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

treated with them; 1t overlook then
in the race for industrial progress
education, and civilization.
Before the birth of this nation anC
during the period of conception il
1919 there was injected into it's bloCC
the social virus OF slavery. That was
to be an inheritance from our ancestors.
The purchase of score of kidnapped
Africans fastened slavery on Virginia,
aud on the United States. No one
then thought it more harm to buy a
negro than to buy a 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 fol
negroes, but for mulattoes, by provid.
ing that call children born 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 a life and death
struggle for our national existence.
Man, as an individual, struggles
with external objects; with nature
for mastery over its 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 worlds 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 one 8
own soul SO a nation has greater
struggles within than without in
battling against it's 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 God s
side.
In our second war with Great
Britain we suffered our humiliatioDs
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 I'D
something of the attitude of bully
toward a 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 civil war to bring
us to our severest test.
AS the years of the nineteenth GEN.
! tury rolled on the institution of slavery
gradually settled itself upon the
southern portion of our land. AS al
institution it was weakening the 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 tC
rest peacefully in its chosen abode. II
was not until in the forties ol
fifties, that the North began to awak
en- to realization of its condition
when the South began to grasp fol
more territory and when the Dred
Scott decision threatened our whole
social body with the pollution O
slavery. Then it was that men of con
science and justice began to cry out
"Let slavery spread no farther, let i
remain where it is. The election o
Abraham Lincoln marked the time o
the complete crystalliZation of senti
ment between the North and South
Compromise had three times served Il
put off the inevitable conhict-mucl
to the advantage of the North
Slavery had caused the South to pro
gress much less rapidly than tn,
North. While the South was establish
ing itself with slavery as it's corner
stone, there was pouring into TIN
North a strong, vigorous, intelligen
population from Germany, Norway
Sweden, the British Isles. and othe
European countries. These peopl
would not 60 to the South to compet
with slave labor. They came to thi
country to found states based upol
civil liberty. They constituted al
element of strength which was event
ually to turn the tide in favor Of TIN
North.
The critical time arrived. Lincoll
had been chosen president but not ye
installed in office. Buchanan's cabi
net and advisers were Southern il
sympathy. 1t was indeed time t.
try mems souls. The outgoing ad
ministration was utterly unable T.
inaugurate policy in the few month
of its life. When Lincoln finall
assumed the reigns of government h
found badly mixed situation. Event
ually Sumter was fired on and com
PEELED to surrender. The great rebel
lion had commenced. By the pre-
clamation IF April l5 1891 Tinco1