the moon to blood," The course of law was
ended. The sword sat chief magistrate in half the nation; industry
was paralyzed; morals corrupted; the public weal invaded by rapine
and anarchy; whole States ravaged by avenging armies. The world was
amazed. The earth reeled. When the flag sunk here, it was as if
political night had come, and all beasts of prey had come forth to
devour. That long night is ended. And for this returning day we
have come from afar to rejoice and give thanks. No more war. No
more accursed secession. No more slavery, that spawned them both.
Let no man misread the meaning of this unfolding flag! It says:
"Government has returned hither." It proclaims, in the name of
vindicated government, peace and protection to loyalty, humiliation
and pains to traitors. This is the flag of sovereignty. The
nation, not the States, is sovereign. Restored to authority, this
flag commands, not supplicates. There may be pardon, but no
concession. There may be amnesty and oblivion, but no honeyed
compromises. The nation to-day has peace for the peaceful, and war
for the turbulent. The only condition to submission is to submit!
There is the Constitution, there are the laws, there is the
government. They rise up like mountains of strength that shall not
be moved. They are the conditions of peace. One nation, under one
government, without slavery, has been ordained and shall stand.
There can be peace on no other basis. On this basis reconstruction
is easy, and needs neither architect nor engineer. Without this
basis no engineer nor architect shall ever reconstruct these
rebellious States. We do not want your cities or your fields. We
do not envy you your prolific soil, nor heavens full of perpetual
summer. Let agriculture revel here, let manufactures make every
stream twice musical, build fleets in every port, inspire the arts
of peace with genius second only to that of Athens, and we shall be
glad in your gladness, and rich in your wealth. All that we ask is
unswerving loyalty and universal liberty. And that, in the name of
this high sovereignty of the United States of America, we demand and
that, with the blessing of Almighty God, we will have! We raise our
fathers banner that it may bring back better blessings than those of
old; that it may cast out the devil of discord; that it may restore
lawful government, and a prosperity purer and more enduring than
that which it protected before; that