The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1864-04-13
TERMS, $3.50 PER ANH1M.
PUBLIC SENTIMENTS.
BY L s. MAYNARD.

Public Sentiment, the offspring Of eAlm
thought and mature deliberatiCn, is az
iron clad power, irresistible to whaters-
opposes its progress. Srch is the Public
Sentiment non forming and gathering Up
the elements Of power for the preservation
of the liberties of the Nation. These
elements Of power are the Individual
thoughts of all classes of American ci,i.
zens without distinction OF color, that
liberty, the blrth-right of all mea, must
be made living, practical reality among
all men. As these Individual thoughts
become consolidated into the great misd
of the Nation, We have power then dc.
veloped that will assurediy bring aboul
the desired result-liberty to all-resu.
lated and secured by equal and Jus. laws
TO all. The Nation declared its Inde.
pendence IN l776, basing It's claim upon
certain self-eyident truths "that all men
were created equal,-that they were en-.
dowed by their Creator, with certain uu-
alieDabIe rights, Life, Liberty, and the
pursuit Of happiness" These great truths
we're the solemn thoughts of the maIe:,s
Of People determined to be free. They
won their Independence of the mother
country in 1888, and the Nation entered
at once upon development Of its re-
sources, SO substantial, 80 permaueLt,
yet so rapid in growth as to find no par
allel in the hitherto annals OF the world.
But although the founders of our Gov,
ernment erected q splendid edi6ce of
liberty in the formation Of the. General
Constitution; yet in the formation of some
Of its beautiful columns there was some
unsouud material used. But now in the
order Of re- construction, all unsound ma
tcCiaL IS to be removed, and in its place
fitting material perfectly sound, is to BE-
used, which with all added grace and
beauty Of finish is to posse-s enduring
stability. Yes, unfortunately IN the. Build,
ing Of Of our grand temple Of Titerty, the
work was not as full and complete as at
first intended. An element Of tyranny,
q seed Of mischief was left in the tole-,-
ton for the time being, of African Slavery,
trusting to lie sure ia the roalegess ot
confident faith that this then gcknowl-
edged evil in the country, would, under
the beni6cent working of free Institutions.
have a peaceabla ISOLATION and ultimately
be totally eradicatcd. Fatal mistake
The lease of life given to the Africa
Slave trade for twenty years,or unti! 1908,
was literally sowing the tares aud the
wheat together upon the same Wig; /
fields, to multiply the evil indefinitely, If
not to ezterminate the good seed.
"But as the tares and the wheat w.ro
TO grow together until the harvest, last i,t
gathering up the tares the wheat also b.
rooted up" SO now the time of .Srsra
Harrest Of our Nation has come! Tho
grand harvest commenced 10 1861, and
the reapers are at work with a wiz ",o
gather up the tares in bundles to burn
them and 10 destroy the seed of them az
utterly worthless, "but to gather the wheat
into the barn" And SO this rev but
j1st manner of harvesting, is to purify
the old fields and regenerate them. By
sowing the pure seed, until they shall
blossom ard wave IN the glory Of the
ripened grain an hundred fold
Yes, to drop the figure, the grand
struggle Of civil war, now enacting in eur
land, is for cur Nation a needed necessity
to purge and purify it, We are nov 10
win and establish in the security Of per-
petual life, its necessary and legitiulats
liberties. The great truths OF the R-s.
laratlon Of Independence are to he nsis
through all the length and breadth Of
the land living reality. In tIls etiri,
Of this the work h9s been commenced, in
the spirit of this the work goes ql.-
Under the dispensatisn cf true liberty
the scales of prejudice drop frgm thu
hitherto dsrkened eyes men see riearcr
and feel nobler, hand joins TO hand and
heart knits to heart to swell the ierp,
calm current Of Public Opinioa th1s
this Nation must and shall be preserved,
and that It must and shall be at3.lu,vty
free