The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1864-03-16

pre- OF agricultural ana mineral Weallnt Is TO-
day a smoking ruin and the theater of most
revolving cruelties and harharisms. The min
! ions of tyrarny consume her substance, plum
! der her citizens and destroy her peace. The
/ sacred rights Of freemen are struck down, and
tho blood of her children, sher. maideDs and
her old men is made to flow outof mere wanton--
ness, and recklessness. No whispers of free
d,m go unpunnished and The very instincts of
self preservation are outlawed. The worship
of God and the rites of sepnlture sfave been
lshamefully interrupted, and in many instances
the cultivation Of the soil is prohibited to her
Town citisens. These facts are atfested bJ
many Witnesses. and It Is but just tribute to
that noble aud chivalrouse people, that amid
barbarities'almost unparalleled, ,theystill main
tain proud and, deiant-spirit toward their
| enemies.
] In Maryland, the Judiciary, made subser-
Went to@executive absolu'esn furnishes no
security for individual rights or personal free
DOM members of the Legislature are arrested
and imprisoned without process of law or as
lsignm ent of cause. and the whole land groan-
| eth under oppression of merciless tyranny
| In Kentucky, the ballot bcx has been over
thrown, free speech is suppressed, the most
vexatious an annoyances harass and embitter,
and all the arts and appliances of an unscrr-
! pulous despotism are freely used to prevent
| the uprising of the. noble patriots of .'the
assurances of bright and better day, reach
US, and the. exiles may take courage and hope
| for the future. --@ts = - 2]l. So
In Virginia, the model of all that illus
| trates human heroism and self-denying pa
triotism, although the tempest of desolation
has swept over her fair domains, no sign Of
repentance fer her separation from the North
can be found. Her old homesteads disman-
tied, her ancestral relics destroyed, her people
/ inn bad har forr oda fha hat
ground for the rude shocks of contcnding
hosts, and then divided, with hireling para
sites mcckinelyA claiming Jurisdiction and au-
| thority, the Old Dominion still stands with
proud crest and defiant mien, ready to tramp
| beneath her heel every usurper AMI tyrant,
aud to illustrate afrcsh her sac senaper tyran
| ms, the "proudest motto that ever blazed on a
| nations shield or a warrior arms.
| To prevent such effects, our people are now
prosecuting this struggle. It is no mere war
of calculation, no contest for particular kind
/ of property, no barter of precious blood for
| filthy lucre. Every thing involved in man
hood, civilization, religion, law, property,
country. home, is at stake. We fight not for
pluuder, spoiis, pillage, territorial conquest.
The Government tempts BY no prizes Of "heau-
| ty or booty"t to be drawn in the lottery Of this
| war. We seek to prcserre civil freedom
honor. equality fresides, and blood is well
shed, when "shed for our family, for our
friends, for our kind, for our country, for our
God" Burke said, So State, resolved to haz-
ard its existence rather than abandon its OBJ
| ject, must have its infinite advantage over
that which is resolved to yield, rather than
carry its resistance beyond q certain pont."-
| 1t is better to be conquered by any other ma
| ton than by the United States. It is better
to be dependency of any other power than
of that.
/ By the condition of its existence and es-
sent.al Constitution, as now governed, it must
! be in perpetual hostility to as. As the Span
| ish invader burned his ships to make retreat
| impossible, so we cannot afford to take steps
backward. Retreat is more dangerous than
alvance. Behind us are inferiority and dog
radiation. Before us, is every thing enticihg
to patriot.
Our bitter and implacable foes are prepar-
ing vigorously for the coming campaign. Cor
responding efforts should be made on our
part Without murmuring, our people should |
respond TO- the laws which the exigency de- |
mands Every one capable of bearing arms |
should be connected with some effective mill /
tary organization. The utmost energies of /
the whole population should be taxed to pro /
dace food and clothing, and spirit of cheer
fulness and trust in an All wise ard overrul,
ing Providence should be cultivated.
The history of the past three years has
much to animate us to renewed effort and a.
frmer and more assured hope. A whole pee
pie have given their hearts and bodies to re-
pei the invader, and costly sacrifices have
been made on the altar of our country. No
similar instance isato be found of such spon
taneous uprising and volunteering. Inspired
by holy patriotism, again and agein have
our brave soldiers, with the aid of FL aven,
baffied the efforts of our foes It is in no ar
rogant spirit that we refer to successes that
have cost us so much blood and brought sor-
row to SO many hearts. We may find in all
this an earnest of what, with determined and
resolute exertion, We can do 10 szert eubjuga-
Germ in onr deliverance from SO many and so
great perils the interposition of that Being L
who will not forsake us in, the trials that are
to come. ssztfsrt7..s r. -sz.s 4.-ss ~ :
Let us, then. looking upon the bodies of
our beloved md honored dead, catch iaspira-
ton from their example, and gather renewed II
confidence and frmer resolve to- tread, with f
unfalterng trust, the path that leads 10 he1or
and peace, although it leads through tears and
suffering and blued "a - - =; =
We have Eo alternative but to do our duty
We combat for orproperty, homes, the honor Of
our wives, the future of our children, the
preservation of our fair land from polluti5n,
and to avert doom which we can read both
in the threats of our enemies and the acts. of
oppression we have alluded to in this address
Z The situation is grave, but furnishes no
just excuse for}despondence. Instead Of harsh
criticisms on tie Government and our Gener-
ais ;.insteaa of bewailing the failure 70 accom-
pEsh impossibiities. we should rather be grate-
full, humbly and profonndly, to- Q benignant
Providence, for the results that have rewarded
our labors. Remembering the disproportion
in population, in military and naval resources
and the deficiency of skilled. labor in the
South, our accomplishments have surpassed
those: of any people. in the annals of the
world -There Ia no inst reason> for haneless-