The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1858-05-11

s..,.-., 80 g. F, T.sssS. r''''
live had sver heen animated BY partisan
feeling, NC should nor b. rejoiced q the So
tjon Of he ConRssss of TIE United States, In
che pAssacc Of the great fraud, consummatcd
at the esty which bears the honored name o.
Washington, ON tho 9Osh day Of April, 1898;
on Fri2ay, the most ominous Of the week, lac
cording 70 supsrstiti0n, still obeyed even 10
the most intelligent circlcs.) This wicked deed
Of pro6ieate politicians will stir the moral sense
Of the community to us profoundest depths. r.
will awaken widespread Indignation. 1: will
call out emotions which have been s,ilcd be-
cause such decd sAs believed to be impossible;
and it will hurl into utter obscurity and shame
those servants Of the people who have sought
this opportunity to assist in betrayal, as wan
ton as it was causcless aud unnecessary 10
see these men gibbeted and transfxed before
the ewes Of the world may Be melancholy sat
isfaction; and to this extent the black bust
ness Of the blacklist Friday that ever this cen
fury has seen, may be full Of compensation.
But we have no rejoicing over common
shame. We have no words Of congratuation
At On event which inflicts disgrace upon our
common country. The more VIC deliberate upon
the record of the past fourteen months, the
more do We feel that blow has been struck
at the very heart Of our institutions, from which
We may never recover
We saw in this Kansas business, when it as
sumed its new shape, last autumn, the seeds OF
fatal Generalization. Previous to that period
it bore the aspect Of eminent fairness. Mr..
Buchanan appeared to u.s. in all his early move
ments in regard to it, to be inspired BY
Washingtonian patriotism. 1t he'd been i;a.
cult problem to others; to him it was clear
as sunbeam. He felt 50 himself up to the
moment when he supposed he could change bis
course, and be sustained by the country. That
was the weight which pulled him down. The
whole nation stood appalled, at the transforms
ton. His very office-hOlders hesitated, and
there was not q Northern Senator or Represen
tative, within our circle of acquaintance, who
did not, at first, doubt or denouncc the unex-
pected and extraordinary example. The only
interest that applauded his course was the ex-
IRENE pro-slavery cabal, (known to desire
dissolution of the Union,) which had induced
him to leave those true and gallant spirits who
had so long upheld his standard, and to surren-
der the holy principle, without which he would
be reposing in honorable quiet at Wheatand.
From that moment to the present, what have
we witnessed? Nothing but a succession Of
personal and political degradations. The prin.
ciple of the twill of the majority" had become
overwhelming. The principle of fidelity to a
sN orn pledge, and to consecrated creed, had
| sunk into all hearts. The President, the Cabi-
net-aH men had met upon this patriotic plat
form. 1t was built upon honor, and riveted
and clinched by thousand solemn assurances.
To.destroy it required hereulean exertions. and
| a series OF operations, before which all the ef-
forts Of the past Administrations have paled
their Intellectual fires. 1t stood out full-arnsd
i ~ a.. IL.
sis,less from the associations that surrounded it
But the word had gone forth, and though At
could not be annihiiated At was at least betrayed
And to accomplish this betrayal, the character
of the Democratic party, and OF the country,
has been shamelessly dishonored
Independent men, who would not bow TO the
attempt to sacrifice principle, were turned out
of Office and base and characterless knayes put
into their places.
Solemn assurances to high functionaries,
written, spoken, and printed, were ruthlcssly
broken.
Representatives were compelled to change
their votes, and to violate their pligh,ed faith,
and where conscience failed to approve, patron
age came in to support them.
Calumnies, the most atrocious and cruel,
were hurled against all who dared to be true to
the truth. Is this all? Would that it were
The formal declaration of proud, national par
ty was sought TO be nulliiied by the action of
Congress, and in substitution for principle,
imposngly declared and soleinnly sealed, be-
fore the eyes OF the whole country, we had of
| iered to us a miserable cheat. The dark deed
of gang of reckless spectators in Kansas was
made the test of Democratic faith. Fraud and
| Falsehood were erected into cardinal virtues,
and the protests of fifteen thousand ireemen
against this deed we're laughed al, as the pro
| tests of our fathers in the Revolution were
laughed at, as the rawlings OF rebels, and the
threats Of a mob.
So FAR for the footprints OF this unhallo we'd
Despotism. They are marked on the historic
page as the evidences OF receding morality
| and degenerating Democracy. They turn
! back the hands on the dial plates of time, and
remind us that We are living in the feudal ages.
Nay, worse than that; for then, if power was
great, public men were brave, and the knave
| that sold his character died the death of the in
| famous.
But the great crime did not stop here. One
wrong after another was tried, till at last, as if
| to mock at even the semblance of right, the
so-called ENGLISH BILL was proposed, the incar-
nation of treachery and of duplicity-a bill, be
| it understood, which differed from its preee-
| dents in this: that they were swindles and this
| was a bribe; which, protesting to submit lie.
compton to the people, did not submit it, &C.
cording to its Southern expounders; and which,
| starting out in the preamble with scandalous
| misstatement, crowned the whole proceeding
with declaration that if the people OF Kaisas
did not take it, they should tester in dissentons
till il suited their masters TO admit them!
And this is the scheme that was forced
through yesterday-THE BLACK ERIDAY of our
century!
Well may the Senator from New York cry
"shame" upon the damning deed.
All history will cry shame upon it, too.
Tile burden Dhich this outrage attaches 10 the
Democratic par cannot be carried without
crushing it. Candidates for Office will be com
PEELED TO speak out against it, and those who
are silent will pay the penalty of such an acqu-
escence.
What Kansas may decide upon, we are not au.
th0riZed to say; but We cannot doubt that she
will reject the bride with scorn. Watcher she
does or not, the wrong done will be avenged,
and the sacred doctrine indicated The case
has passed into the hands OF the people of the
States, especially those who have been insulted
by their Representatives, as we have been by
eleven Of our members from Pennsylvania, four
of whom represent this proud metropolis, where
there is but one sentiment, outside Ci the Office
holders and oit.ce-seekers, and that iearlessy
against the action of the Congress Of the United
States, in forcing an odious CONSTITUTION Upon
protesting people
WIFE SOLD OUr.-An amusing scene came
Oft, yesterday, in the City Hail A German, by
the name OF Harms. and a rough sea beaten
looking sailor, Sboth residing at 3s Oliver street,
appeared before Sergeant Croft, and told him
that they had difficulty which they wished him
to decide. The sailor told his story in this ise
He said about two years ago he wen. to sea,
leaving his wife in this city, apparently very well
satisfied with his mode of fulfilling the duties Of
husband. Recently, he returned here, and
found his wife living with the German, Harms,
1 .hn Il. L u