Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1863-08-12

moving planet-like, in the orbit of its
proper place in the armament of the
Union. Then we were the model Repub-
lie of the world, honored, loved, or feared
where we were not loved, respected
abroad, peaceful and happy at home.
No American citizen was then subject to
be driven into exile for opinions sake or
arbitrarily arrested and incarcerated in
military bastiles-even as he may now be
not for acts or words of imputed trea-
son, but if he do but mourn in silent sor-
row over the desolation of his country
applause no embattled hosts of Ameri-
cans were then wasting their lives and re-
sources in sanguinary civil strife; no sui
cidal and parricidal civil war then swept
like raging temptest of death over the
stricken homesteads and wailing cities of
the Union. Oh, that such a a change
should ever come over our country in
day, as it were-as if all men In every
State of the Union North and South,
East and West-were suddenly smitten
with homicidal madness, and " the GUS
tom of fell deeds - rendered as familiar
as if it were part of our Unborn nature ;
as if an avenging angel had been suffered
by Providence to wave sword OF fam
ing fire above our heads, to convert SO
many millions of good men, living to-
| gether in brotherly love, into insensate
beings, savagely bent on the destruction
of themselves and of each other, and
| leaving but smouldering ruin of confia-
grafton and of blood in the place of our
once blessed Union l endeavor some
times, as l have no doubt you do, to close
my ears to the sounds, and shut my eyes
to the sights of woe, and to ask myself
whether all this can be-to enquire which
is true, whether the past happiness and
prosperity of my country are but the fiat
ering vision of a happy sleep or its pres
ent misery and desolation haply the de-
lusion of some disturbed dream. One OF
the other seems incredible and impossible;
but alas. the stern truth cannot thus be
dispeIled from our minds. Can you for
get, ought especially be expected to for
get, those not remote days in the history
of our country when its greatness anC
glory shed the reflection at least of thei
rays upon all of our lives, and thus ena-
bled to read the lessons of the Father
and of their Constitution in the light O
E their principles and their deeds
Then war was conducted only agains
the foreign enemy, and not in the spiri
and purpose of prosecuting non-combat
ant populations, nor of burning unde
Tended towns or private dwellings, AM
wasting the fields of the husbandmen, O
the workshops of the artisan, but of sub
! DUNG armed hosts in the field. The
= the Congress of the United States wa
the great Council of the whole Unlo
/ | and of all its parts. Then the EXecutiv
. Administration looked with impartial ey
g. over the whole domain of the Unior
I anxious to promote the interests and cor
suit the honor and just pride of all tn
4 States, seeing no power beyond the law
: and devoutly obedient to the command
: of the Constitution. How is all th
q changed? And why! Have we M
G been told, in this very place, not t"
: weeks ago, by the voice of an authorits
; tive expositor do we not know tn
the cause of our calamities is the viclol
,e intermedline of two many OF the cltlzel
, of the Northern States with the constit
= tional rights of the Southern States, c
Il operating with ihe discontents OF the pc
70 nle of those States? Do we not knO
= that the disregard of the Constitutitio
II and of the security it affords TO the rigf
n of States and of individuals, has be
70 the cause of the calamity which o
A. country is called to undergo? And no'
,d warI in its direst shape-war such as
n makes the blood run cold to read of
al the history of other nations and OF OIL
~ times-war, on the scale of a million
of men in arms-war horrid as that of b
be barrie ages RACES in several OF the Sta
&C of the Union. as its more lmmedl
,or field. and casts the lurid shadow of
IL death and lamentation athwart the wh
10 expanse, and into every nook and cor
,ur of our vast domain. Nor Is that
orr for in those of the States which the r
+be of the cannon, and the rattle OF the m
ms kerry. and the groans of the dying,
,on heard brit as faint echo of terror fl
;nc other lands, even here in the loyal Sta
,,3 the mailed hand of military usurpai
tbe strikes down the liberties OF the peo
cos and its foot tramples desecrated [
and stitution. (Applause.) Aye, IN
nn ~ land of free thought free speech and
orv writing-in the Republic of free sufir
Tho with liberty of thought and expression
to the very essence of republican institut
~c even here in these free States, il
tho madecriminal for a citizen-soldier,
-ov- gallant Edgerly, of New Hampshire
inc Vote according to his conscience
n lie that noble martyr of free spe