Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1861-01-25

s. statesmen have warned us against ci
.e war. L am for a peaceful division, by Il
y amendment Of the Constitution to til
effect SuEL FosrBR.
~ gd
It ca '- EAST CHARLEMoNT, Mass, |
...---..-.- Jan. II, 1861.
MY BROTHER: II send some thoughts Q
on the true way of the nation in the prese,
attitude of Freedom and Slavery. One of tt
three following measures must be adopted
, l. A peaceful separation; .......
2. War; ....
3. Compromise.
Il mention them in the order of bad worse
worst.
! l. A peaceful separation will cause tn
least harm to slavery, and will prove yer,
much to the advantage of liberty. 1t can nov
be accomplished more easily than the others
No intelligent man in the world doubts thi
day that peaceful secession by the Colonie.
would have been eminently better policy
and better religion for England and the
States than the war Of the revolution.
Q. A worse policy is war War will unite
all the slavery interests it will Immediately
become a civil war of freedom and slavery
The power of slavery can be broken and sub
dued back into the Union only by a servile
war of freedom and the slaves against the
| masters; an indiscriminate murder of men,
women and children, desolation in the
| houses of the owners, and q revolution as TO
the laws and usages of the colored people.
belieye that freedom is not prepared to do
this. think that freedom has religion
and conscience that cannot permit this.
Any war Of smaller results will never subdue
united slavery into the Union. In the name
Of charity and practical wisdom, let every
sensible man say that this game CT war must
not be attempted by freedom. No one advises
war as remedy to secession who knows the
heart of the South.
3. The worst, the fatal measure of the
three, is such compromise as the moderate
and Union-loving slave owners will accept.
They will accept of no compromise that does
not give slavery the control of the Govern
ment, and will not observe any one an hour
after they lose the control. If by any acci-
dent hereafter freedom should elect the
President, secession is also elected. AS the
Government and the people are aiming at a
compromise, let me give my opinion of it:
Our country is at this moment suffering
by trials more dangerously fearful than it
has endured since the revolutionary winter
at the "Valley Forge" The party of free
dom is on the trial of temptation to compro-
mise with slavery, For the high purpose of
preserving the Union, there is imminent
danger that such compromise may be
effected before the 4th Of March. If the
compromise succeeds, the following things
will also succeed;
l. a reunion of all the friends of slavery,
South and North.
2. A division of the party of freedom-a
minority of which will follow the compro-
mise. This will throw freedom back into
tho minority for q long time, and all the
work Of regaining control of the Government
by the faithful must be done over again.
3. 1t will teach slavery how to keep con-
troll of the Government, by proving to them
that the nation loves the Union more than
it bates slavery, and that freedom prizes a
Union with slavery more than slavery prizes
Union with freedom. 1t will prove to the
100000 owners of slaves that they are of
more value to the nations welfare than all
the millions who own no slaves. 1t is certain
that the moderate party Of slavery will
accept of such compromise only as will
place slavery in the control of tho nation on
return election, They we'll know that the
moderate party of freedom will not soon vote
for chief magistrate in opposition to the
will of slavery and dangerous to the Union
Slavery once secure of the Government, vii
use the opportunity fearlessly to increase
her power She will increase the States O
slavery, so as forever to preserve majorit,
in the Senate. This slavery can do b,
refusing free Constitution to any Stat
coming in, as she has refused Kansas; b,
purchasing Cuba, by admitting New Mexic
and Sonora, b, dividing Texas, and b
encouraging a clandestine slave-trade t
populate old Mexico. In this view you wi
see how the old party faithful to freedol
will be working in more hopeless disat
, vantage than ever it worked in this natior
AS often as the alarm of dividing th
t s'glorious Union has controlled one vote
# the past, the dread of division and secessic
u will control hundred votes in the future.
D. Finally, if freedom shall regain majori
in the nation in any few years after th
y compromise, and resolve to control the Go
he ernment, that is the end Of the Union fl
y euer. Then why not stand by the principl
=. of freedom "now and .torever," and let sec
as sion come. No later time can be so favo,
ae BILE to freedom as this time is for
separation. Since the great fact is NJ
- =. made certain that freedom can never he
ut after obtain control of the Government a
at preserve the Union, then, By everything p
:. cious in tas good scIl Of God. OF ga uo
20 os to liberty, LIT the rariy # trte1ons si.nad
nd q anti to its prime pies, and make no un.j
concessions 10 s7arery, In, the nations Of
world. there is no interest depending
-, decision. Of. which involves the welfare
ost mankind so deeply as whether freedom
er. slavery shall control the Government Of
m United States ~'-. geo
my IS the question shapes just now, it is
N. Shall slavery have control Of the VIII
80 Tor will freedom govern itself and let slav
p tas-- -eo- 2 Il. ss
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