The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1865-05-18
Correspondence Of the Jeffersonian.
HAREwooD u. S. A. IIosPITAL,
Washington, d. c., May Bird, 1865.

ascertain the cause and locality of the fear
ful malady which, like destroying angel
has passed through the land, leaving death
and destruction in its wake. That the de-
mon, Slavery, has been the household god OF
the wealthy class, or the chivairy, as these
Southern Knights love to call themselves, is
proven by the zeal and fanatacism with which
they nursed it; yea, cherished it as man
doth the partner of his bosom. Incidence
and pride. and love of money, and passion
for power to rule over their fellow men form
ed the germ which brought forth this disease
and located it in the brain of the Southern
Aristocracy; and it was incidence that pro-
dnced the falacious idea that it was necessa-
ry to have retinue Of servants, and to en-
gage in a nefarious traffic in human flesh,
in order to gain position par excellence in
American society. And woe to the person,
| in their midst. who dared to express senti-
ments in contravention of this idea; or who
dared to whisper to the bondmen that there
was such boon as liberty, prepared by the
Almighty, for all the sons ofmen.
Many of the professed ministers of Christ,
in order to tickle the ears of wealthy men,
bers. and stifle the voice ola reproving con-
science, polluted the sanctuary of God, and
disgraced their holy calling. by their constant
cry of-"Servants obey your masters, and
render to them the labor due; not with eye
service, as men plcasers, but as unto God. '
Even if it was 10 The tearing away OF the
child from its mothers breast, or the separa-
ting of husband and wife, or parents and
children forever, all was to be submitted to
cheerfully under the decree of obedience
But these ministers forgot that other CON-
mand of God-that whom He had joined to-
gether man might not put assunder; and
they forgot, also, to eXhort masters that it
was their duty to observe, towards their SER
wants, the golden rule, and do to others as
they would have that others should DO unto
them.
The churches legislated, in their eccle-
siastical bodies, to make slave,holding and
trading respectable, and, if possible, to give
the peculiar institution u character Of divini-
ty. The State Legislatures threw their pro-
tecting arms around it, 10 save it from falling
into disrepute, and from the interference of
those who could not see, eye to eye, with
them in ensaving their fellow men. The
National Congress was invoked in its behalf,
and threw the shield of protection over the
degrading monster, and cruel tyrant, to give
ii constitutionality and power, which has, for
nearly century, been bone of contention
in the Congress and Courts of the nation !;
ever asking for favor and power, and never
satisfied after having obtained it. In 1920,
the Missouri Compromise measures were
passed, after much opposition and discussion,
with the understanding that it was to salts
fy, for all time to come, the maw of the era
wing monster. But this virus canker was
not satisfied with pollutlng the virgin soil of
Missouri with its balefll influence, and, in
1882, it again commenced to raise the head
of treason in South Carolina; threatening in
surrection and civil war. Thank God, we
had President then of some backbone and
pluck. Andrew Jackson was not the man
to stand by and see the government endan-
gered by the Vaccinations of traitors, with
out raising hand TO stay the fiendish work
With him TO think was to act, and Calhoun.
and his CO -conspirators, soon found out that
the first step on the road Of treason was
great step towards a higher ga!lows than
that on which Haman was hung for his treach-
cry TO the Jews. Thus the monster, then.
was crushed, and would to God that we had
an Old Hickory for President in 1860. Wei
would then have had this nest of reptiles
crushed before they were able to crawl, and
thus have saved our country from the horrors
OF civil war. But. alas! for the country.
we had thing for President, with neither
courage nor principles, who took the full
grown serpents into his bosom, and was
charmed by them into a State of helplessness
and insensIbility; and, when they had him
completely in their coils, stole his treasury.
his forts, his arms and munitions, and COM
menced their hellish crusade against the
government which had given them being,
honor, wealth and power.
The oath of Old Hickory, sworn by the
Eternal God, that the Union must and shall
be preserved, and backed up by prompt ac-
tion, in 1882, gave quietus to secession for
some time to come. But as some of the ga
bic sons of Africa began to have visions of A
land Of freedom, and to love liberty better
than bondage, and took to taking the North
Star for their guide, and to fleeing to the
Northern States, where the shackles of sIa-
very fell from their fettered limbs and their
ungs inhaled the pure ar of freedom. and
where their re-capture was difficult, further
were demanded by the task-mas- {
ers, as their price of adhesion to the gov
and as the only acceptable bribe {