North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1863-10-07

years this bad work of cultivatIng bal blood
between the two sections of the country
Went on, untilsthe people of the Smth, pre-
voked beyond their powers of endurance,
smart'ng ulder SENSE Of wrong. insult, and
contumely. insanely forget lhei ir reverence
for the Union, and madlv declared eternal
'stilty-to what ? To the Union, be
cause of hatred of the Onion Never But
because Of their hatred Of that malignant par
ty whose relentless pursuit and prosecution
of It's sectional purpose had finally brought
them under the dominion of pa -si"n rather
than of reason. They SAID "we have tried
p" to live n peace with the Yankees" ta>
they denomlnate tins mischevnus element
"of the N"rth.) but they have ever per-
- sisted i'm their ff,rts to interfere with our
right OF self government IN >ubJrct'ng us TO
insult and abuse they desire To be rid OF
"u~, and We of them; having neosrn< of their
town of which to repeat, they mist even
assert and exercise the right of repenrIng
" "i ours" They are too good, top pinus
"too religious, too much devoted 10 the
higher law" To remain in a Union with
States whose domestic institutions du not
"square with their sacred nnrions, and we,
" therefore, tax. then ~ tlrlr W 'rd."
While some of the secession eatis RS have
occasionally, in tn advocacy of secession, al
ded other rcasdnS fir that most un",r una Ie
and iIl-advised measure, IS any man i'll the
North weak enough tn suppose that anything
other than this long conGinued aud malignant
antl-slavery agitation could have ever united
the South IN favor of secession? That man
must indeed be blinded by partisan feeling,
or sect on Al la rel, who fails to recoguze III
this miserable, sectional agitation the cause
Of secession and therefore, of all the terri Bile
calamitles that have followed secession.
But, it vii, doubtless be said by these I" 10y
al" agitators that this is evidence Of "sy nj
pathy with secession,' that il j. Treason BILE
to crlticlse their conduct, shodd, Contractors,
army speculatnrs, and the tens OF thousands
of government plundrrers whom these mi>er
able times hav,. turned loose 10 pre-, upon
the country, will doubtless, express the same
l'yal and patrirfic opinion.
1t ia false false as the hearts that have
conceived and "t'en expressed this sentiment
before. We have no h"pes IN this world that
are not connected with the Union as our
r., :, oil
the cause and the effect; secession was great
wrong-a W ong tor which even the SD called
Vice President of the southern crnfederacy
pretended no Justification. But while it ha
no Justification, ii had a cause and that
cause was also a great wrong.
Felt0to citizens, 10 DIAL Succ .+Sfuliy with
the nations tronbles we must deal with their
causes "a policy that ignores re true causes
of the national trouble, will assuredIy never
furnish a successin! remedy. Yuu are about
to perform the most important civil duty Of
the citizen at o time when incalculable in
terests must depend upon YOUR action. The
law expects each of ,on, in casting your bal.
lots, To give expression to your own chuicr,
your own sentiments and it dnes not ex
pect you to shun this duty. No true patri
nt can omit this duty without wrongine
him,elf, as we'll as his country. Under cur
system of government, it is 10 the collective
wisdom "f the people that the decision all
these questions must finally come. Let your
action be such. then, as may save your cnun-
try from secession at the Snuth, and from >ec
ticnaI fanar icism, sh"ddy aud wholesale plum
Ter in the North.