The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1865-02-01
ARE WE SAFE WITHOUT A
GOVERNMENT OF FORCE?
BY A. B. CHILD.

Would our nation, and the men and
women that make our nation be safe with.
out laws and their penalties laws, each
one OF which is command of force,
made for the conceived purpose of lessen.
lug the amount Of evil in the world, by
the resistance of evil, by active war with
what man thinks is evil in another?
Are we sale without this government,
of force that man tries upon man and
pretends to rule his fellow man with
The Church, and the great mass Ct
people called wicked, will answer this
question in enc voice just as they have
bien taught in the school,houses and
meeting houses Of their fathers, and say,
"If written commandments and statute
laws be made powcrless if all bondage
for crime and punishment at the hand of
man for wicked actions, be abolished, sin
Eilleverywhere abound, anarchy, riot, war
robbery, murder, confusion, tumalt, dis.
cord, corruption will gil the land-there
will be no safety, no security The voice
of the whole world is, the Christian, the
teathen and sinner, that there is no safety
without laws and their penalties.
Go back so far as history can carry us
into all placcb and conditions oil men, and
insecurity OF human life. Fer instance,
our Government to day is reign of lorce.
Is there no mur1sr, no robbery in our
land! Is there no anarchy over our bor-
dars of warfare Is there no discord, con.
fusion, nor corruption ?
Our laws and our commandments make
for our country what VIC understand to be
a government of force--a government
whose aim, eud and object is perpetual
war with what is evil or wrong to It's own
view, ard perpetual peace orly to what
is right to Its own view. Under the rul,
ings Of this Government, i'm he last four
years, a million of uen, North and South
have been slaughtcred-men who looked
for the safety of their lives through O
government of force. This Government
in the last f ur years, also has placed in
jeopardy another million of men, II
whom the seeds Of disease ure planted Il
develop in early death, gathered from
unnatural exposures, from deprivations
from starvation, from the bad aiE Of nris
ons aud hospitals, and from maliriou
swamps and low.ards.
! BY our government Of force anothe
, million Of men, North and South, VIII,
: have pursued safety through the danger
of fc,ce, have been manned and cripple'
for the remnant of their earthly lives
This government Of force that now rule
US, is not ssfe but is dangerous, it is un
safe for the protection Of our lives, ou
health and our limbs,
BY this government of force, our lib
erty is not secure-it is unsafe. By il
Stens of thousands arc now 10 militar
prisons, in State prisons, in jails, il
houses Of correction, and many million
are in scrvile bondage, North and Soutl
almost everywhere. And more than a
this, our government Of force hangs owe
every mans head, North and South, thi
: moment, military despotism. This is
= sort Of supreme bondage. A government
Of force everywhere infringcs upon man
freedom. Our earthly successes aud ou
property ia unsafe under this rule Q
!, force. In the last four years, million
added to millions, and millions adde,
d again to millions Of dollars in propert
that belonged to the people and was ust
full to the end Of civilization, has, by
government Of torce, been sunk, burn
L up, broken up and destroyed. AT a
!, |, times and all places, government {
force is an injury to mans advancemer
in civilization it makes heavy tax W
: on mans time, efforts and possession
and 1t not ouly re,ards, but II retrogradt
mans civilization, The great insccurit
comes only from the law Of force th'
governs. And with our government
: force carried to its direst ends, where
i there safety in our country for an
At propcrtyS ,GNArNa
: All tho comforts Of our lives aFe
" hazard To-day from tho government
: force ibpt bangs over us, Ard give "A
7: goVerpment Of force the length Of j