The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1863-12-04

giving Day, NOV. zotn, 1903 A. ArKN.
"On the Fourth day Of July. 1776, one
Of the noblest band Of Patriots the world
ever saw, embodied, as in letters of fire ard
blood, the great truth that had been waxing
and waning ever since Eden's conflict, viz:
"God made all men equal, endowed with
the unalienabls right to life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness" They thus threw
down the gauntlet, in the name Of high
Heaven. and challenged the enemy to take
/ it up-pledging " to each other their lives.
their fortunes. and their sacred honor" in
defence of their declaration. The spiri. of
tyranny. on the part of England. took up the
gauntlet; but, happily, was not equal to The
contest. Freedom gained q victory such
as she had never before achieved since the
world began, and bid fair to strangle des-
potism throughout this entire land. For
time, it seemed that the fulfllmens of the
Apostles prediction was near at hand. when
had made a beginning of the end. when it
should be delivered from the bondage of
corruption into the glorious liberty of the
children Of God" The antagonism, for a
the calm before the storm; for despotism
was neither dead nor dying. Willy and
canning as the spirit Of Satan. its old pro-
genitor. it made strong protestatons of be.
iugifrendly to freedoms progress. 1t "as-
sumed the livery of Heaven to serve the
devil in,' aud in an evil hour obtained IL
cense, running twenty years, to import men
and women from Africa, under the satanic
plea of Chrstianizing them, and thus save
them from hesthen degradation. This cap
ped the climax Of the hypocrisy of despot-
ism, and when this period terminated, the
apparent lamb threw off its false covering
and appeared in its true character-a de-
vouriny lion. Large territory mus. now be
consecrated Tor the nurture Of the foul mon-
ster into great siren 9Th, until, at length, not
less than two hundred and fifty thousand
petty despots possessed large portion of
this part of Gods fair earth; and claimed,
as their caattel property. four millions Of
human beings wearing the image OF God.
In the exercise of their despotic nature, they
claimed the right to locate, with .h cir hu-
man chattels any portion Of the country ded-
icated to freedom. and Nth that they claim
ed to govern this entire nation! This dec
laration is based on the following testimony,
and shows what were the sentiments and
objects designed te be matured by the
Southern rebellion. Benjamin Watkins
Leigh. in the Legislature of Virginia. said
Il ask gentlemen to say whether they
believe that those. who depend on their dai
ly labor for their sustenance, can, or do ep-
er. enter into political affairs They neUer
do, never sciH, nerer can.''
Governor McDuffie, in his message 10 the
People of South Carolina, said
"In the nature of things, there are two
classes of persons to discharge all the differ.
ent offices of society, from the highest to
the lowest. Where these offices are per-
formed by members of tho political comma
nity, dangerous element is obviously in
lroduced into the body polite. Domestic
slavery, therefore, instead of being an evil,
is the eorner-stone o our political edifce."
John G.. Calhoun, said
"We regard slavery as the most safe and
stable basis, for free institutions in the
world"
Governor Pickens. of South Carolina,
said:
elf la5orers can obtain the political pow
ar of country, it is, in fact, in state Of
revolution"
ibis, then. we may suppose, is The reason
Why the South seeded, because the labor
srs of the North had obtained the political
power of the country, and elected a laborer
10 the Presidency. But this is not all the
testimony The Charleston Mercury, of
South Carolina, says:
..SIavery is the natural and normal con.
iition of the laboring man. ~hether WHITE
Or black
The New Orleans Review, has the fol-
owing:
.The right to govern resides in a rery
mail minority; the duty to obey is inherent
n the great nazss Of mankind"
Sprat,. member of the so called confed-
crate Congress, gave utserance to the fol-
owing:
"The contest, now pending, is no. con-
.est between the North and the South As
sections. nor between the pso-
Die of the North and the South, for our re-
atoms have been pleasant; but the real
contest is between the taco forms of socie.y. |
he principle that all men are equal would
have been the destruction of slavery at the |
South
Here then we have presented, 10 bold re-. |
ies. the cause Of the present bloody con-
1ict. The reason is, because the two hun
,red and City thousand srissocratic slave.
holders were not allowed to govern and con-