Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-12-16
SbeS Sutptligkl1fsr.
BERGHER ON THE ELECTION.
The Question OF ReeOnstructIon.- :
The Future OF the Country. 'A-i


The Future OF che Country. :. '4i
The New York Independent publishes {
full report OF the sermon delivered by Rev
Henry wstd Beecher after the Presideu.
tial election. in which he discussed the re.
suits of that contest in their relation tc
quesliolsl of .reconstIurtlou. LOpntendinl
that the election decided the destiny o.
this country and spoke in an unanawerable
voice to Europe, he preceded to consider
the prospects of the future-shOwiug tina,
with reconstruction of the Union on the
basis of freedom there, will come a-better
unA j,setyeen .tbs seetleas nov diyided,
that the debt will be promptly paid after
the return of peace, and the national credit
be sustained, that the recupurative power
of the North is equal to the emergency
put upon II, and thdt there is no proba.
biliy;ot future ruPture. we7eOPy atsw
passages from this mastery discourse,
which is characterized throughout by
strong thought and lucid and Convincing
argument. -,-n
AhA AbONAAASN VI "A0s
Il, 1t may be askedI whether the spirit Of
che people is not changed, whether they
nave not learned their military strength,
and whether they are not in danger of
becoming military nation. That they
have learned their military strength there
can betno doubt; and Il Is worth the while
of uations, % take notice of that fact. The
essential interior nature, however, of our
IA tI,aII kknk nkaI he
Infected With the lust of military glory.
The English have been Warlike people,
partly from their nature, but more for the
reason of commercial greed. And most Of
the wars of England have been wars of
profits We dig in the mountains, and
they 6ght on the continent; and both are
actuated by desire for money. They are
a manufacturing people, and they must
have access to every people. They must
own distant, empires, that shall consume
and absorb their vast products. And
England has made war because war was q
good bargain. The French. have. made
war. They love war for military glory.
We have made war. We have not made it
for the sake of money, nor because We like
military glory. This is a land OF free
people. We have no discontented class.
Il IS band of ,enfranchised people. In
England only one man In six is voter.
In America every q. man that isl or
age is a voter. In Europe a vast ma.
jofity of the people know that 1t is as i'm
possible for them to rise as II Is for YES
sci 70 make head against the rock hound
shores Of Maine. They are born, not to
medioerity, but TO- poverty and to misery.
And out OF such class It is easy to breed
discomfort. yea an. army feYer But we
have no class like that. We have q peo.
pie every man of whom expects to rise by
industry, and leave his childEen's feet
higher than his head was when he was q
child; aud that Is not people that'it Is
easy to provoke to war, except in the de-
fence of their own rights and principles
Under such circumstances they will be
found 10 be sighting men-terribly fighting
men. We do know our military power;
and this people will not suffer any one to
do it wrong, whether he dwell In Mexico
or in Paris Beyond that, the spirit of our
people are against war. l have looked
very narrowly, atcthis matter, and see no
signs OF corruption among our people in
that direction. Our disbanded soldiers
become OF once citizens, and throw of war
as easily as they throw of the habiliments
of war. Indeed, in all our camps to-day
the word citizen is more honorable than
the word soldier; and every young man in
the army7IoD for the day when, with d
deity to his counirYi he may return home
and become citizen. think thefeis no
danger, therefore, shat the government is
silently undergoing change, and that our
people are being educated in this war un-
fayorably. 80