The Press., 1892-06-09
Number 10.

Tyranny, in whatever and under what ever circumstances, is blasphemous usurpation of the prerogatives of the eternal God-an attempt to arrest the progress and annihilate the influence of his government. The cause of liberty, therefore, has ever been ranked by all, except tyrants, among the dearest inter- ests of humanity, so that we are called upon to rejoice and give thanks to God, whenever we see the cause moving tri- umphantly forward.
 During the contest, which has lasted for more than three hundred years, the battle at times has hung in doubt. Vic tory has inclined first on the one side, then on the other.
 But, looking back through the whole period, we can now see. it has made great progress. Where are the old systems of feudal tyranny which prevailed through out Europe in the middle ages, by which the many were made to toll for the pride, and luxury and aggrandizement of the few? Little, very little, of it is to be found to-day.
 Why need I point you to the terrific struggle for freedom across the Atlantic, and for the masterly efforts for freedom and unity, which drenched our own coun- try in blood? Who does not know that the rights of men are better understood and more extensively acknowledged than at any former period? The people are waking up, and when they speak their voice is not altogether unheeded. Kings, emperors, presidents, governors, legis- lators, find it convenient to listen. They fear the people. I know there have been men all over the world croaking about the agitstions and signing after days "Lang Syne;" but confess that see in | none of these much to fear, for to me they speak of better days.
 Civil government is doubtless an or dinance from heaven, and will be needed while the world stands. It ought to be sustained, and administered in truth and Righteousness.
 l freely admit there were many dangers attending the state of public affairs prior to our great rebellion. There were patri- otic hearts, which I might almost say shed tears of blood, at which they knew must soon fall upon our beloved land. | They knew 1t was sometimes necessary that diseased system should be thrown
 into state of excitement in order to re-
 store it to healthy action, and they
 thought something similar would unite
 the discordant clements. But anodynes
 were not the prescriptions which the na-
 tional disease demanded.
 England, whose glory is that the sun
 never sets on her domain, after @ long
 and arduous struggle, arose in her maj.
 esty and commanded the shackles oi
 eight hundred thousand slaves to be sev.
 cred at a blow, and by this noble act I eclipsed for time the glory of all other
 lands, Then she with a finger, not oi
 love Gas would have been commendable)
 but rather of scorn, pointed and asked us
 to show the liberty of which we boasted.
 This, like the canker wolm, was eating into the truest and noblest hearts. Oul
 beloved land was filled with shame and
 confusion at the rebuke they were recefv.
 ing from those who pretended to be
 friends, but who proved afterwards to be our enemies.
 Still this was true for more than fifty
 years we had been rending the air witt
 shouts of liberty, proclaiming our country
 the asylum of the oppressed, the freest c
 the free. But, To! the finger of SCOT
 was pointed to us from every point of the compass, and every wind of heaven thai
 breathed upon us came freighted with in dignation. And was there no cause? w had called heaven and earth to witness our sincerity in the sublime declaration that all men are created equal; that civi and religious liberty is the inalienable birthright of every child of Adam. w had elevated our standard and bedecked i with stars of heaven. We had let loose that noble bird, the American eagle, tn, symbol of ancient republicanism. But alas! half of those stars were crimsonet
 with the blood of a most intolerable op pression, and that bold eagle that hat spread his sheltering wings over us, wa seen bearing in one talon bundle of ar rows, and in the other grasping a mal : bound in letters of iron.
 Was it at all surprising that other ns tions were branding us with hypocris and foul treachery to the cause of free don and humanity? Was it at all sur prising that they should say, cease you boosting till you can show clean hands The cry of the oppressed with the prayer of the righteous entered into the ear o r the Lord of Hosts, and his voice was dis
 tinctly heard, saying to the people, "Un do the heavy burdens-break every rop let the oppressed go free; then shal ! the light break forth as the morning, an the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward. , Part were disposed to obey. but tn other part said, "Let us turn away an shut our eyes, and stop our ears, an pertinaciously deny that we are our broth CTS keeper" But of what avail was this the cry had had been heard, the deliver ance must come; and with it the might
 struggle for unity, liberty and freedom. Now I do not believe that our grea struggle was for the abolition of slayer 5 alone. It was largely for the protection
 for the cementing of the discordant elt ments of our nation. Our national stand ard was insulted, our symbol of powe 5 trodden in the dust, our liberty so dearl purchased by our fathers outraged. Ou honor must be vindicated. The mos momentous issues were involved. Tn ' stability of our government, the best tn : world evel saw, was threatened. Thos whom we had looked upon as brother had raised the hand of treason, and aiLhe