Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1860-01-20

~ DuIlug Tue struggle IN h0n6a
ich makes her story blot on the pag
.s,our country's history, the free State me
Of that territory were treated by their pro
slavery brethren in that territory, aud il
the States, and BY the General Governlnen
as if they had not any rights, legal or natu
raj, which either were bound to respect.
it strange that some Of them should hav,
ceased to respect the rights OF those whom
they looked upon as their oppressors P
should have learned to hate the institution
for whose advancement they were op
pressed During the same period that 9th
or new policy called filibcsterism, and tn,
doctrines by which it is sought 10 be upheld
attained full force and vigor. was in
sisted in substance. by our southern breth
rem, and either openly o. tacitly approved
by many in the north, that if our people
should find upon our borders, or within
reasonable reach of US, weak and helpless
nation, who could he attacked with com
parative safety, and whose torn of govern.
ment did not attain to our standard Of per-
lection, it was not only the privilege, but
the mission of such Of our people a. desired
to engage in the laudable undertaking, to
invade her territory with fire and sword, to
bring upon her peaceful Inhabitants, men,
women a.d children, all the horrors Of war;
and having thus carried through ard perfect.
ed a process of Regeneration" to establish
on the ruins Of her government, our own
free institutions, prominent among which,
according to the advocates of this doctrine
stands human slavery. E
Is it strange that the bare promulgat, on
of these doctrines, acting upon the minds of
men maddened by the recollection OF wrongs
inflicted upon them in Kansas because Of
their love Of freedom should lead them to
the conclusion that they should do and dare
as much at homo for liberty, Is those who
have oppressed them we're doing abroad for
slavery? 1t seems to me most natural, and
while deeply deplore and most unqualified
ly condemn, cannot wonder at, the recent
unfortunate and bloody occurrence at Har.
per's Ferry. But while We may wonder at,
we must condemn it. 1t was an acs Of war
of war against brethren, and in that
greater crime than the invaders of Cuba and
Nicaragua were guilty of, relieved to some
extent Of its guilt, in the minds of many,
by the fact that the blow was struck for
freedom, and not for slavery. Still it was
a wrong, and az such the deliberate public
sentiment of the north. as we'll as Of the
south, condemns it. In my opinion, much
among our southern brethren, and this miS-
apprehension renders proper the present
allusion to it. The mass of them relying
upon the statements of the leading men Of
the south, who should know better, andeof
prominent men in the north, who do know
better, but falsify for purpose, believe tGSt
the sympathy expressed by many of our
northern people for the leader of that inva
I'D kns~ oe
this act. This i, great, and it may become
a dangerous error. While the great mass Of
our northern people utterly condemn the
act Of John Brown, they feel aad they express
admiration and sympathy for the disinter-
estedness of purpose by which they believe
he was governed, aud for the uuainching
courage and calm cheertulness with which
he met the consequences Of his failure
Many, very many, OF our northern people
felt deep sympathy for the gallant Critten-
act they strongly condemned, and the tears
of many of the best and bravesr Of our rev
dictionary sires believed the grave of Andre,
who, by their own judgment, died the death
of spy, his sersence approved by Wash.
and calm reason has resumed it's place ia
will fully appreciate our feelings, and then,
condemn yet pity John Brown as a mis-. |
guided but not base minded man, they will
also with US detest and scorn these men in
our midst who now seek by distorting our
language and falsifyng our sentiments, to
use the passions and prejudices of our
southern brethren as o means to pave their
hoo m vnl0
I cannot concur in the opinion expressed |
by some persons that the constituted author.
tiles OF the States of this Union have dis
charged their entire duty, when they have
looked to and cared for their own internal
affairs, and that they travel out of their
legitimate sphere when they in any manner
concern themselves with the affairs of our
General Government. The several States,
az such, are the constituents of one branch
of the National Congress, and if it be true
that the constituent may and should concern
himself with what is done by his represen-
tative, it must be true that each State may
and should concern herself with the actions
of that General Government of which her
representatives are part if it be true that
the States of our Confederacy are interested
in the administration and preservation of
that compact but for which they would be |
wholly independent and rival, perhaps hos
tile sovereignties, instead of one great and |
united nation, it must be true that they may
and should concern themselves with the
manner in which those to whose hands that
administration and preservation are COM
mitted, discharge their trust.
The passage BY Congress of the measure |
commonly known as the Homestead Bill,
would, in my opinion, be productive of
much good, preventing in great degree the
acquisition, by SPECTATORS, Of large bodies
Of the public lands, to the injury Of the act
ual settlers, and by enabling many honest
and industrious poor men who cannot now
do so, to enrol themselves in the class OF
independent farmers who are! the support
and strength of our country. The govern.
ment price of quarter section of land may
appear to many small and insignificant
sum, but the many thousands Of the farmers
of the west who have opened farms either
tin the woods or ION the prairies," can
more Justly appreciate the great benefits de-
riveable from that small amount in their
work OF toll and privation. / respectfully
recommend that you memorialize Congress
for the passage Of such law.
The building of Railroad to the Pacific
Ocean, is measure which, in my opinion,
is demanded by the best interests Of our
whole country. In case of war with any Of
the great maritime powers the States on
the Pacific would be peculiarly opvn to
attack, and our Government could afford
them the necessary aid for their defence
only at great risk and enormous expense
Troops could not be sent to their assistance
through our own country, except by the
overland route, which experience has shown
to be, for an army, almost inpracticable;
while if sent by any other route, they might
be compelled to tight their way to the States
they are sent to defend. 1t seems to me to
be bad policy that would compel Us to
depend upon other nations for q right of
way to cur own possessions and our own
homes, when we can have such way within
our own limits. So = -.