Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1862-09-26

it cannot rule! Search the worlds recorc
ard traditions for a parallel, and desist in de
pair; for never was there crime approachin
it in di tant and feeble comparison. 1t con
prehends every other, and overtops them al
American Slavery has made itself the CAIN ,
the human race; some time its wall will
heard, "Behold, thou hast driven me out III
dW trom the J:,ce Of the earth!"
Can there be any lingering doubt that Sla,
cry is the wanton aggressor in this mort:
strife? Not for an instant, with him wht
looks and reads and Thinks not for an in
slant, with any but those who will not see
and many such there are, with whom all al
gument and appeal is vain. Not to such do
speak; but to those who hearing will heet
and needing will embrace the truth, for it
own and their country's sake. OF such taer
are tens of thousands, who love the Unio
with their whole hearts, but do not vet dis
tinctly recognize the Unions enemy The
know that the Union is assailcd, and the,
give their sons and their substance for it's de
Tense, but still do not fully see what assals it
They hear by day, and dream by night, o
horrid war between opposing hosts, that yes
terday were brothers, and ought to be broth
ers to-day, tomorrow, and always; but know
not how all this came about, or why it should
be. Let them clear away the mists which be
cloud their vision, and see that SLAVERY, il
the reckless ambition, the heartless selfish
ness, the fierce intolerance, the tyrannica
will, and the piratical greed of it's remorseless
aristocracy, must alone bear the ignominy oil
this unmatched crime forever
And vet there are those who deny this, and
those that ignore it. OF the first class. besides
the host of Slavery's devotees, and the atten-
dant .retinue of politicians, greedy for votes
and Office, each and all frowning upon or
sneering at the idea of slavery's responsibility
in any way for our present calamities | have
observed, among men Of note, so distinguish
ed and venerable a man as Amos Kendall, in
letter to the President of the United States,
denying that slavery was the cause of the re-
belion In the second class are found news.
papers, which, reserving their lightnings for
the Abolitionists, the Black Republicans and
the Radicals, launch promiscuous thunder at
the rebellion, but betray not the least con-
seriousness that slavery has any thing on earth
to do with it; and eloquent orators who en-
thrall admiring crowds with ornate discourses
about every element and feature of the rebel
lion, save just that insignificant one of slav-
cry f.; and 4 numberless crowd of "weak breth-
rem instantly aghast at the slightest ques-
ton of the virgin purity of the peculiar in
all opposing, but vainly, the resist
ance of a dead silence to that mighty public
opinion which marches straight forward to
burn into the brow of slavery the eternal brand
Of the traitor and the parricide Dare con-
front such odds? Yes, and thousand times
more and truth shuns no conflict, fears no
foes nor, armed with truth do I. That am
30 armed, it is now my duty to show. In do
ng so | must needs use some facts which |
nave before used in public. No matter; they
10 not grow old, nor will they ever lose their
point.
IN commercial convention of delegates
rom eight Southern States, held at Vicksburg
n May, 1860, Mr. Spratt, Of South Carolina,
n advocating resolutions in favor of re open
ng the African slave trade, used these words
I" 1t might be said that the slrve trade could
lot be legalized within the Union, and that to
e-establish it the Union would have to be
dissolved. | ct it be so. The men of the
south have higher trusts than to preserve the
Jnion."
There was day when such words would,
ven in VicIsburg, have called down a storm
# indignation and reproach upon their utter
r; but then and there they received the d.
ect sanction of the body to which they were
ddressed by its adoption of the resolutions
eferred to; thereby proclaiming defiance to
he Constitution which prohibits that trade.
Ar Spfatt was representative there of that
social aristocracy," about which, less than
ear later, he wrote letter, that is probably
he most vivid and truthful exposition of the
pirit and aims of secession that exists He
poke the simple, undisguised, and most exc
rable truth, as held by his class, when he
aid, "the men of the South had higher trusts
han to preserve the Union" He announced
himself, in advance, a traitor in heart, as af-
erwards he became one in act. And it was
or slavery, and, far worse, for the renewal of
hat accursed traffic, against which the anath-
mas of civilized nations are hurled, that he |
his treason. He renowned the
Constitution Of his country, and defied the
Conscience of Christendom, for the sake of
eturn, in this enlightened age and land, to
hat diabolical piracy of human beings, upon
which, more than seventy years before, the
athers of this nation had set the seal of ire
'ocable condemnation. This was one of the
highest trusts" which the men of the South
leld to be above the preservation of the Union!
If this fact stood alone, it would be the
nigma of the age; but it ceases to excite our
pecial wonder, when we see in it but the nat
ral fruit Of nearly thirty years effort to en-
brine slavery in the southern mind, not only
s the unfailing spring of material prosperity,
tut as the normal condition of society, and as
blessing divinely ordained to perpetuation
nd diffusion, and worthy to be made "the
hief stone in the corner" of republican form
# government emanating from Americans, in
he latter half Of the Nineteenth Century!
Fifteen years before, "men of the South ="
lad declared that they preferred the annexa-
ion of Texas-a vast domain dedicated to,
nd desired by them for the spread of slavery
TO the preservation Of the Union. Five
ears later, they threatened the Union, unless |
[avery were allowed unrestricted access to
he Territories Six years nearer the present
inc. they were ready for revolt, if the Re-
ublicau candidate should be elected Presl-
ent. Four years still nearer, they did re-
oft. when another Republican candidate,
through their own design and their own in
rigue was elected tor that high Office
hroug h all these periods of agitation and
anger, the animating and sole incentive Of
outhern action was the extension and per-
etuation of slavery Upon this, and for this
lone, the idea and purpose of Southern
;onfederacy were announced, not only to the
eople of the South, but in the halls of Con-
ress. Hear some Of the utterances Of
southern aristocrats on this point
Senator IvERsoN, of Georgia, said in the
'enate: