Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1862-08-15
(Published by Request,)


FELLOW CITIZENS 81 am minister Of
the Gospel. am no politician. i'll look
ed upon this struggle as mere political
issue, should not be hero, but consider
it as high above mere party politics as the
heavens are higher than the earth. My al.
legiauce is first to my God, next to my
country.
Is his issue trorth all that It is costing a,
in blood and treasurer | solemnly believe
it is.
In the balance over against the interests
at stake, money is lighter than moth. eat
en- feather. Let debt come. Out of the
vital energy of your sinewy arms, farmers
and mechanics, you will pay it. Let ev-
cry acre in our farms, and every stone and
brick in our houses be mortgaged. We
will pay the debt, or we will. bear it with
out murmur, and when we die we will
roll it over on our children who will be
worse than craven ifthey do not assume it
cheerfully and benr it brayely.
To estimate this issue in dollars and
cents, would be us monstrous as it would
be to barter away mothers love for husks
that the swine do eat, or as it would be to
trade aud traffic in the affections of wife
or of daughter. Gold is trash. silUer is
dirt, real estate is dung, trhen once t6ro1n in
to The scales against an undecided country, an
unSuiiied national hOnVr, an UnStdiaed aud an
uatora national flag.
But is it worth the blood, the tears, the
agony, the MANNED bodies, the broken
hearts that it is costing US?
Yes! and a 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-latches of
the horses, rather than have one starpluck-
ed from the galaxy of States-rather than
have one inch of American soil alieuated
from the Constitution which our fathers
gave US.
Let no man "lay to his soul the fatter-
ing uuction," that there can ever be two
peaceful republics on this continent. In
the language of Holy Writ, say ye nor
COnfederGcy. 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 aud monstrous politi-
cal evils for US and for our children, and
for the world. Let one rod of American
soil be wrestsd by force from the jurisdic-
tion of the United States, and we may as
well tear our flag to ribbons and sell 1t for
rags. We may as welltake the parchment
on which the Constitution is written, and
make Lighting papers of it. That proud
banner would then no longer float on ev-
cry sea and on every shore, the unchalleu-
ged emblem of republicanism triumphant;
but it would be jeered at by every despot
aud aristocrat on earth as the tattered,
despicable 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? Mol oy-
er the smoking blood of Rippey and of
Black, swear day that it shall never be
as long as there is in Allegheny County
man to ram home cartridge, fix bayonet
or pull trigger.
fit 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 resplendent as Minerva
leaped in full pauoply from the bIaiu of
Jupiter.
There is no election left US in this mat
ter. The bloody issue has been forced up
on US, and we must meet it manfnlly, or lie
down like whining spaniels at the feet of a
treason-dyed arIstocracy. Are ys ready
for that, ye sons of Benjamin franklin 2
Wo call Heaven to witness that the loyal
people of this country desire not blood
~ "a tuhu IuCJ were lOT pedCSs Wulle you
were going on with your farming, your
merchandise aud your mechanic arts, per-
jured traitors were secretly plotting the de-
sJruction of the best Government on earth.
The conduct was so atrocious that you
would not-you could not believe it
While you were at home quietly pursuing
your peaceful callings, those perjured trail
tors were rifliOg our arseuals, drilling SOL
diers and even training their guns on the
ag-staff of Sumter. Still you could not
credit the atrocity.
At last came the consummation of the
blacklist villainy, perfdy and treason in the
records of all time. Men who all their lives
had been handled and foudled by the most
indulgent Government in tue world, delib-
erately shot down the Stars and Stripes
shouting and cheering rs they fell. The
heroic Anderson and his gallant baud left
the hot and smothering walls of Sumter,
carrying with them their colors riddled
with rebel shot. Then you and l, and all
of us started from our sleep.
Pennsylyauiansl will you ever slsep
more until that outrtged flag shall float
again on Sumter, and over every nook and
corner from which treason, for time, has
driven it?
The leaders of the rebellion have, of late,
a very pious horror of blood-shed. But
we all know perfectly we'll that there was
scarcely any other word in their vocabulary
bnt blood until the spirit of the North
awoke. Their horror of war and their let
us.aloae policy were developed simulta-
neously by the auprising of great people,"
Mrs. JEFF. Davis had engaged cook for the
White House. WigfaII was to have been
dashing up Chestnut street, Philadelphia,
on his prancing charger, last June, one
year ago,
Their meekuess of spirit was induced by
the determination aud the sublime battle
cry of the united North and if ever that
meekness of spirit is to return to them, it
will be through the same determination
and the same battle.cry.
/, In, the sight of high heaven we protest
thatlthe loyal people of this nation are not
responsible for this bloodshed Ouly the
heads and souls of the rebels will cling
with damning tenacitv every drop of blood