Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1896-05-29
THEN AND NOW.


made that the editor and editress were in their
cradles when the war of the rebellion was be-
ing fought (though they were noD. The fact
was overlooked that the associate editors are
both old soldiers. The writer of this article is
an ex-Union soldier, and, therefore, criticism
from such a source has no unfriendy bias.
The chief thought to which we call attention
is the continual yawping about the Union, by
the orators at the old-soldier meetings.
Recently, the G.. A. R. memorial orator of
Lone Elm post made the statement that the
Union was of greater Importance than the ex-
tinction of slavery. The thought is the echo
of Repubicanism as it exists to-day, but not of
Republicansm in the SOS and COS. Lloyd
Garrison declared that the constitution of the
United States was covenant with death and
league with hell" Seward was mmortalized
by his great speech on the 'Irrepressible Con-
Aict" Lincoln declared that ga house divided
against itself cannot stand, and our nation can
not remain half slave and half free" The
rock around which the waters of anger and IN
terest swirled and eddied and beat in tumultuous
waves was chattel slavery. From the bosom OF
our nation that rock was blown out of exist
ence by the dynamite of war, never again to
check the onward flow of universal liberty.
The right of an individual, or community, or
state, to resist oppression is as old as God and
as eternally right as it is right to live and be
happy The kernel in the nut of states rights
has been lost sight of-buried under the debris
of war; We have not the slightest use for
states rights erected in bad cause, it was
in the war of the rebellion. We would have
every use for it if the Genital government
sought to deprive us of God-given rights
1t will be freely accepted that slave repub-
lie and free republic could not exist side-by-
side without internal wars-without border
lines of forts and arnies-and the resources
would have been exhausted in supporting arm
les in the event of the success of the South
The great moral sentiment in the North that
dismeinbered churches and made enemies of
brothers was so strong against chattel slavery,
that a million men wonld have shed every drop
of blood in their bodies before conceding the
right of Shareholder to catch slave who
trod the free soil of Kansas or breathed the air
of freedom in Pennsylvania.
We can live at peace with Mexico, repub-
lie, and Canada, British possession, but never
could there have been peace between slave
republic and free republic. The irrepressible
conflict would have grown to greater propos-
tiontions.
The Union is only blessing in so far as it
secures liberty, and, with Webster, we cry for
''Hberty and union, one and nseparable, now
and forever; and with Patrick Henry, "Give
us liberty or give us death"
No one appreciates the kind things expressed
by Grand Army orators more than we do, but
we protest against the surfeit of misapprehen-
sion of the underlying principle of the great
struggle.
Speaking for myself, would not have been
proud of having been Union soldier had I
come home crowned with no greater laurels than
union with slavery. In that event, the "cove-
nant with death and league with help would
still have been divided against itself-the ire
pressble conflict would still have been on-the
great moral aspect of one of the great questions
Of the ages would still have been unsettled
AS it is, am proud of the honor and renown
resting upon the banners of the Union soldiers,
because our blood was shed on behalf of de-
spised race and on behalf Of great principle
that not only gave the nation union, but also
gave all. Of its citizens life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness" A union on any other