The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1863-09-10


efficiently protect the negro in his transi-
ton to perfect freedom, and that the ma
ton he helped to create owed him this aid,
which is of vast Importance.
As things stand, therefore, since the
war
l. The Union means liberty, and to save
itself must free the blacks. To uphold it
in this struggle for existence, Is the readi
est way to convert the nation into Aboll-
tionists. One year of such war is worth,
for this purpose, twenty years of peaceful
agitation.
>. The Union protects the slave in his
transition to liberty, and makes that pas
sage speedy and easy
3. 1t saves him and ourselves all the
benefits Of nationality which his toll and
ours has earned in three generations.
t. 1t insures peace throughout North
America.
At the present time, therefore, the pre-
servation Of the Union gives us all these
benefits We have aimed at. and some we
never expected to secure by our old plan.
Perhaps al these benefits might have been
gained better and cheaper in other ways.
But God disposes; the choice is not left
left with us We must enter in at the door
He opens. We had hoped that it would
be, and laborcd that it should be, one OF
peace; but to Him it has seemed otherwise.
and we submit. We can easily see that
way may perhaps be the only path to eman-
cipation for Il century to come. Peace OH
which we had counted has one danger
The constant sight of successful iniquity is
as likely to dull the conscience as to wakcn
it, We could not be certain that. in the
struggle between right and interest, the
triumph nj eht not be Tor long while ON
| the wrong side
No one could be sure that our Union,
spite of the anti-slagery enterprise, would
not have sunk for many years into i strong,
rich. corrupt pro-siavery nation, greedy Of
territory, callous to right, and trampling
victim race under is money-seeking feet.
The sharp sword cf war kills or cures at
once, and God has linked success with jus
tice. We mn-. either be whipped into pco-
lc h.tiu y cry as their con1ueror, or vc
must ac ,u~ec !al with justice tor oar -
ly-the 4e.rr, cur acknowledged equal aad
br,,Lcr.
W. &c. ne,er.hcl'-~ the use of our dis
unioa agitation Il Nc did rot fully con
vert the community by our cry, Liberty
AMI justice are better than union, we so
lcavened their minds aud weakened the
conscences that when the war came the
hour found them ready to accept the is
sue. When the question was put-the old
Union with slavery. or new one without
1.-THE people have been found far more
ready than any man had supposed, to ans
;scr. tive L., III ny cost, union and free
d M pic,iec oi' e.,co and permanence. -
In word, ihe slaves cause led us to dis-
union, when d:sun.on ,.cmed the only way
within our reach to free him Now we
cling to tilc nion for the same rcason:-
We can uphold it without dishonor-and
it has become the strongest weapon in the
slaves behalf-the shortest path to his
liberty.
The terms of the Constitution may still
for while, shut us ort of office. but that
is temporary The spirit Of the Union is
liberty to all races and to every individual.
Without that it must die The Union
whose life we strive to protect is not one
settled at peace, with a million OF slaves in
Its brother States But i, is 4 ration in the
throes of its birth, in its transition and
/ forming state, with the right to free every
slave in It's limits, willing to free every such
slave. and Obliged to do 50 If it continues
to exist. While this necessity rests on it,
while it agonizes to do this duty, We feel
that our place is at its side. If betrayed
/ by 1t, leaders, it ever settles down into any,
the least, systematic liberation of slavery,
it will find Us, as before, It's foes. You may
say that the results we expect from this
war are not absolutely certain to rllow.-
True. No man can be absolutclys fthe
correctness Of his judgement; certainly,
not in matter of such complexity as this,
where all statesmen have proved false pro
phcts. But we must act on the wlsest
i Judgment we can form. Doubtless the
war may cease, and, by the treason and
tricks of politicians, leave slavery alive.
But | am as sure as | can be Of anything,
that, a hundred years hence history, look
ing back on our era, will record that slave
ry received its death blow from this REBEL
ion undertaken in its behalf; and if, by
any means, our struggle ends in division Of
the Union, still every day the war lasts