The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1863-12-03
ERENSBURG:
THURSDAY Y ::::::::::::::DECEMBEk 3.
"IIaif slave and HaIf Free.''

constitution, tney maue iG Win Te'efeuce
10 free government. 1t is true, slavery
existed in many of the States, but they
did not look upon it as permanent insti-
tuition. The debates in the Convention
which framed it, the contemporaneous
writings of the men who had the most
10 10 with it, and the doings of the old
confederate Congress, arc all so many
evidences to the point. Under the lead
of MIR. Madison, the words "slave" aud
"slavery' are nowhere found in that in
strument They were carefully excluded,
in order that the idea of property an man
should nowhere appear. So far as slavery
appears or is recognized in the constitu-
ton, it is State institution, upheld solely
by the mu nicipal laws of the States
Washington, Jefferson, and all the great
etatesm,n of the early days of the republic,
supposed slavery would die out and be-
come extinct in few years. They did
not even dream of the colossal monster
as found at the opening of this rebellion.
The idea that great christian. enlight-
ened nation, republic governed by a
constitution, could live and go On, half
slave and half free, to the minds of many,
for years, has been preposterous-others
have as stoutly contendee that 1t could be
done-that there was not necessarily an
"irrcpressible conflict" between the two
interests. Impartial history records the
fact that slavery and freedom never have
been at peace in this country. There has
always been a conflict raging between
them. Sometimes the fires have been Cor
period smothcred then they would burst
out into fame.
There is one phase of this subject that
has never changed. The slave interest
has always been contending for the mas
terry. Although greatly in the minority,
it has managed to override freedom and
govern the country. Freedom leads to
true democracy, Slavery to despotism and
tyranny. Freedom tends to the equality
of the people, slavery builds up an dig
archy, an aristocracy of wealth. Freedom
enlightens men, slavery makes them igno-
rant and debased Freedom makes men
christians, slavery makes them devils.-
Freedom contributes to the industrial
wealth of country, slavery creates the
extremes of wealth for the favored few,
and squa'i6 poverty for the Masses
Freedom distributes farms among the
many, slavery moncpolizes the lands
into the hands of the few. Freedom
makes men human, slavery makes them
brutcs. Freedom makes men morally
upright, slavery deinoralizes and degrades
them And so we might go to the end
of the chapter. There is natural eter
bal antagonism between freedom and
slavery. They can no more be recmciled
TO each other than can the opposite prin-
ciples of right and wrong, truth and error.
Up to the opening of the rebellion,
there had been war Of ideas raging in
this country for years The grasping
avarice, the domineering insolence, and
the all absorbing love of power of the
slave interest had kept up an eternal
agitation throughout the length and
breadth of the country. The friends of
freedom have for years seen the great
conflict comin9- To avoid it they have
yielded and yielded to the exactions and
demands of the slave power, compromi-
sing from time to time, and giving their
adversary the advantage in every adjust
ment thus made. They have sought to
settle these matters in peaceful way,
resorting to The ballot box instead Of the |
cartridge.bo box. The slave power refused
TO abide this constitutional way of settling
differences, and because they could not
continue the despotic, slayeridden dyDas- |.
ties of Franklin Pierce and James Bu- |
chanan, iaangurated eioil rar, and that war
has been raging more than two yenrs and |
a bali. 1t is a war Of slavery upon free
dom to gain the mastery.
No,o comes the great question-whether
we shall, in winding up this war, continue
this. everlasting source of discord and /
trouble, OF whether it is not best to blot |
II out. anG sayctthe trouble it would iney-