The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-04-01
The old Prophets 81 the nspsSi,c.

The Old Prophets 81 the Rsp1Slic.
One has we'll said that " whatever may
be the future Of America, the past is safe"
Among the founders of the Government
we're men Of such profound sagacity, and
capable OF 30 thorough comprehension Of
principles, that even before the applica-
ton Of them, they were able to foretell
with certainty, the practical results
Some of those men saw, with the cIearness
Of prophetic insight what some now can
net see even in the light of the practical
results that the experiment with liberty
and slavery under the same government,
must, in the long run, prove disastrous to
liberty. For example: William Pinckney,
the great orator of Maryland, in a speech
before the Maryland House Of Delegates
in 1889, used the following remarkable
words:
Au@t enV uNhGstVuA EuuSEIutHfes OF the syn
tenn OF bondage have not yet been felt, does not
prove that they never will be. To me, Sir,
nothing for which have not the evidence of my
senses IL more clear than that II will one day de-
stroy that reverence for liberty which il the vital
principle Of = Republic. While majority Of your
citizens are accustomed to rule with an authority
Of despots within particular limits, while your
youth reared in the habit Of thinking that the
yrsaf rights n Aumsn aatavs are not sacred, but
that they may with innocence be trnmped On, can
II he expected that the public mind should glow
with that generous ardor in the cause of freedom
which alone can ave Government like ours from
ths lurking demon Of usarpatioay y
Have you no apprehensions that when the yotaries
Of freedom sacrifice also at the gloomy altar of
slavery, they will at length become opostatcs from
the former ! For my own part have no hope that
the stream of general liberty will Aow forever nm
polluted through the foul mire OF partial bondage"
A very dangerous man this Mr.. Pinck-
ney of Maryland, guilty Of the abolition
ism which has been the curse Of the land !.
Obviously, a troublesome man, who had
not only tongue but conscience Ag-
italor, fanatic, incendiary Among those
chiefly responsible for slavery. Sowing
to the wind and thus bringing on the
whirfwind that is destroying the country!
Responsible, in great degree, for the
seccssionism OF Maryland Far-sighted,
but not having the remotest idea of such
thing as the bred Scott decision +! On
the contrary, chargeable with the crime of
reverencing "she great rights Of human
nature" and far enough from the immac
nlate purity of the men who now despise
and denounce those rights Not having
the penetration to see that man is not a
man aeull if he has black face No,
having the acuteness to perceive that
the grand, fundamental distinction o.
white and black is just the distinction 0,
man and no man, rights and no rights
Stupid aholltionist {. E.r uno dises ON
mes" What pity that he and Other
ring-leaders of those days had not beer
utterly crushed out, with all the abolition
ism that was in them In that case We
might have peace now instead of war;
However, it must be said that. wha,
Pinckney feared has become an actua
and mournful fact. Many, in conss
quence of sacrificing at the affairs of sla
very. have hopelessly apostatized from
liberty. They talk Of liberty they d
not mean the liberty which is every man
rth-right. They talk of rights mo
the rights of human nature, for which
the fathers commended. They talk of de
mocracy they moan the right of fev
to rule the many They talk Of Constitu
tlonal rights they mean only the right
Of shareholders. They talk Of danger /.
the Constitution they mean danger t
slavery, for they know that the overtime,
OF slavery would more firmly establis
the Constitution in all its great essenti.
principles. They know that the syste,
OF slavery Is in no sense the foundatio
OF the Constitution and Government.
We have now before our eyes the pra,
teal results Of grand and decisive expe
iment in politics; slavery has shown i
self to be irreconcilably hostile to free i,
situations; but some, apparently incap,
BILE of learning wisdom from experience
are fraid that the war win wipe out Il
accursed system which, already, has ba
barixed half the States Of the Union, nm
is swallowing the wealth and sucking IL
blood Of the entire nation.
But hear another Of the old prophet
whose words were not without authori,
10 the early days Of our Independence. :
Read how clearly he developes the pr
cess which has destroyed democracy an