The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-12-21

weak it is an Nccident They have a Frederick
the Great in Germany. but for him they have
dozen "Fredericks the Little; !" bat when
Andrew Jackson is not at the head of affairs ia
Americas trials. an Abraham Lincoln Is there.
Another European question is, Do the
American people after all care for their liber-
ty? How Is il? Do Americans love their own
principles with large aud Christian benevo-
ience? The reports of riots, and crime, and
lawlessness are produced against us abroad:
and an observation worthy of note is, that
where there is the most rioting the rioters are
not our own making. The riots in New York
were not American riots. They were Dublin
riots and were all imported. They were unpro-
fitabe articles of commerce, and didn't pay du-
ties when they came in.
Slavery too is alluded to abroad. European
powers, contending that slavery, while it low
ers the black is brutalizing alike to the whites,
making it an argument for the oppression OF
their own subjects. But the seople never
sanction slavery. 1t was sheltered behind
the buwark of state soveregnties. The peo-
pie could not get at IT, They were full OF the
spirit of freedom. They were as thoroughly
anti-slayery thirty years ago as they were
when first they listened to the holy truths of
the Declaration of Independence. Protected
by the Union and Constitution. slavery -four
ished. Now the great mass of the people of
the North stand on anti-slavery ground.
Slavery has taught its lessons also. 1t has
taught that slavery makes white man lower
than the black. 1t has taught that the pro-
gress of learning stops with freedom. Take
spelling book and go round the country, and
where the. people cannot read 1t, draw line,
and you draw line between nationality and
slavery The North knows it, and ii knows
more. II knows the South knows il too.
They are coming now to the Presidents feet,
under such men as Andrew johnson, petition
ing that no more States shall come into the
Union, except as one free and destitute of sla-
very. In Arkansas, and Missouri, and Lou
siana, and tennessee the feeling gains ground
under the terrible schoomaster-war; the
whole, whole country S. III is learning the great grand
Another question asked all the country over
is, can the North exist without cotton? Cot
ton, All the anvils in the land have rung with
it. The South proclaimed cotton was king,
and the people looked to see a new system of
astronomy inaugurated. with the sun, moon
and stars revolving around cotton bale But
how is it?Why, silk and wooden fabrics cannot
be imported fast enough, and the whole land
grows and prospers and exists without cotton.
Another lesson the times teach is, that slav-
cry destroys a market. A slave is what, on a
railroad and on steamboat Is called a dead
head. We are carrying four millions of dead
heads on our great national railway line. The
statistics of the importations and expectations
of France and England, and their colonies be-
fore and after the abolition of slavery, exhibit
the increased impetus to every branch of trade
or commerce OF manufactures, given by the
enfranchisement of the slaves.
We have learned more; we have learned
not TO believe the testimony of the South re-
gardng the black men. Has the STAKEHOLDER
said, sour slaves are contcnted; put freedom
and slavery before the slaves, and they would
prefer slavery to freedom p Well, now they
have had a chance. and the poor deluded be-
ings preferred liberty and escaped out OF
Egypt. The proclamation was styled in Europe
measure tending to promote rapine, aud in
cendiarism and murder, and it was styled
abominable and cruel. How is lhat9 Why
the armies ofthe Union have reconquered two
thirds OF the territory of the Rebellion. The
ineendiaiism has mot been Witnessed; the slaves
have been patient, and to-day three millions
OF them are legally free.
Ii was said that the blacks were arrant cow
ards. One thousand of them are in the navy,
and on deck or at gun they are unequalled
by any In the service. Itwas said they would
not work without master. They would not
work without a motive; but their conduct at
Port Royal and elsewhere has proved that they
only need regulation TO induce them to labor
and labor nobly. When emancipated and told
that the labor of their hands will accrue TO
their own families they will labor from aud for
motive. They will not be vagabond in char
acter; they will be lawful. We viii bring the
developing power Of society and enlighten-
ment TO them, and then simply say TO them -
''Show what you can do"
These lessons are based on substantial
Christianity, and they viii be safe in the sun
shine and the storm. With our Constitution,
even though ii be in a turmolled sea, with
wind above and waves below, all to be done
Is TO let the man at the helm guide the vessel
through, and the land will be reached, the
land ofpeace and rest and prosperity.