American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-07-26
COMMUNICATIONS.
"The RetrOsDect. :,


Mr. EDITOR If the reader can find
a copy of the Democratic Herald, edited
and published by Mr.. Coll, in Butler, on
the 18th day of April, 1861. he will find
1st. "War has commenced, and Fort
Sumpter after siege of about eighteen
hours surrendered
I'd A long editorial on the above sub
ject. thought then that it was the
wrong time to be writing "The Retros-
pect" The nation was just commencing
her struggle for txistance, and "Let not
him that girdeth on his armor boast him
self, as he that taketh it off," | would
suggest to the elitor of the Herald the
present'as a more appropriate time for
"The Retrospect" The nation has con-
qucred her enemies and gracefully lays
off her armor l therefore reproduce a
few extracts.
"fhe agitation of the slavery question
first reached our shores from England,
| 80
and the British seed of Abolition ism
having been sowed from the pulpit and
the venal press for years, the party took
root and was soon one of the great parties
OF the day"
o, yes Mr.. Col, the venal pulpit is,
and always has been very bad thing
and it has pleased God by the foolishness
ofpreaching to do many bad things among
which, the abolition of slavery, is the
most conspicuous; pity we could't tear
down these altars of freedom and kill
these apostles of liberty, and make pro-
slavery God of our own, and then the
pro slavery Democratic party and the pro-
slavery Democratic Herald would be the
oracles of the day But if you had wal
ted until the struggle was over you might
haverecorded that this seed sown by the
venal pulpit, had grown up, and notwith-
standing all your opposition, has come to
perfection, buried beneath its spreading
branches are the chains of race, its
leaves are all starry banners of Liberty
and Union its blossoms are those of peace.
and the rich fruit of universal freedom
bend down its benign branches until the
lowest of the human race can pluck there
from. But the retrospect continues:
1.-The fears of the people of the South
for their safety were aroused and the law
of self protection justiies their alarm
The darkened heavens told them of the
coming storm, and aceH they improved
their time to avert its evil consequences !"
This needs no comment Fort Sump-
ter had just been Announced by the edi-
tor as captured, and the war commenced
and he must of course enlghten the peo-
pie Of Butler county with his views upon
the new and important issue, and he tells
them iE so many plain words that the
South are justified, and that they. had
well improved their time, in capturing
the Southern iorts, arsenals, mints and
navy yards, and robbing our treasury
under the administration of the last Demo-
cratic President, so as to be prepared fof
the conflict, and "avert its evil consequent
ces" "These were the times that tried
mems souls"
Loyal men buckled on their armor and
went out to defend their country. "rai-
tors buckled on their arInor and went
out to destroy this government. The
editor Of the Heraid took up his pen to
justify and ertoi that which he was too
coioardy to defend. But hear him fur
ther as he pleads for the Southern con-
federacy
".The Southern people, having tried
in vain to gain some assurance Of their
safety under the new Administration, be-
gan to put to themselves the question =
is it legally and constltutionally true that
a State cannot withdraw rom the Union
! (however urgent the cause) without IN
curing the penalty Of being coerced into
submission If her honor and safety de-
mand separation from the Federal gov
ernment, has she SO parted. with the con-
trol over her own internal life and desti-
ny, as to be powerless in her own behalf,
nevertheless for her defence? /? Has she
stripped herself SO bare, and bound her.
self so fast, that no attribute of sovereign
ty remains to her for the protection of the
property, liberties and lives of her citi-
zens within her own limits agaiast the
deowed hostility cfa Federal Union, ,phich
has assumed its 'corst and most dangerous
.forna-that of sectional dominion, ami
mated by fanaticism and the lust of spoils
| and power