The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1862-05-15

q OTTUMWA,
Of the South the unparalleled atrocities Of
the robbery, murder and torture Of Union
men the cold-blooded murder Of prisoners,
and even the mutilation Of the dead, are aIl
fruits of no sudden apostacy from virtue. -
The multiplied pe1uries in high life and lew,
al, al are but the faithful iliustrstisn Of the
leavening power Of that great outrage upon
God and man, long cherished and vindica.
ted by al classes at the South. In all these
outrages Of the rights Of white men, they dc
but transfer the law Of their action in the
case Of the oolored man to the last victim.
The same saw Of espedisncy, as q substitute
for the Law Of right, prevails in the one case
that did in the other. Franklin, once, con.
versing with friend, remarked that Is men
became enlightened and honest, slavery
would cease. His friend asked him ii he
did not think il honest to hold slaves l-
Franklin replied in his quaint way,
"What he to Afric's sons will do,
He'll do to thee and thine.
So guard your spoons, and daughters too,
Whene'er he comes to dine"
But still further, the virus Of this accurs-
cd leaven has reached the Northern con-
science partly from the long habit ofregard-
ing it as . national excrescecne, to be en-,
durec and even protected, as sort Of fatal.
itY, INVOLVING the life of the nation In any
attempt at its removal. Even this tolera-
tien of it has enfeebled and paralyzed, to
some extent the Northern COINCIDENCE. But
mainly has it reached and corrupted North.
ern conscience through the political inter.
ests and organizations of the country. Sla-
very has been posoer strong enough to
make the South unit, in al matters which
concern its interests (and but precious little
of the legislation of the country that it has
net an interest in). Naw, whatever party At
the North would chime in with and submit
to the dictation of this Southern unit, would
be the party in power. This temptation to
sacrifice the rights of liberty t. the demands
Of slavery has ever been polluted brihe to
Northern conscience. 1t has corrupted the
integrity and wrought the ruin Of many .
Northern statesman, sending its virus thro'
the Northern wing Of the party gathered tn
itself. 1t is in this channel of its power that
it becomes most immediately dangerous. =
Slavery has ever been political nucleus Of
peculiar power. It has drawn to it, stand
ard the weak or irritated consciences of the
nation, and BY the same power that il at
tracts the bad it repels the good. As such,
it has become exceedingly valuable to the
bad men, both South and North. BY this
means the bad men of the country have been
able to monopolise the government with its
power and its patronage.
This accounts for MYSTERIOUS phepome-
non. For several years past the party in
power, gathered around this nucleus, have
been bold an ! reckless in their wicked acts.
not caring even to disgpise them. With the
help Of this Southern unit, they have felt
sure that there were bad men enough to re-
tain the power, and they did not care to be
embarrassed with the presence Of the good,
and hence toak no pains to win their favor.
When the South began this war, they up-
doubtedly expected these Northern deyotees
to stand by them in their sttempt to break
down the LIST strongholds Of freedom. In
this, thanks to an overruling providence,
they have been disappointed. Many, no
doubt, by the fearful extent Of slavery's de-
mapds, and hy its reckless disloyalty, have
been awakened in time to escape the deadly
snare in which they had been drawn, while
many, utterly corrupted, would now betfsy
the country to the rebels fin, thsiE power,
ard are restrained only BY fear, or want u
opportunity. Now, with 50 large . portion
Of the Republic as is comprised in the South,
with a. scared and corrupted and palsied con-
science, With such vast multitude at the
North whose consciences are enfsebled, OF
vitiated, scofins At the very idea, Of higher
law, or that justice has anything to do With
the politics Of the country, where is our safe,
", or rhat ground to hope for . peBmaaent
peaces The question, what shall be done
with the blacks, troubles many; but the
question, what is to be, done with the three
hundred and fiffy thousand consciencelsss
slaveholders, and the seven or eight millions
ofipsAseil1, ignorant, and prejndiced whites
Of the South, is one that troubles me f.,
more. In this bad state Of the public oon.
science lies our chief danger, danger from
which the tarmination Of this terrible War
would not relieve US. In the restoration Of
. national Conscience alone is their safety.
And what adds to this fearful moral as.
pect is the fact that in al this we have Of
Tended holy God. His anger is kindled
He is giving ns blood to drink. for we ars
worthy. Tho groans Of crushed millions
have long gone inta the ears Of the Lord ol
SahaatA against us. There stands upon The
records Of the Daagress Of these States Z
resolution. saying, Slaves shall not have tht
right Of petition" They shall not pray l.
Hear il, o heavens be astonishsd, o earth
The congFesated power ofthe nation in gov
emmental form. claiming the sanction Of tn
holy God. and With it, heel upon the neck
of three milliops ofhuman beings crushci