Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-10-10
$ Cheeks

Suppose private citizen should have
had the misfortune to have been en-.
gagged during the most of his active
lite in resisting the agsrcssions Of
relative and neighbor, who, uns"rupu-
lous, arrogant, insolcnt wealthy and
able, had devoted most of bis energies
to tho destruction Of his relative and
neighbours peace, comfort and prospcri-
ty, melting disorder in the homestead,
poisoning, the minds Of his neighbours
family, and at last breaking out in vio-
lcncc, seeking thereby to break up
and ruin his home. Suppose the as
sailed citizen, whose only cause of Of
tc,.se was moral objection to tho per-
pctuation Of a degrading system Of
concubinage by his neighbor, and un-
der the eyes Of the objcctor's children,
should have borne quietly at first,
yielding and compromising for peace
sake ut later date, even in part
condoning his relatives immortality
and calling it good but that at last,
driven to bay by lawsuits and pcrsc-
cutions, had manfully resisted and
handsomely thrashed the aggressor,
at the same time lifting the victims
of tho adjoining farmers immortality
into comparative freedom from such
degradation?
What would be the verdict of the
world on a man who, after being thus
prosecuted, should turn round and
yield the management of his affairs
to the family and the man by whom
he had been so violently and malic-
iously assaulted? Would he not be
regarded as a weak and foolish per-
son, especially after having at every
point defeated his enemy and laid bare
his arrogance and crimes? Suppose
he excused himself for such action by
the plea that his enemy, obviously for
the one purpose of obtaining control Of
the property and interests of both
parties, had acknowledged he had done
wrong that his concubinagc was an
otfense that I" had the primal curse
upon it," and that as a proof of this
wound up by saying his only desire
was to forgive those who had defeated
him, and "clasp hands over the bloody
chasm" he himself had been the means
of digging, Would not sensible
critic declare that the insoIent hypoc-
risy was worthy of the preceding base.
ness and trcacnery.
But, putting that aside, what would
be proper judgment on members Of
tho aggricved mans family-of sons
who had stood by him in resisting the
spoiler and malignant-and who now
stood up to declare their father and
those Of their brethren who sustained
him in protecting themselves against
new aggressions to be tyrants aud op-
pressors, unworthy of the public conf
dence, and only deserving Of nou-
suit in the curt Of appeals before
which final plea is being made, when
their only plea was that the hitherto
assailant, finding himself sure of de-
feat or the old arguments, had turned
around, sowed dissensions, and was
seeking to use those Of the other party!
Every sensible person would declare
such conduct to be unwise as matter
Of policy ; treacherous and dishonest
as matter Of morality. These suppo-
sitions fit the position of the Demo-
Gratis aud their Liberal" allies at this
juncture. The impertinence Of the
latter is only equaled by the "child-
like aud bland smile" with which they
seek to cajolc the country by assuring
it that the only way to secure liberty is
to give power to those who resisted it
that the only way to obtain peace is to
turn over power to those who alone
made war that to effect reconciliation
We must condonc crime and let the
criminals have their own way. 1t is
difficult to tell at which to be most
amazed-thc treachery that surrenders,
Or the check that demands the same
thing Of the cou.try.