North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1862-10-01

Quakers, or possibly all of these religionists,
burned at the stake, or charged with treason,
for sustaining view of religion which those
fanatics believed to be of necessity rebellious,
or tending to rebellion.
There is no exaggeration in this view. If
man breaches, as some clergymen-a large
part of the New England clergy-preach, that
this war is punishment by God on the
Constitution of the United States, for the aw-
ful sin of tolerating slavery, how soon will
the same men or their successors be preach
ing that the Constitution is deserving of
Gods wrath for tolerating Romlsh mass or
Jewish synagogues The effect of the Con-
stitution in one case is precisely what it is in
the other, with the exception that the Consti-
tuition absolutely prohibits the United States
from interfering with Mohamme6an who
CHOOSES to preach his prophet, or Parsee
who worships the sun and blasphemes Chris
tianity, while it fails, only by silence, to en-
power any interference with slavery in the
States. In other words, the Constitution
positively sustains idolatry and forbids inter-
ference with it, and only negatively permits
slavery. Is it not then plain that men who
profess to have such tender consciences that
that they cannot live in Union which per-
mits slavery, or who claim SO clear an insight
into the Divine purposes that they authorita-
lively assure us that he is now Furnishing the
nation for permitting slavery to exist, are the
very men whose conscience may next year
render it impossible for them to live in Un-
ion whose government sustains paganism or
episcopacy? Men who refase to eat sugar or
wear cotton grown by slave labor are extrem.
lists. But the principles Of the extremists are
too easily adopted by unthinking men, who
do not pause to see the result of their notions.
What does all this show 1t shows this,
and plainly, that if the radical ideas of the
anti-slavery man are to be adopted as ne
cessary principle of Union, then Union is i'm
possible. If we are to have Union, we can
only have it on the principle of the Fathers
and of the Constitution, which is simply the
principle of mutual concessions. No man
who, being Protestant says he cannot live
in Union that tolerates Roman Catholics. is
fit to be an American citizen. No man who
being an anti-slavery man, says he cannot live
in Union which tolerates slavery, is fit to
be an American citizen. Men may as we'll
understand this grand truth at once. 1t
stares them in the face. If slavery must be
abolished to crafty you, why shall not slave
ry be restored to Maine and Massachuset it's,
to crafty Southern citizens whose rights are
equal to yours? Ifyou demand of men the
hackneyed question care you conditional
Unionist-in favor of the Union if you can
have slavery preserved?" how can YOU reply
20 the question put to yourself, 81 are not you
conditiona. Unionst, preferring disunion, to
permitting slavery to exist any where 2" The
true patriot to-day looks at the question OF
Union as the fathers looked at it. He says
there is no price too great to pay for the I'm
ion. He sees with clear eye that it is falls e
and pernieious doctrine which charges him or
his conscience with any responsibility for the
religion or the creed of other men ,on account
of the Union which tolerate them. He knows
that God has blessed the old Union above all
nations on earth. He finds that punishment
began first when these men with tender con-
sciences began to preach that the Union made
all its subjects responsible for all the sins that
were possible under its government, and he
resolved that the Union, one indvisible, shall
be re-established in power, and that every
enemy, Northern or Southern, every persecu-
tor, every tyrant over other mems conscien-
ces, shall be taught the power OF that Union.
~. Y. Journal of Commerce.