clearly made
j We stand upon high ground. The free
dom of whole race of people depends
upon the success Of our arms. The tears
of the widow, the cries Of the orphan, the
bitter groans Of the oppressed, arise to
Heaven in our behalf. The earnest
the aufnlly earnest prayers Of four mil
lions Of Injured people, continually ascend
the Chill of the Lord that we may
conquer. All the sweat, the tears. the
blood of all the slaves from the settlement
of this country to the present, array them
selves in judgment against the rebel gov
eminent which would perpetuaie thai
cursed institution. The prayers of every
christian heart on the face of the earth
now rise in one mighty column that the
victorious arms of the North may sweep
from the plains of the South, the Southern
Confederacy, and with it, the last vesti-
ges OF the accursed institution of Slavery.
Sure as there lisa God who "hears the
young raven when it cries, SO sure will
the prayers OF his children be answered
and this war will be speedily and glorious
ly terminated.
| A brighter day is dawning upon this
Government than any of the days of the
past. We soon shall come forth from our
fiery trial, humbled in our thoughts. pu-
rifcd in our hearts, and separated from
the dross which has been our shame in
the eyes Of all the world. As the fourth
of July shall always be commemorated as
our birth day, so shall the first day OF
January be held sacred in the hearts Of
all future generations as the day of our
redemption and salvation. Abraham
Lincoln, the christian and the patriot,
who had the pure heart and steady nerve
to step forth and snatch mighty people
from the vortex of sin and ruin, will have
his name registered high on the temple
of fame, along with that of Washington
| one tho father, the other the saviour O
: his country.
} hail the proclamation, not only al