The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-04-19

society at barnhart's schoolhouse, ncai.
historic YOUNGSTOWN. There were
Som" OF Thorn were clever speakers. and
took an active part IN the society. They
Wero noisy poicmic and impudent.
Thcy were as a rule malignant fla
natics. ana hatred Of the South was
the;r ruling passion. No question
couin be debated without "a wranglc
over the slavery question during which
the Federal Constitution was Invariably
denounced as "a League with he'll and
"a covenant with death
II was agreed that four weekly SEES
SONS OF the society be set apart for Il
free states form t new republic on IN.
basis 81 no union with slavcholdcrsY''
u Was also agreed by the persons who
were 10 take pat in tho debate that
tn" design Of tnc discussion was to
give tho people II fair and frank state
in"ut OF tn" views OF the participants.
ana not 10 prcCipitatc on tn. community
= useless dlsputat!on over the abolition
| believe that all the promincn: ac-
tors III the debate are dead and gone
but they seem to pass before me almost
rs Clearly rs during their active lives.
As look back upon those crowded
houses and exciting Acones--for The
Earnhart community. az well as tho
mole country. was boiling cauldron
cannot but think that then and
there vas cptorn!zcd all that afterwards
MADE The great wax desperate and ter
Mr John J.. Bicrer. the most proni
nont farmer IN the neighhorhood. was
the unanimous choice Of both sides for
president. Ilc VAS known 10 be de-
liberatc In his Judgments and fair In
his decisions re was also recognized
by friend anu Zoe a. the incaTnation OF
common sense, reinforced by tho cour-
age Of his convictions. He was "A man
on the Affirmative side four gentle
men took part ia The discussion. ns fol-
lows Ir John coffin Ga suggestive
nane) q physician engaged In a wide
and LUCRATIVE practice Tho Thaddcus
p pf q i g.
hatred OF TIA" Constitution was the
s!militude - IN" orocrustean bred
ipou tho outbreak Of the war he be
c"'He the mos, unrensoning and rancor-
Gus coppcrh"ad In Wcstlnorcland Cuun-
= John Mccullough several years
h"ioi' chosen as captain Of the Han
nastpwn Cavalry. Il superb dTill officer.
ara who ditd In tho war. was his
r".. golearue Aggressive and as
t''tl'' o. H"uat". ms tuoyert courage
tprlHt'lt- rafti,I him into d"ep water
5ttd oui 40 haImouy win his chief
N"r, fartuuat"lE tEau otherwise. be
a'i.e We nE' tut THAR the very names
pi it' ~ hcE SMALL rot. J have forgot
tcu inc uaH.es oi the other two.
'lN itc trgt 'lt' were aIr&Fcd Michael
IpHrl, a gentleman VINO had been long
lH tl" Sputl 60! huc education, u mas
tev 90 English. and "a good debater.
gorge h. E!eccr. Ytudious and sch olar-
~. whose arg ufn"uis W'Ir logically
"a tt.I, aui William VI. Given.
IIt, Affirmative rested their arCu-
'Etni on Tie aSsumpron that the De
cltrstiuh ar tuucpcudcuce Intended 70
r'''- o'@e q" absolute "quahty OF all
io'n Under 'ln divine loW. aud hat the
INhelI hutton. W.icu recognized sla|ci..-.
i- iu olat!pu of H higher law than
thc instrument itself. and crcatoa fn
i-r,pr' Sihlc conflict never TO be end
80 CHjl slnEerv Is abolished or the
Union dis olVcd Indeed. their argu-
n"uts won't Ear beyond The naked CUES
ton ~ tho dissolution of tho Union and
The formation 81 a new republic COM
posed .cf free states only believe
that all the speakers on that side de-
a .
lition az slavery, but the radical aho-
l,tion OF the whole mass Of prcjudicc
ton of tn" Creates, OF all Unions a
ga;nation IS Gods word decla ring that
81 ono blood We're Crcgtcd all nations,
ana ord1iriuT its universal recognition.
T'hoy quoted from Uncle TOMS Cabin
Die. from NJ chi!dss Romance OF The
lt"pubiic,' from Anua Dick!nson's
OF abolition inndcls. and predicted that
sooner or later tho Institutions of the
South were TO he assailcd. regardless
one entire evening was taken up
wlth coarse and atrocious denunciation
o. ST patrick. holy water. Durgatory,
worship " images and popsh Earlo;ry.
or course. mat was before q Republic
cnr president, tho brave man who
Shot Spau!ard in the back, had ac-
OF popish Intimacy and wrote a lot Of
fool letters To Maria St0rc!. Urging her
10 see" the Pope in regard TO the APP
pointmont OF a cardinal and before a
Republican candidate for President. in
angling for votes. vent 10 Rome and
with the Pope
1t is true that. generally speaking. no
party should be Judged by the intcm-
pcra,c speeches OF irresponsible zcalots.
My object is to present the outcroppinES
Of spirit which largely saturated the
dispuhiic4n nar,iy from the time it was
Lincoln. All history Is but a record of
the never ending conflict between truth
and error.
The negatives argued that the coun-
try owed its rise, its free institutions
ana it's glory TO the DECLARATION ~
the union of the states They held
that. under the Constitution. the high
est power In the nation is the supreme
claims. and that IF the decisions. like
tn, points III the Drcd Scott case. be-
came an issue in politics. II viii! be
come a naked issue between the friends
and the enemies Of the government
Professions Of fidelity 10 government
are worthless unless accompanied by
government rests. They held that the
MORO is an exotic brought here in
tween the negro and the white man
sthcrc is an incradicabic distinction that
must forever prevent that free: social
Intercourse on which alone freedom
ana equal suffrage can be based. 1t
was ciaincd that their opponents de-
size the dissolution OF the Union. the
alteration of the slaves. the ainnlgama-
,l of the races. regardless OF the long
Ain OF evils which must follow in the
AXE Of their success.
And the great debate was closed
without making any converts to either
cause IT inhamod still more the bad
passions abolition disunionists had al
ready stirred up.
IN the following presidential ,elcc-
ton Lincoln received only 1866. 600
votes. as against 2.321 900 cast for the
Democratic ticket, and $4,000 for Bell.
Notwithstanding the overwhelming
popular majority against him. his cleo
tion became an established fact. While
there was no question as To It's formal
legality, IL developed a scctionalism
so palpablc and SO powerful as to be
able TO organize the government sep
arate and apart from all Southern sup
port. The Southern States regarded
his election rs involving. which it un-
doubtedly did, the overthrow Of those
constitutional guarantees which gave
them any standing i'm the government,
or any hope OF protection I'm "thc ire
prcssiblc conflict" forced upon them by
A. sectional and abolition party. That
tho primary causes of the war had