The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-09-06

not suppressed? One may answer, "W'
have not had men enough another
that our generals have been deficient il
military skill, and others give still othe
answers. Ar these my be, IN part, true
but / fear the great reason is founded di
rectly in the hearts of the American PEG
pie. wish to present this subject clear
! ly before christian public
/ would ask the minister in the pulp
as he prays God to give wisdom to on
President and courage to our soldiers
l would ask the devout mother and wifi
us they kneel in secret devotion and pleat
| with Heaven to protect their sons ant
husbands and hasten their return, if the,
believe in their hearts that God has any
thing to do with the temporal affairs o.
the human race
If God condescends to notice the &C
tions of man and to aid man in his under.
takings, He must have hand in tbs war
II God has any design in this war, then
all the wisdom and power of man can not
| bring it to close until that object be &C.
complished.
That God does preside over the destin
les of man, no christian will. for mo-
ment, deny.
What object has God in this war? ?
This is the all important question. be
lieve it is nothing more nor less than the
| entire destruction of the institution Of
slavery Is it sin to forcibly separate
the husband and the wife, to take the lit
tic infant from its mothers breast and
send it where she can never see it more,
to compel human being to labor all his
life time without pay, to forcibly keep
the mind in ignorance, to deny humsn
being the right to search the scriptures,
is it sin for father to sell bis own chill
dren 40 he would his horse or his mule,
to degrade to the level of the brute, both
mentally and spiritually, those beings for
whom the Savior of the world died on
the cross? then slavery is sin for it sa ne
tons all these. This nation is guilty of
the sin for it has pretended to legalize it..
Wesley denounces slavery as "the most
heinous sin the sun ever shone upon,'
and Jefferson says: ~ tremble for my
country when | remember that God is
just" speaking of the wickedness of slav-
cry.
Now, if slavery is sinful, which very
few of your readers will deny; and If a
just God desires cessation of that sin
which none will deny, who dare assert
that this warts not the chosen instrument
in His hands, to wipe the institution out
of existence.
War has been His most common and
most fearful messenger of wrath, sent to
punish national sins. The Babylonians
sank deep in sin, and desecrated the YES
sells Of Gods temple, and Cyrus, the
servant of God,' was sent with the ar
mics of the Modes and Persians to ehas.
tise them. The lsraelites slew the proph.
cts and righteous men, and it was declar.
ed, that of this sacred temple, "not one
stone should be left upon another;' and
the armies of Rome were sent to fulfill
the terrible decree.
But it is needless to discuss the subject
All who believe the Bible. believe that
God presides over the destinies of the hu-
man family, that He Furnishes national
sins by national calamities and very few
will deny that slavery, as it exists in this
country, is great and crying sin,
Is not the hand of God plainly visible
in passing eventsy In 1859 the two
great political parties pledged themselves
against slavery agitation, and the time
honored Wing party was blotted out. In
1854 all the powers of every department
OF this great nation we're called into &C
ton to plant slavery in the Territory o
Kansas; but despite Of everything.
corrupt Judiciary, . treacherous executive
and pro-slavery legislative department
aided by desperate bands Of robbers ant
murderers, gallant few, aided by tn,
hand of Providence, succeeded in thwart
ling TINT design, and Kansas to-day Is free
BY virtue Of long and thorough party OF
ganization the champions Of slavery plant
ed their banner In the Federal capital OF