Women -- Suffrage -- History; Women -- Suffrage -- United States -- History; Women's rights -- History; Women's rights -- United States -- History
These are a few of the many platforms upon which husbands,
brothers and sons are fighting to-day. No two opposing armies
ever wearied heaven with asking more impossible cross-purposes
than does this fraternal, Union army of ours. The bread and fish
of these, are stones and scorpions to those. We are a practical
people, but we are fighting for practical paradoxes. Do we expect
any massive concentration of results? Our wavering, anaconda
system of warfare is typical of our moral status as a people. It
is the spontaneous and legitimate exponent of our aims and
motives. Many or decisive victories I despair of, till we are
better educated in the early lesson of the fathers. But from the
President--God bless him that he seems to be more teachable than
many others--down to the youngest drummer-boy of the army, the
severe discipline of this war is schooling us into a better
appreciation of our heritage as a peculiar people.
All governments, said the fathers, are subordinate to the people,
not the people to their governments. The distinct enunciation of
that principle was the net result of the war of the Revolution.
Born of the long-suffering and anguish of bleeding nations, its
worth is yet incomparably greater than the cost, for it is the
sublimest principle which has ever entered into the governmental
relations of men. It must turn and overturn till, as rightful
sovereign it is placed securely upon the throne of all nations,
for, from the inherent nature of things, it is destined to become
the mightiest revolutionist of the ages. The reinstating of that
principle in the chair of our Republic will be the net result of
this war of the Rebellion!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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