Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1863-12-02

who fell In That sanguinary contest, Tho
President and his Cabinet, the Governors
OF several OF tho States, and largo con
course Of peope-most Of whom, be it oh
served. were transported there and back
at the public expense assent led ON the
the occasion, The dedicatory Sermon
was spoken 10y "honcsl old Abe, the 'irst
sentence of which contained a tub to
the Abolition "whale," and also lnlsiIi-
cation Of history aud the Grafton was
delivered by Hon. Edward Everett Of
of Massachusetts,. If any thing was
drought forth" by the Declaration Of In
dependence which the President al
ludes in this sentenoc--it was not 20 new
nation" but rather thirteen "Free, Soyer-
eirn and ludedendenJ St,tS."
But it Is the Grafton Of Mr., Everett to
which we wish to refer If any one man
stands higher than another in American
literature il is Edward Everett. lie has
been our boast and our pride; and this is
his reputation wherever the English Ian
guago is read and understood. The man
that merits such a reputation should be
as correct in his logic, as he conIessedly is
in the beauty and chastencss of his diciion.
If he is not, then his high reputation IS n
false one, and he desccnds to the charac-
ter of a mere imitator and Snowman.
Much Of this address is taken up with
an historical "reminiscences Of the three
days bloody strife at Gettysburg in July
last-io which no fault can be found. But
whenever the orator touches upon either
the cause, or present or respective condi-
lion or termination Of the struggle in
which the country is now engaged, his
logic is most wofully at fault. For exam
vie be lets the world know that he was
always an advocate Of measures Of recon
ciliation and compromise, until the strug.
gle was commenced by tho firing upon q
vessel of supplies sen. 10 the besiegcd gar
rison Of Fort Sumpter. In another part
of his discourse he assumes that history
furnishes many instances whore the peo-
pic of n particular nation have waged wars
OF determination against each other, such
as we are now wacing in the United States,
who afterwards became reconcled to each
other, and lived together in peace and
harmony as one nation. But he failed TO
show, os he might have done, that in 10
single one Of these instances did either
party succeed in cXterminating, or subju
gatiug, the other; that in every case oI
such res toralion Of harmony and brother
hood, peaceablo II n'gotiarion, concession
and compromise took the place Of th'
sword. History furnishes no well-nuthen
/ ,icatod instance in which any nation, o
any portion Of any nation, that was one
tuliugated 10y the power of the sword, ha
peaceaJly submitted TO the yoke. Iii
even doubted if the whole history Of tht
numerous tribes OF North American ludi
ans furnish fair pre:ext for this eStraoT
dinary assumption.
And finally, Mr., Everett takes ill.,
ground that the war cannot now stop b,
cause it has gone too far, and cost too mucl
blood and too much treasure! What
powerful reason and what remarkaEl
admission for he here plainly sdmit
thatth wa7 o,lJht 10 have stopped at som
previous period, before it had gone so IA
b and cost so much blood and treasure"
f is an apt illustration Of the argument tba
) "man may as well be hung for stealing
I sheep as lamb" but OF nothing else. -
P The war. Iif there is logic in Mr.. Everett
. argument, was wrong in its inception, an
= wrong in its earlier stages, but now, sine
! it has cost us so much, and since our foil
!, has endangered cur national pride, W
5 must persevere in wrong-doing. BI
p where has Mr.. Everett stood during thes
earlier stages of the struggle, when
, might nave beon proper for us to hay
I stopped the war? Was his voice eve
= raised in favor of a cessation of bostilities
e On the contrary, has he not been one
the most ardent advocates of the war, an
among the most violent in his denunci
/ ton OF the advocates Of peace as "reb
, sympathizers ?" He admits that he WI
! in favor Of war in the beginning. Was i
so short-sighted as not TO see that wa
+ once begun and followed up, must lead
< the very em5arrassfnents that now su
, round US? If he was, then he has II
claim to craftsmanship, and his celebrate
' lectures upon the character of Washing
O ton tine delivery Of which won for hii
most of the reputation he enjoys-wel
= but tolerable burlesques upon America
character. With him, the only course
J. to 90 ahead in the prosecution Of whi
T may be q great wrong, which il might |