The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1886-06-17

doctrine was met by che Southern leaders with
proposition unheard of prior TO that time
that slavery was national that the COnstitu-
tiesi recognized property in man, and chat every
man had the right to take his slave into any
Of the Territories where the American flag
hoated. This we Of the North believed TO be
contrary to the doctrines Of the fathers aud the
spirit of the Constitution, as well as contrary
to every principle of law taught by every great
law writer prior to that time.
As we of the North understood the law. as
laid down by Blackstone, no man had the right
to Voluntarily take his slave upon free soil. If
he did, the moment that the slave breathed the
free air with the consent Of his master be be-
came free man. Upon that doctrine we went
to the people in their sovereign capacity and
elected President of the United States, Abra-
ham Lincoln, man as pure as the flowers that
b!oomed upon the prairies of his own adopted
State {; q man who would Intentionally wrong
no human being, nor deprive any man Of his
legal rights, and this Jefferson Davis and his
cohorts well knew.
Now. have no desire to harrow up the III
feelings engendered by the war, but duty TO the
dead soldier, as well as to the living requires
that we should speak freely and frankly about
these matters.
The leaders Of the South had for wears
been teaching to their young men the false doe
trine that State had the right to secede from
the Government at viii, and that the duty of
the citizen TO the State was paramount to that
of the General Government. They had further
incueated feeling in their followers that the
North intended to rob them OF their institu-
tiOns and trample upon their rights-a feeling
that they must have known did not exist; for
say TO you frankly, that at that time there
was not one man in ten in the North who had
ANY DESIRE OR DISPOSITION
to Interfere with slavery where it then existed
- II. r
taught this doctrine, but ineulcated into the
minds of the rising generation 10 look upon the
perpetuity OF the Union as a secondary con-
sideratiOn; doctrine that was not only danger
Gus but pernieiOus and If allowed to be rein
culeated will ultimately lead to the disruption
of the Government. They brought on the
war-nOt for the purpose of regaining a lost
right, but for the sole purpose of building up a
government in which the leading idea should
be human slavery, and thereupon base an aris-
tocracy and engraft into their Constitution the
abominable doctrine that man could own prop
erty in man.
Out of these conflicting ideas grew the war.
/ for one do not hold the majority of the peo-
pie Of the South responsible for that terrible
war and its disastrous results. / believe that
had the majority Of the people been left TO ex-
ereise their sober Judgment the States would
never have attempted to secede. But they
suffered themselves to be misled by ambitious
leaders, all because the fathers had taught their
sons false and un-American doctrine. As it
was many Of the States that were slavehOldng,
furnished as true and gallant soldiers as ever
unsheathed a sword ia defense Of the life of a
nation. / might instance Virginia, Kentucky
and Tennessee as noted examples; while many
of the other States did their duty as far as
they could under the circumstances.
/ have said 1 have no desire 20 harrow up
the feelings engendered by the war and for the
purpose of this occasion L will assume that
every Confederate soldier and his friends and
advisers are in earnest when they say they
want peace and harmony and goodwill TO ex-
ist between the soldiers Of the two armies and
between the citizens of the two sections. Then
the all-important question presents itself to
US, How can we arrive at that happy result?
1t cannot be done if the Union soldier is con-
tinually upbraiding the Confederate soldier for
the course he took. We, az Northern men,
must recognize the fact that the rank and file
OF the army OF the South were misled by am
bilious leaders. In fact we have acted upon
that theory. When they surrendered to Us we
conceded to them every right that they could
claim to enjoy under the Government / now
allude to the private soldier. We have con-
sented that all political disabilities should be
removed from the officers when they asked it
in good faith. We have consented further
that they might come into the halls of Con-
gTess, and