The Elk advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Elk Co., Pa.) 186?-1868, 1864-02-06

~
,odr" What result, pray2 We cal
see none beyond the expenditure of three
or four thousand millions of brave sol
diers, the crlppling of many more, the !
destruction of our domestic commerce |
aud industry, the devastation Of vast Sec
tions of the Union, the creation of i'm
placable hatred between our people, and
innumerable other consequences OF like
character. The rebellion itself, is, we
honestly believe. quite as far from being
really conquered, as it was in the begin.
ming. And we owe this civil war and
its "grand results to Mr.. Lincoln and
his party-to their opposition to South
: ern slavery and their netarious doctrine
of "higher law" and an "irrepressible
conflict" between the free aud slave
States.
i What is the fruit of all the consequent
agitation We have on the contrary tor 4
tured and torn, from centre to circulr..
, ference, for year ana years, by that ours
! ed humbug Of humanitarianism and IA
, natical philanthropy, known as "aboli.
tionism," stree. oilism, ""black re2ubli.
canism," and so on through all its Pro-
team shifts Of name, and organization.
and movements, from first to last And
what has it profted US ? What good
t thing has come out of it? How much
, better off are we to day than we would
have been had the demoniacal strife
pever disturbed our national peace and
harmony? Has any really vauble, re-
J ally beneficial, really positive and perma-
nent thing been accomplished by it, even
10 the interest of the negro race in this
land, free or slave? We believe, and
a candid men who know anything of
' the truth Of the case must believe. if
they will not contess-thit the profes
q sed friends Of the negro here, in their
= insane crusade for his supposed rights
e aud happiness, have done him infinite
aud remediless mischief; and turn him
loose to a sudden, strange, unavailable,
and insufferable freedom. they have
proposed to pass him through a moral
and social transition that is simply i'm
possible in this age and land that their
e violent and wrongful invasion Of private
t rights and constitutional compromises,
4 in their efforts to force, in his case. the
: natural progress Of Providentisl plans,
r in the eventual breaking up and dissolu-
n tion of all forms and conditions ofpostive
# feudaIism and bondage, have actually
s set back the normal course of negro
e emancipation IN America, aud postpon.
5 ed indefinitely, the era in which the
g fact of human freedom, irrespective Of
r class, race color. or nationality, is to be
n yet realized and established, as the result
: of Gods laws and the convictions of So
: cial and individual interest all ever this
J. continent.
. But while the negro has not been put
e forward hairs bredth towards actual
e and practical redemption while, indeed.
!. his manacles have been frightened, aud
e the term of his bondage been protracteG
r incidentally, by the visionary and az.
+ gressive propagandism OF the lloyd
a Garrisons, the Lucy Stones, the Theo
: dore Parkers. and all the other "higher
: law" theorists and kidnapping and "un
y derground railroad" enthusiasts, who
/ have been 50 long impertinently and ab.
!. ST rdly busy in his eutranchisement and
elevation the country has been distracted
:, with bitter jealousies and contentious
r the States have been set against each
e other in fierce sectional warfare--the
e people of the North and South have
r, been enstranged-the sentiment Of na-
y tionality has been almost extinguishe0,
\, and the earnest thought, as well as the
i, passionate threat Of disunion, has been
% made ruling motive in the public mind
'f and in the political policy of the nation.
. This, then, is what we have gained by
IF the persistent agitation Of the slavery
p. question. Nobody has been benefited
es Even the negro is worse off.
rs How much longer shall we go in this
lie insane career? Is there to be no end
TT of the disastrous sedition Shall the
n Republic be forever distracted and har
l. rowed by intestine war, in order that &
few misguided fools and malignant
to knayes may enjoy the amusement Offset
In ting whole family of States by the ear
rs and floating themselves into public i'm
ly pertance and influence upon the wav'
n of political excitement and turmoil
of Really we think that the patience of tn
ly people has been tried long enough b.
in these baneful fomenters of sectional strit
ne aud tumult The little good and tn
on vast amount of evil they have achieved
no ought to condamn them to the e1scra
nd tion OF contempt of all honest meu'-aI
he sincere and rational patriots. Unit
'ly they are recognized as being what the
to really sre--the worst Of traitors-th
I'o I mad incendiaries who would fire the yer
his t'mple of our liberties and reduce tn
ms. whole to blood and ashes in will. pu
he suit Of visionary ideas--our nations
e'T peace and unity cannot be restored, nj
u" car, the wise and salutary counsels {