The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-08-20

only hope OF earthly continuance oi tha
accurssd system, when southern apologistl
lRhored long and faithfully in trying Il
curve the straight lines and round tht
sharp angles ol eternal law, 80 that slavery
might bs justified, But the day Of con
trovsrsy with the South must close, The
proclaimed truths OF universal liberty were
so securely enthroued that the South saw
in the near Siuture the day OF universal
freedom, The South, no longer willing "a
risk the safety Of her institutions to peace
iul adjustment and settlement, In mo-
ment, when the mad passions of men con-
trolleCl, fred upon the flag, and they pub
lshed to the world the attempted over
throw Of the Union, Thus the war came,
not aa an accident, but an inevitable result
Of long inCubating causes 1t might have
come little sooner ora little later, but II
must have come,
Aud yet thousands believe had not Mr.,
Calhoun published his heresies, or Mr..
Garrison aud Mr., Phillips their reasons,
tho war never would have come.
O,heFs believed that could the silYery
tones Of Mr. Clay, always sounded in tie
Senate, or II the Olympian brow Of Dan,
iel Webster had been lifted above the
dust to hx its awful frowR on the darken-
Ing scowl Of tho rebellion, we might have
been spared the horrors OF that great strife,
But those who thus reasoned, know but
little Of the tidal movements Of national
thought aud feeling. The extinction Of
the curse OF slavery was q simultaneous
impulse, acting many individuals minds
at once, 80 that in this, as in q thousand
instances before, genius comes In clusters
and shines rarely as in single star,
But few people Of the North believed
We were ready for either war or emanCi
patton. Who was 1t that possessed wis.,
dom keen enough to discover Ia a plain
and simple Illinois lawyer the great
emancipator? We can by the power Of
enlarged vision call the stars by name,
and discover worlds, but thera was none
among MS who saw in the midst OF u
tanners vats a greater than Napoleon; !;
who understood the slumbsring genius
that could create q monitor, and thus save
the commerce Of nationP
What seer or sage was there who saw
upon the quarterback OF an old wooden
snip, the greatest admiral OF the worlds
history, clothed with the simple authority
OF lieutenant and living in the obscurlty
Of a common RailorP Who understood
how the pesCeInl and qulet cittz9n Of that
day was capable OF becoming soldier,
never before equaled, without military
or tralnine2
There was and ia an answer to these
questions. It was Him who knoweth all
Things. God was moulding the minds,
aud preparing the men, who were to work
out ths nightly problem OF human des.
tiny, The obscurity OF the men whose
genius was to save aud redeem this nation,
will always appear as the Btronyest proof
Of the guiding hand Of the Almighty.
We were ready and knew It not. The
great stumbling blocks In the nations
way were hard to push aside. The men
were In the field from the beginning who
we're to lead you to victory. They
awaited authority. The supreme ques.
ton after almost ten years oil uncertainty
at last was considered at the seat OF au.
thority.
II was then acknowledged that God had
linked TO our own the destiny Of an en-.
slRved race. That their liberty, and our
Union, were iuseparable.
My comrades, you remember how this
knowledge OF emancipation burst upon
you, and was accepted. From that day,
John Browns soul became your marching
How you sang az you went
marching into the battle smoke:
In the bea ~ Of The lilies Christ was borne across
With taS glory lu Ill, bosom which transASu,Cs
As he did 10 make neu holy, let US die to make
mel fee,
While IOd IS marching on"
30, my comrades, congratulate you TO-.
day, " a part Of tho remnant Of chosen
generation, who faithfully followed the
flag through the darkest days OF defeat, as
well as In the sunshine oil final victory.
nEsuLTs or THE WAR.
The South rests lie cause, with tho
iallaCious apology OF inequality in men,
means aud resources; but 1t must be re-.
msmbered that all revolutions and all
Conspiracles against constituted authority
are brought about by minorities. But
such revolving minorities are banded
together for q single and common pur.
pose. So the South organized, equipped,
and ready for the field, cut the bridges be.
hind them, staked life, liberty aud proper.
" on the issue, believing that 10 them
would come great distinctionif they sue.
Ceeded-treason and death II they failed.
So, in looking back to-day upon the two
sections as they stood In 1861, We see the
South united, organized and intent upon
. single purpose; with the North divided
aud devoted 10 the busy pursuits Of
money making 80 that 1t might have
baen said, that on one side we see mar
tia order and military skill, and on the
other nation Of busy shopkeepers. The
South believed in war and was preparing.
The North thought war was impossible
and remained inactive. Tho people Of
the North, resting iu self security, while
the South was armiug, saw our navy scat.
tered, and entered no protests; saw our
northern forts and arsenals dsnuded Of
arms and munitions Of war and no alarm
sounded; saw companies and regimenta
forming, armies mastering, while we did
nothing,
SO, with these iaCts before US to-day,
we meet the southern apology with the
greater truths Of history, which truly de.
clare that when the war burst upon uS
the advantages were all In favor OF the
South and against the North.
This truth may be attested by the ad.
ditionRl fact that tho first organized army
Of the South being composed Of that class
Of men who lived by the labor and
energy Of others, carried into camp and
field the prestige Of Southern Chivalry
and boosted superiority, 80 that our first
columns must feel that In measuring
arms W. must depend upon superiority oil
numbers; aud Ia concluding this thought
let me say that here the SOU b lost the
arat, yea, the last great opportunity for
success. What shs might nave accom-.
pIished In 1901, was not possible In 1852
nor aitefward the fate OF the ConiederACy
was sealed with the close Of the first years
struggle.
tnembeF, comrades, where We crossed