The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1860-01-28

m4unIeQK IkG&A~sM kNkl1MDA htANAsv - 4Nesafc
feloniously upon The people Of the South, and
are mt TO death for their crimes, and then If
other people, even In great numbers, glorify tias
dead felons a. martyrs but take care not to com
NIT any overt act and be hung; 1t seems to me
that the very most futile of all proposals against
such dangers and ouch annOyanccs IL the over
throw III the Federal Government. ~ may be
p0ssible that Government can never do all that
ncedc TO be done; il may be possible TO pcryert
II TO the doing Of intoler1bie mischief: but y,
the former case the lack Of power ii the Federal
Government results from the very nature OF our
institutions-and it, intolcrable abuse Of power
in the latter case would necessarily be followed
by the universal arTning Of al the slave States.
The real officially does not lie in anysuch grounds
a. these, nor its remedy in anything that can bc
done touching such aspects Of the case. In like
manner those great questions OF the rendition Of
fugitive slaves BY the North, and Of the foreign
slave trade at the South arc finally settled 20
far as the Constitution and laws OF Congress can
settle them and it remains for the legal tribunals
and the Executive authority to enforce the laws
in both respects. That during periods Of unu-
sual excitement those Laws, touching both sub
lects, may be imperfectly administered, il ex-
tremely probable but that the North will openly
defy the power of the nation, and permanently
refuse to execute the fugitive slave law and that
the South will act in a similar manner with res
pect to the foreign slave trade, il what man Ii
justified in asserting admit that the permanent
continuance Of the Union would be impossible.
if the North or the South should deliberately
persist in snch revolt agant the Consultation and
laws, if at the same time the Fedral administration
should be too feeble or too timid TO coerce ODE
dience. But surely no such revolt either North
or Southland no such imbecility in the Federal
Government as iustiies the overthrow of our ma
tional institutions, can be alleged to exist 1.-THE
minds OF men were calm, or if their thoughts
would be directed steadily to the results that must
follow the dissolution of tha Union ii seems i'm
possible of belief that adequate motives for such
an act could be found in the existing stasc Of
any Of these questions.
know 1t is alleged that the settled doctrines
and deliberate purposes of that great party in
the North, which was formerly called Abolition
list, and is now called Republican, amount to
nothing short Of an organized and fanatical Cruz
SADIE against the institution OF slavery as tcxsts
in fifteen States Of this Union; that there il the
utmost probability that it will ultimately, per-
haps speedily, acquire controlling influence over
every Department Of the Federal Government,
and that the slave States cannot, consistently
with honor, with prudence, or with safety, con-
tinue members OF a Union controlled by such u
party, or subject to a Government administered
by them To this let me saw first of ALL that, il
SAOt NotA CeEt.iH, TIC WISE, IllIil-
~, and successful alternative would be, not the
dissolution Of the Union, but the recovery Of the
country, by force if necessary, from those who
have subyerted its Constitution Nor can there
be any doubt, that the united South, and the mi
nority of the North will be always and to every
intent, without arms orawith arms, more power
ful in the Union, than the united-inuch less the
divided--South ever can be out OF it. Nor does
it appear to me to be loyal to the people of the
NySr4t, H. ~ Il ~
If they were the smaller numbcr--for the South
to withdraw and leave them subject to a domna-
ton as intolerable to them as it could be often
sive to lis. But this il an extreme statement
responsive to a still more extreme suggestion.
The history Of political parties in this country
for many years past il not creditable to a.; and
their present posture is such, that no one can
forctell what single year win bring forth. Ii
the whole North could act in concert permanent
ly, they must have the permanent control Of the
Federal government; and the wide conviction Of
the North, that the whole policy Of the General
Government has been for some years dictated BY
the slave States and the whole policy Of the
slave States, dictated by the cotton States has
come very near to casting the majority of every
Northern State temporarily into the Republican
ranks. 1t w0ald he an abuse of the Federal
power, not less atrocous certainly, to extend
than to curta slavery by the systematic use OF it;
and the North has believed that this was done,
and the rise and extension of the Republican
party is the fruit Of this conviction Disablse
the North Of this deusion--do it fairly, truly
and the Republican party will shrink ut once to
the comparatively insignificant faction of radical
Aboiitionists, upon whom it was originally based
On the other hand, the united South never could
fail to carry with it in all its just demands, aud
in all its temperate utterances, a sufficient num-
Der OF the States Of the North, to make the
rights and interests Of the slave States perfectly
secure in the Union. This is all the control any
minority can justly claim under free constttl-
ton; and this is never lost under such consti-
tuition. except by gross niislnan lgement Ii,
therefore, there is foregone conclusion to break
up the contederacy, the alleged tenor of the Re
publican party will answer a pretcxt; but
kentucky breads no party-and viii use no such
pretext-but will make any party in power re-
spect her rights Ii, on the other hand, there il
a true desire to perpetaate the Unorl--no one
Is warranted in saying that the Republican party
cannot be prevented from coming into power
or that even If it should come into power the |
nation would not be both competent and resoiy- |
cd to keep it in proper bounds, or arm and sup |
press it. lgrant that hardly greater evil could
fasten On the politics of the country, than to |
treat them BY geographical iines or array parties
upon questions touchiag which the interests or /
convictions OF different sections Of the country |
are supposed to be entirely antagonisiic. The |
present posture Of the country is tile fruit of this
political treatment OF slavery, aud the present |
coalition Of the Representatives Of the people in
the lower house of Congress, il most offensive
symptom OF the public health under that treat
ment.
The question of slavery in the Territories,
practically developed as the question was in the /
case OF Kansas, has probably had greater infiu-
encc than any other, both upon the present con-
dition OF political parties and in bringing the 1
public mind to its present aSitated state. The
issue to which the question in its abstract form
and in the Democratic party has been brought il
this that on one side the people Of the South
very generally believe and claim that the SUI
pseme Court has decided that every slave-holdcr
ms the constitutional right to take slaves into
every Territory; and n. ither Congress nor the
people Of the Territory have any power TO pre-
vent this; in other words, that every territory
y, by the Constitution of the United States, a
slave Territory. On the other side, the Demo
cfatic party az the North very generally aud de-
cidedly repudiate these statements as untrue and
these claims as monstrons; and assert for tha
people OF each Territory constitutional power to
determine and regulate for themselves the ques-
ton OF slavery In the meantime the Repabli |
can party, perhaps unanimously assert that Con
sress has complete power to exclude slavery from
All the territories, and desire this power to be ex
ercised N every ease as it has been in scyeral-
Almost the entire North il therefore directly ar
rayed against both the fact and the right OF what
ne greater part Of the South asserts is the law
d the Land under the decision Of the Supreme
COURT. In the South itself, however. there i 4
arther and singular developments OF opinion.
las been attempted in Kentarkr and other soutl,
I'm States. 70 make it part Of tho political
reed OF the Opposition to demand Of Congress-
slave code for the Territories while in the
'ame region non-intervcntion by Congress. ex.
,ept N extremity, i At all, has appeared to BE-
ne doctrine q the Democratic party. The result
, that the entire North repudiates, and unler
visiting circumstances will continue /, repudi
tie, the idea that the Federal Constitution o. M
supreme Court makes all the national Territories
lave, While almost the entire South believes
md claims that all the national Territories ara
lave by that Constitution. The dispute is a.
arged not settled, not even transferred. This !,
most calamitous result of attempting TO turn
yer questions reemnelftly political TO tribunals
Wholly judicial; as il public men were warrant
q IN supPosing that great nations in the highest
Inv ssE II