The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1862-08-21
Our Country Calls!


| delivered at late Mass Meeting in Allie
gheny City, by Rev. Samuel j. Wilson,
| d. b. 1t is the hearts utterance Of the
true Patriot and sincere Christian
FELLOW CITIZENS Il am a minister
of the Gospel. 1 am no politician. If [
looked upon this struggle as mere polit-
ical issue, should not be here, but l con-
slider it as high above mere party politics
as the heavens are higher than the earth
| My allegiance is first to my God, next to
my country
Is this issue worth all that it is costing
us in blood and treasure? [ solemnly be-
lieve it is.
In the balance over against the interests
at stake, money is lighter than a moth
eaten feather. Let debt come. Out OF
| the vital energy of your sinewy arms,
Farmers and Mechanics, you will pay 1t.
! Let every acre in our farms, and every
stone and brick in our houses be mort
gagged. We will pay the debt, or we will
| bear it without a murmur, and when we
die we will roll it over on our children,
who will be worse than craven If they do
not assume it cheerfully, and bear 1t
| bravely.
To estimate this issue in dollars and
cents, would be as monstrous as 1t would
be to barter away mothers love tor
husks that the swine do eat, or as it would
be to trade and traffic in the affections of
wife or of daughter. Gold is trash,
silver is dirt. real estate is dung when
once thrown into the scales against an un-
divided country, an unsu!lied national
honor, an unstained and an untorn nation
al flag.
But is it worth the blood, the tears, the
agony, the MANNED bodies, the broken
hearts that it is costing us?
Yes and thousand times more thrice
told. There are worse things than death,
or bloodshed, or war. Cowardice is worse.
Dishonor is infinitely worse. Let blood
flow until it reaches the throat-iatches of
the horses, rather than have one star
plucked from the galaxy of States-rather
than have one inch of Ameri can soil alien
ated from the Constitution which our ia
theirs gave us.
Let no man s'lay to his soul the aatter-
ing unction," that there can ever be two
peaceful republics on this continent. In
the language of Holy Writ, Say ye not q
Coate,1racy. We had better fight it out
now than have incessant and interminable
war hereafter. Secession consummated Is
the Internal Pandora Box from which will
issue all Imaginable and monstrous politi-
cal evils for US, and for our children, and
for the world. Let one roo of American
soil be wrested by force from the jurisdic-
tion of the United States, aud we may as
well tear our flag to ribbons and sell 1t for
rags. We may as well take the parchme ent
on which the Constitution Is written, and
make lighting papers of it. That proud
banner would then no longer float on every
sea and on every shore, the unchallenged
emblem of repubicanism triumphant; but
it would be jeered at by every despot and
aristocrat on 4rth, as the tattered, despi-
cable symbol Of the utter failure of popular
government
The hour we fail in this struggle, the
sun goes back fifteen degrees on the dial.
| Men Of Pennsylvania! shall it be so? No.
over the smoking blood of Rippey and of
Black, swear to-day that it shall never be
as long as there is in Allegheny County a
man to ram home cartridge, fix a bayonet
or pull trigger.
| If it must be so, let this land be deluged
with blood Out of that red and clotted
ocean, civil liberty will arise regenerated
and purified and resplenden:, as Minerva
leaped in full panop!y from the brain Of
Jupiter,
There is no election left US in this mat
ter The bloody issue has been forced
upon us, and we must meet it manfully,
or lie down like whining spaniels at the
feet of treason-dyed aristocracy. Are
ye ready for that, ye sons of Benjamin
Franklin?
We call Heaven to witness that the
loyal people of this country desired not
blood. To man they were for peace
While you were going on with your farm
ing, your merchandise, and your mechanic
arts, perjured traitors were secretly plot.
ting the destruction Of the best Govern
ment on earth. The conduct was ST
atrooious that you would not-you could
not believe it. While you were at home
quietly pursuing your peaceful callings
these perjured traitors were rifing our
arsenals, drilling soldiers, and even train.
ing their guns On the flagstaff of Sumter
! Still you could not credit the atrocity.
At last came the consummation of the
blacklist villainy, perfidy and treason in
! the records of all time. Men who al
their lives had been dandled and fon He'd
by the most indulgent Government in the