The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1885-07-24
STERLING, Mimi, July Is, 1885.


Ehitor Free Press.
Judge James Bo:tomley in his address
at Pleasant Mound on the Ith of July
( is reported Ia have said that the Revolu-
tionary war was in its nature similar
Ia the revolt of the Southern states
against the general government at Wash
ington," remark which, To say the
least, is II most unfortunate blot upon an
| otherwise excellent address. Believing
as ! dO that such statements If allowed
! Ia pass unchallengcd have dangerous
or at least II misleading influence especi-
ally upon the minds of the young, | de-
sire Ia briefly point out the wide and
! radical difference in the two cases. The
colonies did not seek to destroy the
| British government but only resisted its
attempt Ia extend IN unwarrantable iu-
rsdictIon over them. They asked and
! claimed no other rights than those en-
! jOycd by British subjects elsewhere, and
only declared their independence after
! every other effort To secure these rights
! had failed Moreover, they were not
| the aggrcssorS, the first blood being shed
| by British soldiers making d cowardly
assault upon IN unarmed body of our
+ people assembled upon the village green
at Lexington, and when soon after at
Concord "thc cmbattled farmers fired
not the signal for an aggressive war
against British institutions, but il was
/ the protest of IN oppressed people driv-
/ en- To this last remedy Ia defend the nm
aicnablc rights of mankind to life, lib
crty, and the pursuit of happiness. How
was il with the Southern states i'm 1851 y?
| At the outset they deliberately sought
Ia destroy Il government of which they
were part. No attempt had been made
to extend an unwarantablc jurisdiction
over them. On the contrary every effort
was made la ascertain and remove any
Just causes for complaint, but none such
existed. The Southern people with
frcnZicd madness could be satisfied
with nothing short of IN aggressive war
fare, and began it by assailing II feeble
giIrrlson ~ Fort Sumptcr, which was al
most IA cowardly IN net as its counter |
part in the Revolution when British sol
diers murdered our unarmcd men at
Lexington in 1913. The colonies pro-
claimed the causes which lei Ia their
act by truthful indictment of King
George in the declaration of indepen-
dence, which for force and conciseness |
of statement has never been SURPASSED, |
and which made Il profound impression |!
upon the civilized world and went far |
10 secure the ultimate triumph of their |
cause. Some Of the rebel leaders rs well |
rs Judge Bottomley, would gladly per-
suadc the people that the cause of the
colonies in 1916 was analogous To that of
the Southern states in 1861, but loval
people wlI not shut their eyes TO the
fact that there. VAS rs wide a difference
as between day and night, between
right and wrong, and as between liberty
and Justice and slavery and oppression.
The patriotic people of the country hav-
ing restored the Union and proclaimed
liberty throughout the land, and having
with magnanimity unparalleled i'm his
tory restored traitors to the rights Of cit
izcnship, and having even given the
control of the government itself largely
into the hands of those who sought to
destroy il. will next be asked to admit
that they we're wrong in 1861, that they
waged an unjust war of conquest and
subjugation against the south which was
only fighting for liberty. Perhaps they
will swallow the bitter pill, but ] rather
think that i'm the expressive language of
the times there will be some vigorous
kicking" on th4r part before It will be
done. VIM. WEBB. y