The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1864-10-20

And yet the rebels tell us we are fightin
for liberty. This every man knows is falls,
But what il still most relied upon by the re
bels to inAame our minds and excite on
passions, IS, that we are TO be brough
down to q level with. the negroes, and So
this is an appeal 10 the rheanesf emotions o
the human heart--envy and selfishness
predicated upon our supposed stupidity an,
ignorance. AIti true that the negroes i
/ Texas are to-day legally free, but how doe
this injure Us. II we are ourselves free, til
fact Of all others being free also will not i'm
pair our rights nor'abridge our privileges. :
The leveling process so much complained o
Is Indeed sery different from that intende,
by the rebels masters. They intended. Il
keep the negro in bondage, and reduce u
to the same condition. The government o
the United States has determined that "
shall continue free, and to that end ha
deemed 1t right to give freedom to tn
slaves, and here l say that our position il
government and society viii remain un
changed-that of the negro will be improved
and here say TO those who feel consciou.
that they Cannot successfully compete with
the negro for the prize Of acknowledge mer,
i and moral worth, cafe and complain; but
| say that the ypan whois conscious ofendow.
ments, physical and mental. superior to the
negro, and who Intends to Employ them Tor
the good Of his county and Hrs race, will
feel no jealousy Of the negroes fredom,; and
| say to the old democratic sinners that may
differ with me on this question, that the in
stitution Of slavery. BY its crimes, has for
feited to The government and the people its
right to exist Its doom has been pro.
nouneed +; the sentence has gone forth. never
to be recalled "veighed in the balance and
found wanting" I would ask those who
differ with me, what has slavery done for
you, that you should become its champions
and defend it to the death. II never bene-
fitted you. materially, morally or politically.
Il has, in fact, been clog upon our pros
perity, the enemy Of truth and virtne, ard
sore upon the body polite for long years,
producing constant irritation. 1t grew in
arrogance as It Increased in power, until, I |
'ay that in the South. free government was
practically overthrown long before open re
'ellion commenced. But my democratic
rierids say that the Constitution of the I'm
ted States guarantees to all its citizens ab-
olute liberty Of conscience richs OF
peech, and that is true. Here say that
70 man eithe. in Texas or in any, Slave
tate have dared. at sny time in the las,
60 years .I-.rssc la~-rs rnsutuuon. or us claim
o the consideration and protection Of gov.
rnment and society above every other in
crest, and here say how many free citi.
:ens Of the United States have been immo-
ated upon the altar oftbis political and so
ia! demon; and here say that in my own
State. Texas, during the summer and ELL Of
$50, according to the published account OF
he muderers themselves. two hundred and
:tty Of our free citizens were hung as feloas.
md thousands driven from their homes and
to leave the State, ,sbecause they
we're suspected of in fidelity TO slavery, and
inaly gathering .emerity from its success.
ul war upon the rights and lives of its citi-
:ens. it lifted its unholy hand to destroy
ne government to whose projection it owed |
ts power. In its efforts to accomplish this.
We have only been considered as so much
material to be used. Our lives. and homes,
md families, our present good and future
ropes for ourselves and children, were not |
worth moments thought and here I say
% my friends I; in great struggle like this
through which ws are now passing. none
should shrink from the responsibility Of act
ng when in condition 10 do So Accord. |
ng to his highest convictions of duty to
all in this is infdelity to prosterity, and
rhine against humanity. II, then, you be-
ieve as do, that the institution of slavery |
,as merited and invited its own destruction,
md that It's doom, pronounced by the sover.
ign power Of the nation is an act Of justice.
more than human justice attesting the pres
,ncc Of an onnipotent hand, then speak and
let as men who deserve freedom for our
selves and our proster;ty. The day Is near
It hand when thc-name "abolitionist" will
have ceased to be d arcpfoach
Ever in the South, and the children
now daily the subjects of attempted insult
On account Of its application to their faith
ers, ven thank God that they were SO re-
viled. when we shall have been, as we will
soon be delivered from our present bond
age want to say to those who would
question me upon the subject that you are
at abolitionist not only in respect to slave
~. bql abolitionist, ks' well. IN respect to
treason and traitors, in respect to every
power, interest, Institution or thing which
opposes haman progress. liberty and harpi-
ness. say then slavery must de for the
highest Of all crimes known TO human laws.
sn'attenpt to destroy the national life:
that no government can tolerate that which
seeks its death; that the issue is fairly
made-made by the rebellion, and is now
as fairly met, slavery against the govern
mens The struggle is for life. Slavery
must perish ifthe government survive. It
must die that liberty may live. I say then
that you cannot longer give your sanction
to an institution which crushes haman sym.
pathy. stiles human thought. and tyranizes
over the-minds. hearts and cansciences Of