Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1862-10-03
Freedoms Grand Opportunity
Speech Of Richard Busted.

Freedoms Grand OppOrtunlty-
Speech ofRichard d Busted.
Richard Busted, Esq, theknown politician
and corporation attorney of New York, mad
a glowing speech at the late war meeting il
that city, a few days since, from whicl
the following is an extract
We meet to inflame zeal, to inspire loyalty
and to declare to our president and his c'b
met that the city of New York-the grea
commercial metropolis Of this country-fav
ors the suppression Of this most wicked REBEL
ion, by the prompt, free, fearless use Of every
and any means necessary to crush it out al
once and forever Great cheering What
these means are, the executive is charged
with deciding; but, as he has r. GENTLY. in &
well-considered letter, declared his readiness
20 hear suggestions, and give to them al
proper consideration, claim the right and
embrace this occasion to say that it is my
deliberate conviction thatthe cause Of this re-
bsllion is Slauery, and the cn,sse and the etec'
must perish or surcice in force together
["GoOd," "good"l For one | sincerely be.
lieve, if Slavery lives the republic dies. That
is the talk ," And deny that this govern
ment struck at and attempted to he destroyed
by the slave power, should do anything t0
preserve slavery as a stock in trade for q tu.
turs rebellion. God has decreed that their
sin shall perish with them. This is free
dom's grand opportunity, and no man, not
himself at heart tyrannic, dishonest and cruel,
bu: will rejoice that the republic Of America
Is ere long to be disenthralled by the gen
ius of universal emancipation. All hail the
day. Great cheering In this connection,
have word to say to men who, like my
self, of Irish birth have sought and found a
home in the United States of America. 1t
is supposed by some Of my countrymen, and
they have been taught to think SO by bad de-
signing men of the class known as politicians,
that, f'the emancipation Of the black race
should be one of the results forced upon us by
the Southern shareholders, an exodus of that
race to the Northern States would immediate.
ly follow, ard new and distasteful element
of rivalry in labor be produced here, to the
disadvantage of the white working man.
Now, this is simply absurd. No such conse-
quence would or could follow from the free
dom of the blacks Residence is not a matter
of mere choice 1t is controlled by great nat.
ural and philosophical laws; to the acceptance
of which all men are held by an imperious
necessity.
Which of US could, for example, live in the
heart of Ethiopia although our revenue should
be million times what it is in tine State of
New York? So, the swarthy child Of the
torrid zones cannot live amid the SHOWS Of
Northern latitudes. He never can enter their
fields Of labor as competitor The country
is in imminent peril. Traitors in arms menace
and assault the people and their rulers; cit
izens are being ruthlessly slain; homes and
hearts are made deso.ate; constitutional obli-
cation and compact are whistled down the
winds and the sacred name Of revolution per
verted to the abominable uses of treason and
rebellion. This is not the time to discuss how
far the government will be justified by the
Constitution, or previously existing laws in
using this, that or the other as N cans Of re-
establishing the national power. Salus pop
uH suprema est ler Selfpreservation is the
first law of nature. Nor is this the time to
regard the condition of the country from any
political stand point. In this hour party
must be forgotten. There is a great fight
between democracy and aristocracy, ["That's
true" between the privileges of the few and
the rights of the multitude, between caste
and republican equality, and he is the genuine
democrat who loves liberty more than slavery.
The den ocracy that will not endure this test
is spurious. My own position is easily de.
clared. I qcas Democrat. | am loyal
liver of my country, whose free institutions
I do not care to ou.live. "Bravo''l l soiU
be what her necessities, the convictions Of
of my intelligence, and the dictates Of my con-
science make me. If this be treason to par
ty. party can make the best of it. ["Good,"
''good," and app ause.