The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1867-04-26
Are we towards?

| 49,
argument by that crushing epithet, to pre-
| mise that I enlisted on the 10Th day of
April, 1861, and was mustered out on the
9th day of May, 1866, serving my country
something over five years. 1t might be
proper to say, further, that my FIVE years of
service were, for the most part, active--that
| was never in the hospital, that is, never
skirked duty by playing sick"
1t is now exactly two years april 81 since
the great Northern heart was swelling with
the joy Of a complete final and crushing vic
tory. Two years ago this evening, Wiscon-
sin soldiers, at Blakely and Spanish Fort,
struck their last blow at armed rebellion,
and passed over her last defences. Two
years ago the party which had controlled
the North during the war, completed its
greatest work. For two years the same
party, assuming the title of Radical" has
controlled the land, and dictated the policy
towards the South. Two years of legisla-
ton have succeeded FIVE years of war, and
what character has that legislation given
| that party, and, what it. represents
North? answer, in all shame, it has, in
spite of all the heroism Of the Northern
soldiery, branded us before all the world as
| towards
| I saw two great awkward boys fighting
the other day, in the rough way boys have.
One at last cried enough" The other
thereupon turned his back upon his antag-
onist, picked up his hat, and walked away,
never once looking back. That boy I tho't
showed true bravery-not so much in da-
ring to fight as in daring to trust in the
honor of his adversary that he would not
take advantage of him when his back was
turned. After the 2lst of July, 1861,
whatever contrary sentiments may have
been entertained, [ presume there was no
! man in the North-certainy not in the ar
my-who doubted rebel courage 1t would
belittle the honor of our own victory to dis
parage the courage of the enemy. They
fought, to borrow hackneyed phrase, with
a courage worthy of better cause. But
despite resistance SO heroic as to ommand,
not only our own admiration, but that of
the whole world, we conquered. By virtue
of our superior strength in men and money,
and by the assistance of that Napoleonic
Providence which lis always on the side of
the heaviest artillery" we won the day
After the 9th day of April, 1865, we had no
cause to fear the South. Utterly prostra-
ted, she lay at our feet. With the graves
of her sons dotting every hill and valley of
her vast frontier-with currency so deple-
ted as to be of no value whatever-with the
whole land ransacked by devastating foe
homes laid waste-whole plantations de-
stroyed-their productive agents taken from
them-with no credit at home or abroad
here, on that eventful day, stood eleven
States of the American Union. Our
strength was hardly impaired. The loss in
men was hardly felt. The country was
richer in greater amount of production
than previous years of peace had witnessed.
Our wealth was demonstrated by the fact
that, Notwithstanding the immense amount
of currency issued to replace gold and silver,
it was but slightly in excess of the amount
required to effect the exchanges Of the ma
ton, and was, consequently, but slightly
deprecated. In fact, in 1865 we were just
getting in fighting trim.
Then what had we to fear of the South
in the future? Confidence in one S strength
is bravery-want Of it, cowardce. Their
superiors in everything that goes to win a
battle-numerica strength, rations, and ar
tillery-the present presented us no cause
of uneasiness. But looking to the future,
what did it hold out to us as inducements
to be magnanimous to our erring brothers :?
Take down your map and look at the terri
tory of the Southern States. You will see
it can never be increased much beyond its
present boundaries; and even the States
which may in the future be made from
Texas and the territories west of it must,
from their position assimilate in their ideas
more with those Iof the North than the
COutH, even were III DOT lUaC Tue tue OF EN-
igration which will fill them with popula-
ton must necessarily come from the North.
Look at our own limits Beyond the Mis-
souri, river, and drained by it and its tribu-
taries, and beyond the mountains on the
Western slope, lies vast, almost uninhab-
tied country. In few years the swelling
tide will carry mankind into its remote,t
parts, and out of the great wilderness pop
ulous States will be carved. BY necessity
of the climatic influences operating on the
future population of that area, their popu-
lar ideas must be those Of the present
North, without considering that the North
must supply the first settlers, and conse-
quently send them its own ideas If we are
so strong then in the present, how great is
the strength of our future What could we
have had to fear? With all our power
could we not have given back to these ele-
ven States all their rights? Would not