The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1864-01-13
lFrpn ths sonsra Call Democrat.
sUICIDE OF NATIONS.

lFron the Sohera (Ca,.) Democrat
THE SUICIDE OF NATIONS:
a fsrss he l1pd 20 thrt aiming illsza prey.
Wnep wealth 1ctmulates. and men delay
From The saftsest period of human history,
traced through the yolumnious tones of by
gons ages, recording the t-ransrutatious and
changes that have taken place in the varied
governments of earth, showing how nations
have sprung into existence from the more &C.
gretiona of . feH families, or from races rising
in power, reaching tho summit of luxurious
opulenee. sheH dwindiing gradually to decay
or disintregratioa, too fully ~sustains the truth
of the above assertion.
Egypt, reared meath the fostering care of
the shepherd Kings, has left upon the won
drous monuments Of her skill in science and
art the recording of her rise 10 power, and
the cause hi tsEept her into national oblivion.
Assyria, Babylon, the mighty, prosperous re-
publics of Tyre and Carthage, followed in
her wake reached the high pinnaeles of
wealth and power, became effete, their powers
passed away, and on their neoks the victors
placed the 20 . themselves had worn, and
left few traces of the splendid halls where
monarchs had trod. Now the ~proudest era in
the history of the human race with Greeceis
governing form political liberty, heretofore
tunknown arose, developing the highest no.
blest energies of the human mind in: art sci
ence, wisdom aud morality, spreading the
seeds OF those in her circle of Feiyiiization,
these traces have never been. obIiterated but
the race of him, "whol mouened that he had
not another world to conquer" are base, de-
generate, sycoph4ntic slaves. Her poTer
passed away, as Rome's to splendor arose !;
that mighty mistress of earth who swayed the
destines of the world, at whose rulers nod
nations rose or fell. The star of her glory,
Of her governing power of earth, and he who
to-day stands mid the ruins reare1 by the
centred wealth of conquered provinces, spent
IN embelishing the wondrons works enriched
by wealth of art from q ~s1bjugated world,
traces her pathway from glory to eG6eminacy
into that night of gloom which for a Thousand
years o.ershadowed the earth, left her the
conquered province to a Eandal horde, the
mother of nations, reared in the wombs Of by
gone ages.
Four centuries have passed AWAY since
through the gloom burst forth the CLEAN of
light, radiating fhe pathway Of those new ma
tons to power that to-day govern the d~estinies
of the human race; and con6ne the CONNER
cial prosperity of the world to stated rules.
In 1892, when Spain held an ~undisputed
sway, and nations bowed to1the proud Hidal-
Cos power, came the discovery Of a New
World) continent to rcvolutionize the moral,
physical and social aspect of tho human race,
developing the physical and scientific skill of
nations, vieing one with the other in the lust
for luxury, opulence and power. She has
paved the pathway, reached the goal, enrich
ed, and fallen by her own proud, polite, sui
cidal course she plundered her colonies of
all that was richyuntn the people, lettering
meath. the burden Of her taxation and ~restric-
tons !; their fortune the pirates spoil sunk
into imbecility and non-productiveness for
800 a rn1kbnrJa
care. @
Now rose Columbia's star from national re-
volntion, like that bright star to IsraePs shep.
herds given, a harbinger of peace and hope
to prosecuted man. The period Of supersti-
ton and intolerance passed away. Political
liberty conferred and confined 10 select circles
of wealthy or land holding classes in the diff
ferent forms ef-goyerning power, were des-
tined to be forever excluded from the ~reyolu-
t:onized land. The voice of the people, that
for countless generations bad been held in
strict allegiance to dictatorial power, would
take its place and mark to tyfant powers a
line defining its metss and bounds, where man
became q man sheltered in. prosperity and
happiness, beneath the vine andfig tree rear
ed meath his fostering, Industrious hand,
once was desert wild.k There with the nurse
lings of his loye,no ~tyrant's polite ban
could rob him of his god-giyen heritage.
Bold, brave, good men were they. who four
score years ago, laid the broad basis of that
social equality, which by it's privileges of citi-
zenship, makes the poor peasant eaqual to the
king. Upward she sprung, and threw her
consolidated banner to the breeze nations
viewed with wonder her brilliant rise to power,
and tyrants listened to her voice with awe
With scarce three million population in her
domain hetook a leading place among the
nations, herswealth one hundred million, since
that time has grown four billion, and thirty
million population takes the place of three
million. But alas /! as if to put q curb upon
the onward march to wealth and power, she
treads the path that 9th nations trod, and
left but shadows Of their departed glories.-
Must wealth, increasing as it gives us place
and power, degenerate our sors2 Must mon
eyed oligarebs rise, usurping power, place on
cursnecks again a slavish yoke? Must free
don's star, that for SO long hat, brightly
shonc, dim add declineA before the nusurperls
power? Has the spirit of our revolutionary
sires died ont has the altar Of their political
liberty grown cold2 Have We forgotten that
our fathers framed this government forlwhite
men and their posterity forever? Shall ia
naticism rule and ruin our hopes for countless
generations yet unborn ?@Has wealth SO accu-
INFLATED within our borders that our manhood
hath deeayed? God forbid / let not old Is
Erasfs chiidren's fate be ours let not this
mighty vine brought from the far off lands,
planted by oar fathers, hath taken such deep
root, watered by their blood covering the
mountains and the plains like goodly cedars,
sending forth the boughs and branches of its
commerce unto the sea, and its distant rivers ;
let not the hedges be broken, that tyrant pow
ers may pluck from us car hopes. Alas ! to-
day it is cut down, it burns, the mighty bran
ches are Topped, our commerce divided, and
our enemies laugh and rejoice over the war,
the strife now raging in our midst. How
long, oh freemen. shall itcontinus Year af-
ter year, it rolls along, and in its. mighty hec-
atomb the fcwer Of freedom dies. The bra