Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1862-05-23
e accomplishment of his purposes; he

the accomplishment of his purposes; he
will never sacrifice his principles nor
change his position simply because they
might render him odious or unpopular
among certain class of community.
The great burthen of his soul is to know
that he is right, regardless of the opin
ions and prejudices of men. If men
should brand him as bigot, it moves
him not. If the world denounces him
as fanatic, he views it with contempt.
He follows not the Shiny track of the
hypocritical politician who rides upon
mules, jackasses, donkies, oxen, apes or
monkeys, little difference what, only so
that he rides into office and gets the
peoples money. Such men have neither
moral courage nor moral honesty. In
fact, whenever you find the one of these
qualities, you find the other-the two
most generally go together. The man of
true moral courage stands exalted above
such officiating, slavish principles as
these He lives in another sphere
breathes another atmosphere-feeds on
other food-he stands, as it were, amid
flowers of undying granduer and unper-
ishahle beauty.
But this great and noble characteris
tic that is so necessary to constitute US
true men is, am sorry to say, very
much wanting, indeed, among large
portion of mankind And, inssmuch
as these are times that are calculated to
develop and bring out those men in our
country who do possess true moral cour-
age, 1 thought that |, in this communi
cation, would call attention to one par
ticular idea-which is only one among a
thousand-that enables us to discrimi-
nate so clearly and fully between those
men of these times, who possess true
moral courage, and those who possess it
not.
Irefer to that dread and indescriba Bile
horror that seems to fill some men S
minds at the mere idea of being called
an Abolitionist. It would seem that
this one single word is greater terror
to them than it would be to face the ar
mics of JEFF. Davis or Beauregard on the
battle field And why is this7 Simply
because of the odium which those con-
temptible traitors and slave holding Sc
cessionists, or lick -spittles of the south
ern chivalry, have clothed the term with.
Not that there is anything in the word
itself that should cause men to quail and
quake before it. Not that the abolition
of the peculiar and sacred institution
would be such great and uupardona ole
crime. and an irreparable loss to our
country. But it is because those men
lack that moral courage that will enable
them to meet the issue fairly and
squarely in the face.
They love the praise and dread the
contempt of unprinciplcd and wicked
men, more than they love the imperish-
able principles of justice and truth, and
are willing to sacrifice the latter, in or
der to gain the former. They admit that
slavery is wrong, that it is a great curse
to the country q sin against God and
man; that it7iss today the iifeiinsp spiring
element of this cursed rebellion which
is filing the land with blood, and groans,
and tears, and yet for the want Of moral
courage, they fear to take the only true
position with regard to it. These moral
towards say that they are anti slavery
men, which means, if | can understand
them at all, that they are opposed to
slavery They are no a Aboli:ionists, but
they are emancipatlonists or colorlza7
tionists. But that other awful epithet,
we cannot, and we will not stand, we
are afraid Of it, we hate it. Why2 Be
cause these vile conspirators in our
country, both North and South, have,
and are now using it as a stigma against
the true Union men all over the land,
preventing them, thereby, from coming
out boldly and taking decided and
true stand in favor of the Union Now |
would just say to such timid mortals,
that these secessionists will denounce
you as Abolitionists anyhow, whether
you like it or not And if this be so,
and who dare deny it, then why, we as
in the name of God, why not come out
like men, and say in plain, unmistak akable
language, that you are not afraid of
being called an Abolitienist? Let the
world know, and see, that you have
moral courage enough to Ietit be known
where you stand. -
If you think slavery is wrong, and
are opposed to it, and would like to
see it abolished, say so at once Don
say that you are an anti-slayery man, or
an emancipationist, and then fear to do
your duty for fear somebody win call
you an Abolitionist. | want YOU to be
4 an A Abolitionist-not in the Southern in
1 "a