24 and money shall be used to reconstruct a dishonored Union ; that such men as Davis, Toombs, Rhett, Stephens, Breckenridge, and Floyd, shall go unhung, if caught; that we may again behold the spectacle of Southern arrogance domineering in the halls of Congress over Northern men, robbed of dignity and honor by base compromises ; that the action of the government will degrade law, until statutes are as worthless as Confederate notes ; that the security of property, life, reputation, and government, will be lessened. Such fears as these start a thrill through the healthful soul of the nation. The dangers of victory and peace are more to be dreaded than all the armies of the South. They can be met only by agitation, by rousing the moral sentiment of loyal men and pouring it in upon the government with united energy. Every man should be made to feel the value of our government, of law, of virtue, and to hear the voices which speak to him from idle factions; from the magnificent sacrifices of the rich, and the hard earned, generously given mites of the poor ; from desolate homes, with their tears and cries ; from new made graves, with their bloody occupants ; from the scornful questions of the nations, who ask us what we mean ; from the providence of the eternal God which scathes the land, and His Word which curses the unrighteous nation, — all say but one thing : “Arise in this hour of opportunity and proclaim universal liberty and execute stern justice ! ” Till the principle of liberty in the minds of the people shall be dearer than life, and outraged law shall rise from the ashes with a majesty that the trader of New Mexico and the trapper of the Yellowstone shall feel her power, and “walk softly” in her presence. It is not my purpose to endorse or recommend any particular scheme of emancipation or pun
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