The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1861-03-23

CIVIL WA1 IN TEXAS,
The civil war 30 much dreaded b not likely :,
De one 10 which either the free or the Northern
slave States will take part the strife willaris,
oeswcen different factions of the secessionistl
within their own domain. 1ea& x sstsaaso 81 S
| The news from Texas ia cf great importance
| and comes TO " in Shape which givAS il A. 90
parent title 70 orr belief The Convention o
delegates in that State, whose Office was TO pre-
pare an ordinance OF secession and submit It "a
the people, are playing the part OF the Ions
Parliament They have usarped the dominion
Of the country and Claim the right to act q tt
masters, to cosrcs ssbmiseion % il decrees, q
incorporate the State Of Texas with the South.
ern Confedsracy, and force AL Its public ser.
ment Houston, on the other hand, claims 70,
his State the right, Of acting independently OF
the others; il the right TO separate itself from
the free States 10 admitted, he claims. by still
stronger relation, the right of keeping itself %.
perate from the nix cotton States; he insists.
with great reason, that the regularly elected lie.
g.slature, which is shortly to assemble. forms.
with the regularly elected Governor, the proper
government Of the State. It 10 said that the
old warrior ID even raising troops to contest
with the usurping Convention the right Of id.
ministering the affairs Of Texas Is
These events do not surprise 10; they are the
natural consequences of the method which the
conspirators Of secession have taken to carry
their plans into effect The people have not
been csnsulted-not even in the State Of Texas.
In none Of the other six seceding States vas the
question of a dissolution Of the Union submit
n tho Ia In e,
puar vote on The question was gone through
with, but the true sense of the people wss not
taken. In Western Texas the anti slavery ques
ton prevails, but its expression was smothered
there by the same means that it was silenced in
Kansas when the Missouri invaders came in
arms and made Constitution for the actual set
tiers. The people of San Antonio were kept
from the polls ut the point Of the bayonet.-
The whole affair was shameless farce A more
honest and becoming method by far was adopt
ed in the other Gulf States-namely, to impose
secession upon the people without asking wheth.
er they would be satisfied with it or not. Is it
not wonderful, therefore, that in Texas, where
the secessionists have behaved the worst, the
reaction should begin soonest, and that the VIC.
lent methods taken should beget violence in re-
turn. ia.
We can easily conceive why Houston should
object to placing Texas under the rule of JEFF.
erson Davis, whom the people of Texas have ia
ken no part in electing, who is no more than
sovereign by the public consent than Santa An,
ma would be if he we're to land at Galveston, and
who is busily occupied with his councillors in
founding military tyranny which 10 to reach
from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rio Grande-
The warrior of San Jacinto acquiesces in seces-
sion, but wishes to preserve somewhat of the
spirit Of popular government in the new institu-
tons. He has the sagacity to see that if Texas
be once tied to the chariot wheels of the South.
ern Confederacy she must be dragged after it in.
to the ruin towards which it is rushing. He pre-.
fers to keep Texas disentanglcd and independent
no vassal of the new born despotism, able to
take advantage, at her own discretion, of any
opportunity of extracting herself from her pre-
sent perilous condition.
We do not suppose that the design of posses
sing Texas will be easily relinquished by the
Southern Confederacy. Texas has greater ex-
tent OF sea coast than any other of the North
ern American States, with the exception of Flo
rida; q coast indented with many bays and har.
bors; she has an interior scanned with numerous
rivers; she is yet to be the seat of vast pop
ulation; out of her domain new States are yet
to be formed; hers is the frontier from which
the expedition Of the new League were to go
forth to dsmember Mexico, seize on the North.
their conquests southwark, plant slavery from
the Rio Grande to the lsthmus Of Tehauntepec
The opposition of General Houston to the asso-
citation of Texas with Mississippi and South Ca
rolina, If successful, illustrates this project. It
must be put dowr. and, if the other States are
strong enough, will be put down. We shall
not be surprised to see the army of jeff Davis
by-and-by crossing the Sabine to fight battle
on the old war-ground of Alamo.
Meantime, other and almost equally vehement
Of discomfort reach Us from the
cotton States east of the Mississippi We have
already quoted some bitter complaints of the ty-
ranny of the new government from the Alaba-
ma prints Yesterday we gave a sample of them
from Georgia journal. and to-day we copy an
other from Mississippi paper. The example
of Houston in resisting the usurpations of the
Southern Confederacy may be initiated in the
other cotton States, and the fame now kindled
may spread from the Sabine to the Savannah.
What course the federal administration will
take in this matter; what aid or encouragement
it may think proper to lend to Houston in his
opposition to the revolutionists who have estab-
lished their headquarters at Montgomery, it is
almost too early even to conjecture. General
Houston has always, until within few days,
been esteemed firm friend of the Union. By
the men who first plotted notification and then
the day against him, and get possession of his
person, they will assuredy hang him. We hope
that some explanation honorable to his consist
ency will be found for the part he took in com
peling the federal authorities to deliver up to
the revolutionists the public property within the
limits of Texas.-[N. Y. Post.
STARTLING RoRBERY-SUNMARY PUNISHMENT.
In the Republican of last week we mentioned
most daring robbery which was committed on
the night of the Sd inst, at the house Of Geo.
Taylor, ten miles west of Omaha. The circum-
stances of the robbery were substantially as We
stated them. We might add, that one of the
robbers would undoubtedly have killed Mrs.
Taylor, had he rot been prevented by his &C.
complete.
The first intelligence Of the robbery reached
this city on the morning of the 9th, when detec-
tives were Immediately on the alert for the ap-
prehension of the robbers
During the day two suspicious strangers, who
gave their names as John Her and James Bouve,
were arrested, but were afterwards discharged,
as nothing definite could be proven against them.
On the following morning Mrs Taylor was sent
for, and James Bouve and John Her, with some
fifty others, all strangers to her, were collected
in the Mayors Office. Mrs. Taylor went into the
room and soon recognized Bouve and Her as the
persons who robbed her house the Sunday night
previous. They were Immediately re arrested
and lodged in Jail. The statements of Mrs. Tay
lor greatly excited the people, and citizens
meeting was soon called to consider the case of
the prisoners. A long discussion ensued upon
the question whether the prisoners should be
left to the ordinary course Of the law, or wheth-
er the people should not take the matter in hand
and give them an immediate trial. While it was
conceded that our criminal law was adequate to
the case, and the officers of the law efficient yet
the want of safe place Of confinement, where
the sentence Of the law could be enforced, seem.
ed to place US in the same condition as though
we had no law; and if ever people were justi-
fed to act for their own protection, this appear
ed to be case. Under all the circumstances
and after careful elaboration, it was decided to
appoin. committee of twelve men to inquire
into the guilt or innocence Of the prisoners