Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1903-06-03

! 1t fought with other countries, i
treated with them; it overlook then
in the race for Industrial progress
education, and civilization.
Before the birth of this nation an(
during the period of conception il
1919 there was injected into it's bloCt
the social virus of slavery That was
to be an inheritance from our ancestors
The purchase of score of kidnapped
Africans fastened slavery OH Virginia,
aud on the United States. No one
then thought il more harm to buv a
negro than to buy horse. The laws
OF Moses were believed to sanction
traffic in human beings, and the At
torney- General of England declared
that negroes being pagans might just
ly be bought and sold.'' The English
sovereigns shared in the profits of the
trade and encouraged the Virginians
to buy as many black men as they
could pay for. Later statute made
slavery hereditary, not only for
negroes, but for mulattoes, by provid-
ing that 'all children horn in this
country shall be held bond or free, ac-
cording to the condition of the
mother.
This social virus soon spread to
every part of the budding nation to
alarming proportions BY the adop-
tion of the Federal constitution and
the invention of the cotton-gin slavery
was made enormously profitable, and
it gained commercial and political
Importance that made it for more than
two generatlaons the central prob.
lem Of American history This
poison working in our body polite
eventually caused life and death
struggle for our national existence.
Man, as an individual, struggles
| with external objects; with nature
for mastery over it's forces; with his
fellow man in the race for CONNER
cial and social position and in the
final arbitrament of the sword; but
his real, sublime, heroic, life-and-
death struggle is within his own sub
jective kingdOm-his struggle for
mastery over himself in overcoming
disease and his own evil propensities.
Here is the world s real battle ground.
Here are fought the decisive battles
the Gettysburgs and Waterloos,
without noise and spectacle. Yet here
are the deeds of heroic valOr and
noble self-sacrifice.
AS the greatest struggles of an in.
dividual are at times within ones
own soul SO a nation has greater
struggles within than without in
battling against its evil passions and
propensities. Many nations have fallen
because they attempted to rise by
wrong and oppression. The true patri-
otto therefore, will not aim to have
his country triumph, right or wrong.
but to bring his country in line with
the right. 1t is important to pray, as
Lincoln said, not that God may be on
our side, but that we may be on Gods
side.
In our second war with Great
Britain we suffered our humiliatiops
and our victories and came out with
our self-respect questiOnably pre-
served. In our war with Mexico we
won an uninterrupted succession of
victories. In this war we carri sd
something of the attitude of bully
toward weaker nation. We cannot
but regret our jingo spirit, however
magnificent for our national and in
dustrial progress were the results in
the acquisition of Mexican territory.
In neither of these wars did the whole
country heartily join, likewise neither
Of them tested our national strength.
1t remained for a civil war to bring
us to our severest test.
AS the years of the nineteenth GEN.
tury rolled OH the institution of slavery
gradually settled itself upon the
southern portion of our land AS an
institution it was weakening tho riacal
characteristics of the Southerners and
its baneful effects were everywhere
manifest. The North had cleared it.
self of the disease and for years, With
the exception of few radical aboli-
tiOnists, was content to allow it to
rest peacefully in its chosen abode. 1t
was not until in the forties or
fifties, that the North began to awak-
Ell to realization of its condition,
when the South began to grasp for
more territory and when the Dred
Scott decision threatened our whole
social body with the pollution of
slavery. Then it was that men of con-
science and justice began to cry out !:
"Ler slavery spread no farther, let it
remain where it is The election of
Abraham Lincoln marked the time of
the complete crystallizatiOn of senti.
ment between the North and South.
Compromise had three times served to
put off the inevitable confiict-much
to the advantage of the North.
Slavery had caused the South to pro.
gress much less rapidly than the
North. While the South was establish
ing itself with slavery as it's corner
stone, there was pouring into the
North q strong, vigorous, intelligent
population from Germany, Norway,
Sweden, the British Isles. and other
European countries. These people
would not 60 to the South to compete
with slave labor. They came to this
country to found states based upon
civil liburty. They constituted an
element Of strength which was event.
ually to turn the tide in favor Of the
North.
The critical time arrived. Lincoln
had been chosen president but not yet
installed in Office. Buchanan's cabi-
net and advisers were Southern in
sympathy. 1t was indeed time to
try mems souls. The outgoing ad.
ministration was utterly unable to
inaugurate policy in the few months
Of its life. When Lincoln finally
assumed the reigns of government he
found badly mixed situation. Event
ually Sumter was fred ON and COM
pelled to surrender. The great rebel.