The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1865-12-27
The Departing Year.

The Departing 1ear'
The wear 1865 has nearly performed l-7
..,..;or II came with the visage Of war
=, laoves with Us peace Twelve months
aao civil war ragged over half Of our terri /
tori. and the legitimate government was
trampled under foot BY more than eight
millions Of our citizens. The close OF the
,ohall,on isa new data in our civil history a.
. nation. II had 10 its duration Of four years
a,tempted the destruction Of The ancient
landmarks by which We traced the work o.
the fathers OF the Republic; had sacrificed
the bravest Of our brethren, who stepped
gladly upon the field Of battle in defense Of
the national fag under whose starry folds
they fell as heroes that the nation might
live. and freedom flourish IN the land they
only knew as their country and their home.
Lavishly had we poured forth treasure that
peace might return, and yet the hour was
dark. and none knew that the day Of deiiv-
erance had come But the history Of the
year il written, and the work IS done.
Grant. Sherman, Meade and Sheridan, and
the resistless legiOns who followed those
brilliant leaders. have brought the boon
loDged and prayed for. with doubt and mis-
giving. Before midsummer had passed.
the rebel fag 10 longer fOated 30 tie
breeze, and the governmental authority
was restored throughout the Republic. No
ia fau h4. 70
thority. and the armies which gave us VIC
tory have melted away as the snow before
the genial breath Of spring and again have
returned 70 the loom, the pillow and the
anvil. The debt, which we feared could
never be paid, has already been diminished
by many millions, and there IS unprece-
dented prosperity in all the loyal states.
In this year has been crowded the work Of
centuries, and the clock Of time marks
progress.
By the hand Of the midnight assassin
Lincoln has gone TO his rest, and the as
sassin5 have quickly followed him. The
central power has asserted il vitality
against the State rights doctrine, and the
necessity which penned and sent forth The
Emancipation Proclamation, has By the
action OF Congress, anu the acqulescenc'
Of e-fourths Of the loyal States, become
q part OF the Constitution, and in le6,
slavery no longer legally lives in the land
The very States in the COnfederacy which
made slavery the cornerstone Of thei
Constitution, have ratified the amend
ment. Gods image shall be bought ant
sold no more, nor Northern men be here
amer slaye-drivers. The plant dough
faces are dying out, aud shall be trustee
and believed no more. How cheerily shat
the Old Year be rung out, and the New
Year In.
The year 1866 shall reap the harvest sowr
IN 1865. The strong arm Of Government
must be thrown around the freedmen, O.
ensure and confirm the rights now c0nsu
tutionally his. He must testify IN th'
courts without restriction; his labor mus
not become valueless because he is helpless
his life and person must be sacred; his sou
must be lifted from the barbarism Of ages
oduo0ti0u, ti.~ H. ~ils- - 1880, --...7' or.ss
all her stores 10 bis untutored mind; worth
must be acknowledged without regard Il
color; the elective franchise must be exer-
cised by all upon equal footing, educational
or otherwise; and the people Of Northern
as well as Southern States, must 10y the
ballot strike the word "white from then
Constitutions-an this must be accom-.
plisbed or there will be failure TO meet the
nnal issues of the contest for life between
freedom and slavery.
II matters not what place or station You
Ill, you shall not, cannot, shirk or shrink
from the personal responsibility. The wors
IL your own. Hold the servants OF the
people to the faithful discharge OF theiI
sworn obligations. Mankind is one and IT,
divisible, each soul but link in the chain
that reaches upward TO the throne. In vain
shall you attempt 10 raise or elevate yourself
only as you stoop 10 lit up and tighten the
souls below you, striving for the same goa
and reward. Meet these living questions
like men, and work out the problem TO its
rnal Solution AT once. To thl5 purpose
pledged. no doubt remains. Prejudice
shall disappear and be forgotten, while the
truth remains, that all men are born free
and equal, and endowed by their Creator
with certain inaliensble rights, that among
these are life, liberty, and the pursuit OF
happiness" This is the gospel OF to-day.
and no religious cloak shall shelter the
hypocrits who denies its truth To all.
then, 9 Happy New Year