The Portland daily press., 1863-05-05

tokens that God is meaning good for us and
not evil. OF these part only can be, and
these very inadquatey depicted.
Such a atoken, in the first place, may be found
in the growing conviction in the nations
heart, of the futilty and danger of all attempts
to compromise moral principles. We look
back upon national history stained all through
with instances of such gatherings with the
right. These attempts TO hoodwink eternal
righteousness, and cover the trail of human
iniquity from the baying hounds of Divine
Justice make up not little portion, and with
some, alas that it should be true a very ven
Grated portion of our country's story. Again
and again have we come to positions as Il peo-
pie, where the solemn question put directly to
our souls must have brought the answer "This
is not right; God will surely smite us travel
ing this road" But consummate art was
employed to prevent the direct putting of the
question. lndirecton was always better.
The very measure of Il statesman's capacity
came TO be his power to make the worse APP
pear the better reason. The plain, honest
man who saw that black was black and stuck
to it, was OF no account at all in our councils
1t was the man who could persuade others
that black was white, and who half believed
so himself, who was the man in request. There
was a man of matchess persuasveness of
speech, of power to win mems hearts as they
were never won by American statesman be-
fore, who went down to his grave wearing as
a badge of honor the title of the Great Com
promiser'; and it may be even doubted if
with the dewdrops OF death beading over his
forehead, he did not really reckon that title of
moral obliquity title of renown. We had
come to point where 10 do a thing crooked
| ly was the perfection of skill. A kind of eth
ical and intellectual strabismus seemed cpl
demic among our leading statesmen.
1t manifested itself on almost al occasions.
1t affected their course on almost all questions.
Tariff navy. agricultural interests, post-ofiice,
banks, none of these could be decided on their
plain, simple merits. But chiefly this habit of
paltering with the right, was illustrated upon
the great moral question of human servitude.
which i'll one form or other always pressed it
self on the nations attention. 1t is not need
ful TO point out instances: our whole history
is little but a category of Instances. But this
tendency has at last received check 1t is
one of the most hopeful tokens that God
means mercy for us as people, that he has
dealt with US So that the nation begins to op-
en- its eyes TO the futility and peril of such
moral jugglery, We are learning that peril in
every blood-stained hillside, and in every dis
membered household. Every flash from a can
mons throat is the proper beacon fare for the
people that walks the pathway of expediency
rather than right. Antietam and Murfrces-
boro are the true commentaries upon the
Compromises OF the Constitution
IL there be one lesson more plainly taught
than another by our national agonies. it is this
lesson which the people are beginning to learn:
That evil doing must reap its consequences;
that sin cannot be committed and its issues
escaped. A small hole can sink ship; it de-
mands not iive-bar gate 10 let an adder
through. The modest looking compromises
OF the Constitution and Of subsequent legisla-
ton, which purred as gently as any household
ahi mt fb..G Grst nd ,ha
national life. And therefore the people say,
"We will have no more. The whole litter of
them shall be strangled. The questions of
this day shall be me: fairly. and honest justice
done. and done so that it will not need TO be
done twice" And that God is leading us on
is sign of hope.
Another token that the divine dealings are
to result in good, in the fact that thus far God
inclines the peoples heart to bear and under
take the needIu work and sacrifice. What |
spoke of before related to the convictions of
the head. This Is a matter of the heart. And
the heart of the people rises with the demand.
The more affection is tasked, the more it re-
spends. And this is rs neediul as the clearest
intellectual convictions. Those, unsupported
by the generons impulses of the emotional ma
ture would be powerless to do the appointed
work. But how spontaneously these impulses
have leaped to the support of those convic-
tions. The nation has not yet sounded the
depths OF its chidren's love. 1t has made
heavy demands, but the people are ready for
more. Again and again has the entreaty al
most the mandate, gone up RON the popuace
TO the Executive, "Ask of us more. Ask of
US morer p
Has it been money which was wanted?
What class has shrunk from the assessors
call? Who hears any complaint of taxes i'm
posed?, The testimony which comes up in
almost harmonious unanimity from tho collect
ors of revenue in every school district of the
land, is that the people pay their imposts not
willingly only, but joyfully. The revenue
stamp upon their title deed is the best part
il.
Or is the demandfor the nations sons? Over
many thousand already has our common
mother extended her hand in blessing and fare
well. Many a thousand already has she re-
ceiyed silent back 10 rest in her bosom, sous
OF memory and of pride. But ii more are
wanted, moreare ready. The weeping house.
holds of New England's sheltered valleys and
the sorrowing families of our praired West,
mourning already their vanished dead, will
give them still. Two vacant chairs shall be
where one was empty before. Two sisters can
go husbandless, where one wept her widow
hood before. For two can the mother watch
and the father pray as well rs for one. And
they will do it; they are willing To do it. On
| ly let the call come forth, and the heart of the
land will swell to it, saying, Here am l."
And upon the supposition that God has ap-
pointed this nation a work to do, work
which if done will bring us blessing for gener-
atoms to come, His moving of the national
soul gladly TO labor and TO bear, is in my opn-
ion, one of the clearest tokens that God is
leading MS to Good.
Another Indication that God is intending
mercy for us and not destruction. is the fact
that we are, in the progress of events, come
already to point, where the general Chris
tan sentiment of the world is to a very satis-
factory degree with us. ii it was not so at
the first our position was not mt first so def
mite, nor the knowledge of our affairs by other
nations intimate enough, for them fairly to un-
derstand, or even perhaps understanding,
cordially to approve our course. But the ne
cessiiies of our struggle have forced us to as
sumo position which is intelgible 1t can
be understood wherever there is heart that
! loves liberty and man. And the result Of our
assuming that position is, to bring to our cause
| the sympathies and the prayers of the great
brotherhood of Christians in everyl and. To
my mind there is something exceedingly i'm
pressve in the instructive movement OF this
mass of mind and heart from the position of
doubt and hesitation. to appreciation and hope.
| The verdict of that true Christendom, which
numbers the really devout of all the tongues
| of Europe, is verdict which comes well nigh
being the verdict of God. And that verdict
is in most satisfactory measure ours.
| say this, while yet the British pirate Ala
| bama, plows the seas. / say it, notwithstand-