American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-06-07
Some Of the Perils Of Peace.

dawn of peace have their origin from two
sources, both we think sources of error
One, those who ever keep uppermost in
mind the price we pay for peace, and can
not forgive the terrible crime which has
cost us 50 much, and who when they talk
of justice as duty, mean, perhaps, un-
consciously vengeance. The other springs
from those, who in their desire for peace
and the fruition of peace, forget that JUS
tice is not only our duty, but it is our
only safety.
In the upheavals of the social elements
questions of an aspect not inviting, force
themselves upon us. The question as
suming the most prominence before the
country is that of right of suffrage for the
freedaien@ And this question carries
with it many aspectsand many difficulties
In the outset many conted that the negro
is unfit, in important respects and to an
important degree, to exercise the high
right of political power for the good of his
country or for his own good Here the
case may be concluded in the minds of
many; for surely, they say, is not this
reason enough for "ithhoding this pow
er? Very true, unless there are reasons
of greater force for giving it.
During the great events that have con-
vulsed the nation, there has been steadily
growing faith in the ways of Providence.
1t is felt more than ever that the allwse
Creator roigns, and works out His will i'm
His own way by His appointed means.
With this must come the growing belief,
that great events are intended to teach
great lessons. that we cannot disregard
without peril The system of bondage,
the overthrow of which we are now wit
Messing, has been permitted to attain to a
power and influence in this country, which
it has never reached before n any other
country Its essential character was
never before so displayed, nor its influence
upon human character seen 50 5 rikingly
1t has fOmeuted the most causeless and
Ter, cous rebellion ever undertaken by
man. 1t has instigated innumerable muir
ders of men for daring to be t ue 70 The
government that had protected them III
enjoyment of life aud liberty; it has at
empted wide spread system OF iuceu-
diarism of cities, towns and vessels; it
has made efforts t. inuoluce eontlgiou
and disease over the whole country it
has offe ed rewards IN public prints for
the assassination of leading men, More,
it has accomplished the assassination of
the ruler of our country. 1t has muir
dered thousands Of prisoners Of war by
deliberately planned scheme Of starvation,
What proofs has it not given to all ma
tious and to all time of its nature and in
Auence What crime can compare in
magnitude and enormity with the DELHI
crate and conCinued murder of prisoners
of war? History does not record that
such terrible crime was ever committed
before 1t is crime of such an atrocious
enormity that it cannot be forgotten.
Prisoners have been slain on the field Of
battle, or in cold blood after victory
But no history of heather or christian
nations has ever recorded that any people
hd ever before shown such depravity as
to conceive in its councils and execute by
its officers such scheme of murder by
starvation. Can it be that this was per-
mitted, that men might see that slavery
sinks men to lower abyss than it ever
reached before
Having seen and felt this fearful revo.
luton in its terrible hour, can we as .
people be safe. if we do not as a people
use all the means in our power to utterly
exterminate and root out the influence
that could produce such crimes. Ii is
not necessarily the men that have yielded
to this influence that we would extermi-
nate. 1t is felt now that characteristic
of our age Is, that principles have become
of more Importance than ever before, and
men relatively of less. And it is the
principle and the influence Of slavery that
we should exterminate, without "a thought
Of mercy.
And it is here that the question of diff
ficulty occus. How shall this be accom-
plished if the political power in the South
remains in the hands Of those who have
hitherto welded it?-Ptas. Com.
-~-
The END OF. THE kEBELLIoN.-By
the surrender of Kirby Smith, the last Of
the rebel generals in the field, by which
all the rebel military and naval forces west
of the Mississippi river, are extinguished,
the Great Rebellion is at an end, and the
Perpetuity of ths Union, on the basis Of
Universal Freedom, insured Thus has
slayery ana its kindred curse, estate