The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1861-03-07
For the lows Transcript.
PRACTICAL RESULTS OF RE.
rCDLnCANASM.
EplTon OF TRANsCHlrT:

Eprron OF T~RANscmrT:
You arc y Republican and am a
Democrat, and doubtless We disagree
very materially in opinion, as to which
party those men belong who are oP-
posed to this Union rs it was handed
down to rs by our forefathers, and who
are now playing the part Of traitors in
our political circles; but let us reason.
have been = reader OF your paper
FOR the last few weeks, AVID notice that
you are very bitter in denouncing the
recent acts Of the Cotton States. 1t j.
very wrong torlyou to do 80, and you
ought to cease it, because, forsooah,
your party initiated the secession move
mcnt. The course Of the sccessionists
at the South is iient;cnNy the same
which you and your party leaders as
.umed during the late campaign. and
for which you were denounced by the
Democratic party. In order to be con
~sistcnt, and stultify yourselves, you
ought to be willing to be placed in inx-
Imposition, or cheek by .Jowl. with the
secession leaders and go arm in arm
with them III their rebcl!ioms acts. This
may seem strange 10 yon, bnt You car
not fail to see the truth Of nv position,
il YOU will but think and reason impair
TALLY. What prompted the people Of
the Cotton States to scccdc from this
Union? Simply the passage Of uncon-
stitu,ional laws modifying the Fugitive
Slave Law, by yoM party, and the elcc.
ton Of a sectional President pledged to
\ policy that would ultimately have DIES
tr .ycd all their rights and property, &C.,
&c.
Now, what was the position Of your
party leaders during the late campaign:
Did not you and your stump speakers.
from high to low, boldly ASSERT that they
would not obey the Supreme Conrt de-
cisions and the laws OF our country :
Your party leaders repeatedly said thcy.
would not obey the Fugitive Slave Law
nor accept any part Of the bred Scott
decision. Here WAS MI act Of open re-
Lsli;on on your part! You advocated
the higher-law doctrine, and did not
consider laws binding unless they were
| adapted to your tastes and III harmony
with your conscience. You openly re-
bcllcd against the constitution of our
country, acted the part Of traitors just
as much as the scccss,onists 81 thc South
are at the present time. As | said be.
fore, you avowcd your determination
not TO obey the Fugitive Slave law,
| which, has been declared constitutional
by tho Supreme Court, and which is
| understood to be constitutional by the
Southern people. The secessionis:s
understand tho constitution Que way
and your party another. When that
instrument is il force ms they understand
it they are satisfied, bat yonr party RE
BELL! and riice versa. Your hiyher-law
doctrine has penetrated the Southern
heart and they arc now carrying it out
by multiplying laws passed in pursuance
Of the constitution, because those Mws
do not accord with their views OF right
and Justice. This too, was the position
| OF South Carolina in 1892, when she
attempted to nu!l,ty the Tariff act AMI
destroy our government. Under the
teachings Of your party she was i~jnstiii-
! cd in hor course then, and so are those
States which have recently rcbcllcd
against lin their opinion) an unjust
government.
In view Of these plainly stated facts,
why do you continue to hnrl Your
anathemas and unrclenting abuseagainst
the Southern people? Why do yo"
call them traitors when your party init
ated and prompted the movement! =
Does the climate make such q wonder
ful difference?
I have given yon . plain, brief state
ment Of facts, and you cannot deny them.
You will remember how the Democrat
ic Press warned you Of the dangers Of
the higher-law doctrine, and your threats
to disobcy the Supreme Court decisions
and violate the laws, but you passedthe
warming unheeded, and now you must
shoulder the responsibility. You can
not deny but that your. policy IN the
late campaign was calculated to destroy
our government. And, by-the.by, let
me ask YOU what constitutes a govern
ment? As l understand, it is simply
the laws that govern the people. With
out laws we should haveno government.
Then, when You publicly refuse to obey
the laws-howeycr obnoxious they may
10 - 4. nl.;n IN he q that YOU seek