The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-04-17

and all its power, to be "the supreme law
of the land" Fail to do this, and the ma
ton, losing heart and hope, win lose sight
Of the methods by which a constitutional
succession can be preserved to q better
day, and will yield itself to the despair
which welcomes despotism, or to the rage
which welcomes anarchy. sfU s.gaas
=, know the difficulties of your position |;
but you must not falter, and you must not
admit that you can fail. High virtues are
demanded Of you You must live down
SANDER, you must despise obloquy, you
must watch your own motives, you must
chasten your own spirits, you must q
,,.s s,f -" stretch every nerve e,s
And press with vigor on"
to the salvation of your country. You
must win public confidence by your purity;
you must challenge public respect by your
intelligence. Above all, and before all,
without one instant's hesitation, without
pleading one solitary excuse, you must be
true to the principles of civil liberty. You
must learn that these principles are no
chance production of the "piping times. Of
peace, "but that they are rules which in
all times of tranquility and all times Of
commotion have been evolved out of the
wisdom of ages, to save us from the mad
thirst Of arbitrary power that has again
and again seized upon highly civilized ma
tions, and destroyed the hopes humankind.
Preparing yourselves in this way for the
great task that is before you, you will be
able to approach the difficult problem of
this war with firm and fearless step.
You will see that this problem presents to
you the alternatives of consenting to dis
memberment of the country, or Of pre-
venting that dismemberment by rever-
sal of hepopular and governmental ac-
ton which has made it SO nearly an &C
complished fact. You will soon hear it
said, by those who have urged on the
war upon this most disastrous policy, that
it is too late now that the breach can
never be closed; that the South must be
permitted to go in peace. Just here, then,
precisely here, before all is given up to the
control of the extremists, North and South,
YOU must interpose. You have a right to
have other measures and other counsels
tried. You are numerically majority in
at least four Of the largest States in the
Union. You may rightfally demand that
the Constitution with all its guarantees, be
rendered to the revolted States; and you
may rightfully do all that can assure the
people of the South of its protection, with
out calling upon your government to
change its military attitude. know well
enough the insidious answer that is made
to this suggestion; how confidently we
are told that the South would reject
vor1r offer with acorn Rnt fell Won
that history has never seen case Of
war, foreign or civil, in which a nation
could absolve itself from the moral respon-
sibilty Of doing right, by asserting before
hand that it knew its adversary would do
wrong. The elements of a moral judg-
ment do not exist in advance Of such an
offer, either in the controversies of nations
or in the controversies of individuals.
Whatever others may think or say, or do,
you, / trust, will act upon principle
which I am persuaded rests upon a moral
foundation that no sophistry and no casu-
istry can successfully assail. II, after
such an offer, the war must still be carried
on, no language can overstate the advan-
tage that would be gained in the vigor OF
its prosecution.
And here, gentlemen, I close. One
path of duty is clearly open before US. l
can see no other now. Sufficient unto the
day is the evil thereof, sufficient unto the
day is the duty thereof. He who does
that one duty in firm and humble faith
in the providence of God, prepares himself
for clear perception of the next that may
arise in the future. ''