The first defense to any people is in the love of country. The nation
is one great family, with one common interest, welfare, and destiny;
a nation dwelling together in love must be a happy people. Kindness
begets kindness, and love awakens love; this is that magic touch
which makes the world of kin. A confederacy like ours can not be held
together by the strong arm of a central government; if the band of
unity is gone, such a union is no whit better than a rope of sand.
The danger which besets us is not in individual sins which fasten
on the body politic--we may labor with forbearance and firmness for
their removal. Our danger lies in that spirit of selfishness and
self-will which forgets brotherhood and God. In a nation like ours,
with its countless differing interests of rival productions, its
conflicts of trade and sectional rivalries of commerce, we must differ
on questions of public policy; but it may be the manly difference of
manly men. Never did men differ more widely than the fathers of the
republic, never did earnest hearts battle with more zeal for their
rival interests, nor contend more fiercely inch by inch in political
struggles. Never did the rallying cry of parties take a deeper hold
on its liege-men, or braver shouts of triumph herald in its victory.
But there was a deeper love of country, which made the brotherhood of
a nation, and a charity which more respected the opinions of those
from whom they differ. The Christian patriot dare not close his eye
to the evils which mar the nation; for their removal he will work and
pray, but never with rash hand tear down the sacred edifice of the
Constitution, because some stains deface its walls. The query may well
arise whether we are not fast reaching the time when the question is
not of the right or wrong of this or that legislation, the benefit
of this or that public policy, but whether this or that party shall
divide the spoils of office among their political camp followers. We
hear of angry words and fierce invectives, of rumors of corruption, of
bribery in public office; they belong to no one party, they are not
ranked under any one leader; these things came because the people have
lost sight, in the strifes of men for office, of that great destiny
which God offers to Americans. I believe the love of country dwells
in the people's hearts. The honest-hearted sons of toil will be true
to the country and its constitution. That love may have slumbered for
a time, but the great heart of the country _will_ be true to itself.
Its love _can not_ be hedged in by the paling of any man's door-yard.
It _will_ sweep away every barrier of strife, and keep us one united
people.