North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1865-04-26

My DEAR SIR - You may use this as you
think best. But as some may wish to know
aohen. arho and phy and as know not ho1u
TO direct, give it (in the words of your
mastery
To 1ohom ii may concern:
Right or wrong, God judge me, not man.
For be my motives good or bad, of one thing
am sure, the lasting condemnation Of the
North.
lows peace more than life. Have loved
the Union beyond expression. For four
years have waited, hoped and prayed for
the dark clouds to break, and for restora-
| tion Of our former sunshine. To wait longer
would be crime. All hope for peace is
dead. My prayers have proved as idle as
my hopes. Gods will be done. 60 to see
ard share the bitter end.
have ever held the South we're right
The very nomination Of Abraham Lincoln,
| four years ago, spoke plainly, war-war upon
Southern rights and institutions. His cleo
tion proved it.. "Await an overt act" Yes,
| till you are bound and plundered. What
folly The South was wise. VINO thinks
of argument or patience WHEN the finger of
| his enemy presses on the trigger?" In a
foreign a0dr, |, too, could say, "country, right
or wrong" But in a struggle such as ours
| (where the brother tries TO pierce the broth
er's heart,) for Gods sake choose the right
When q country like this spurns justice
from her side she forfeits the allegiance O:
every honest freeman, and should leave him,
untrammeled by any fealty soever, to act as
his conscience may approve.
People Of the North to hate Tyranny, to
love liberty and justice to strike at wrong
and oppression, was the teaching of our IA =
thers The study of our early history will
not let me forget it, and may it never.
This country was formed for the phite not
for the black man. And looking upon Afri.
can slavery from the same stand point held
by the noble trainers Of our Cons titution, |
for one, have ever considered it one of the
greatest BLESSINGS (both for themselves and
us) that God ever bestowed upon favorite
nation. Witness, heretofore our wealth and
power, witness their elevation and enlight
ment above their race elsewhere. | have
lived among it most of my life, and have seen
less harsh treatment from master TO man
than have beheld in the North from father
to son. Yet, heaven knows, no one would be
willing to do more for the negro race than +.
could but see a way to still better their
cond ton.
But Lincoln's policy is only preparing the
way for their total humiliation. The South
are not, nor haze they been fighting for the
continuance of slavery. The first battle of
Bull Run did away with that idea. Their
causes since for aodr have been as noble and
greater far than those that urged our fa
Tiers on. Eren should we allow they were
wrong at the beginning of this contest, cru.
city and injustice have made the wrong be-
come the right, and they stand no1o (before
the wonder aud admiration oe the worldly as
a noble band:of patriotic heroes. Hereafter
reading Of their deeds, Themopyle will be
| forgotten.
When aided in the capture and execution
of John Brown (who was a murderer on our
western border, and who was fairly tried and
convicted, before an impartial judge and jury,
of treason, and who, by the way, has since
been made god,) was proud of my little
share in The transaction, for deemed it my
duty, and that was helping our common
country to perform an act ofjustice. But
what was crime in poor John Brown 10
now considered (by themselves) as the
greatest and only virtue of the whole Repub.
lican party. Strange transmigration! Vice
to become a rirtue, simply because more in
dulge in it.