The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1863-12-15
cor the Guardian. AGa #.tU
Righteousness Forever.
MEMPHIS Tenn. Nov. %.

MEMPHIS TENN, Nov. %, 1863.
Whenever it is necessary to convince
men of error, we appeal either to their
Judgment or conscience, to their moral
obligations or selfish interests, or 10
their purse which is quicker conscience
ofright and wrong; these are the high
ways of intelligence to the mind, the
main channels in which argument trav-
els to judgment, and We say of the men
who have not these faculties Of the mind
purse in heartful, vigorous exercise, that
they are outside of the circle Of progress
ion, and beyond the reach of argument
or the power of logic, and before we can
do them good, their judgments must be
enlightened, their consciences quicken.
ed their moral faculties strengthened
aud their purse threatened and just so
fast as this is done, their intellectual and
moral right gives place to incoming
| light and intelligence, and in the bap.
tism of new light they are convinced OF
error, and reject it, converted to truth,
they embrace it, and rejoice in its world
wide, life giving attributes. The cur
tain that so long separated ignorance
from Intelligence, rises, and they are no
| longer in doubt in error and mental dark
ness, but new world is before them IA
diant with beauty. and the promise OF a
better life. Old scenes Of accumulated
wickedness and wrong doing, hatter not
their vision. Old paths OF delusive hope
Iinwrought by vice and folly, tempt not
their goings, because an enlightened
judgment points them TO the fairer tree
of knowledge, the Legitimate fruit Of
which is righteousness and justice, and
uneovers to them the abyss of error, deg
radiation of wrong doing and the retri-
button Of unrighteous rule. Such is the
lesson, such the education that we as a
nation are receiving. 1t is true, as ma
ton, we may have had judgment. con.
science, moral power, and well filed
purse, but these levers Of national glory
and strength, were used for tie eleva.
ton and aggrandizement of part OF
Gods race to the expense and degrade
lion OF the other Instead of lifting up
the weak and oppressed, we added to
their ignorance and used them as the
fulcrum OF our own glory. ease, and i'll
gotten wealth. And if by chance we
saw in them the glimmering of intelli-
gence. we put our heel upon them and
showed them into greater darkness, until
the orthodox of hell had become the
text book Of the nation, Might makes
right and in the practice of such Ii
cense, we find ourselves in the midst of
a moral and political revolution, the con
summation of which promises to give
back freedom and manhood to the slave.
50 Be OF good cheer, oh house of bon
dage for unto you child Is born, and
his name is Abraham" and he has come
TO the kingdom for just such time as
this. American freedom has been twice
born, first in the revolution of our lath
ers, and second in the slav eholders' re-
bellion. What OF liberty, If the second
fruit of freedom had died in the womb of
American infancy Who but fool can
believe that igorance arrayed against
knowledge, vice against virtue, slavery
against freedom, isolated manhood
against universal brotherhood, can sue
ceed in establishing a government that
has its foundation laid upon the blood
and bones of Gods oppressed poor II
they can succeed. farewell justice. fare
well mercy, farewell religion. But it
cannot be. Justice no longer slumbers,
but with drawn sword il moves through
the land spreading desolation and death,
moving down It's thousands and tens OF
thousands, and why Because heaven
cried "let my people go" and we would
not. We confess ourselves believers in
the +" higher law" which is such ter
ror 10 eyildoers, man sieale.s. and man.
trader. No wonder their knees smiie to-
gether for fear, their teeth grind out ven
ON, when they discover that heaven and
humanity has been outraged, that they
have trafficed in blood, sported in the
tears of helpless innocence, and meas.
nred their religion by their flocks OF hu,
man chauels, and they supporting this