The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1860-12-13
Dcce nninl Disunion.


on the Cancellation committee of the Hous
Of Representatives., asked to be excused Of
the ground that he had been In favor Of dis
union for twenty years. This fact, and th
general declaration and conduct OK seces
sionisss, shows that the election Of Linecll
il not the cause of secession, but merely th
opportunity for pressing the mnYcmsnt to ,
CRISIS.
The truth is, that South Carolina and sew.
erai Of the other Southern States have beer
pregnant with disunion, from time TO time
for half century. And it is = very signi6-
cant fact that the throes Of parturition ex.
hibit themselves in periods of ten years upon
the occurrencolof some unusual event in the
body polite. Most noteworthy instances of
this popularity are furnished in the excite
ment in regard to the Missouri Compromise,
forty years since, when disunion appeared
almost inevitable; thirty years ago when
South carotfua notification ragged; and
again, ten years since when only the firm
ness OF cold Zaek" and another compromise
held the Union together. And a reference
to the history of the country will show that
similar, though less violent, excitements 90
sSrred at decennial periods, prior to 1920, on
the subject of slavery.
These sxcitem ents grew out OF ccnsidera.
tions connected with the United States cen
Gus and tie apportionmens OF Represents.
tives in Congress. Every ten years the South
has heeu called on to contemplate the figure.
Of the census tables, which show constant
relative increase in The population and pros
perity Of the free States as compared with
the slave States; and every ten years South
Carolina and other old slave States have
been required to take lower and yet lower
seat ia the councils Of the nation. The fac,
is an asgrsyat:pg one to human nature gem
orally, and it is peculiarly SO to Southern
nature. 1t is CALLING to the chivalry to find
themselves sinking and the Yankees rising
10 importance and influence in the councils
OF tho Union. The admission Of new free
States has forever destroyed the equality Of
the South in the Senate, and the new sppor-
tionmcnt will put them in a still worse con.
dition in the House. In this view of the case,
it is not 50 unaceountable that the present
dscennial exacerbation OF disunion exceeds
in excitement and intensity all that have pre-
oeded it. Jefferson said, many years ago,
that the institution made tyran.s Of tbs
Shareholders, ara now that these tvrants
End that they are about to be forever de-
throned by the progress CT events and the
force OF circumstances, it ID not to be won
dered at thst they seek to form a slave sm
pire, either ny amending the Constitution Of
the United States, or by establishing South
ern Confederacy.
slaves ON the Footing or Property.
The sentiment seems universal, outside Of
the Republican party, that slaves should be
regarded as standing on tho same footing as
other property. To this end President Bu-
chanan recommends en- amendment Of the
Constitution to insert an express provision
to that purport.
1t will BIO recollected that our present Con-
stitution, in every instance, speaks Of slaves
rs persons, and as persons they ara to bt
enumerated in th. census, upon which an sp.
portionmcnt Of Representatives in Congress.
is based. And in virtue OF that fact, South
Carolina, with less than half a. many white
persons as Iowa, will, under the new appor-
tisnmens, have as many Representatives in
Congress as our State.
X, then, We are to have = new Consti,u
ton, legislatlng slaves into property on ths
same footing with other property, We insis
on the equality OF the States under the new
Constitution. Let the property basis Of rep.
resentation be abolished in the slave States
or cleo let it be extended to the free States
also. slsves are not property, but persons
in the view of our present Constitution, aus
If that Constitution isso be amended to max
them Constitutional property, then amen,
other provisions to conform thereto, and bas
representation on property, that the rich i
the free States may stand on the same ia
vorahle footing with the rich in the slsv
States; or still better, abolish the propert
basis, and let rich and poor stand on =
equal footing as .reemen.
Republican Sentiments.
The Republican Committee Of the State
New York have issued q circular expressiu
their strong conviction OF the justice OF Il
principles embodied in the Chicago platforr
and the discrimination OF the party 70 abb,