The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1861-02-06

people be destroyed by an act Of secession o
some of its members9 Florida and her sis
+ ter revolutionary States answer in the affir
NATIVE. We deny it. They undertake t.
act upon their protested belief, and secede
or, as term il, rebel against the Govern
ment. While they are in this attitude Of
rebellion compromise is presented to us fol
: adoption by which it is proposed, not tc
punish the rebellious States but to entict
them back into the Union. Who does not
see that by adopting these compromise pro
positions we tacity recognize the right Of
these States to secede9 Their adoption al
this time would completely demoralize the
Government and leave it in the power of any
State to destroy. If Florida and South
Carolina can secede because of the Slavery
question what shall prevent Pennsylvania
from seeding because the Government de-
clines to adequately protect her iron and
coal interests, or New England because her
commerce is not sufficiently protected? !
could agree to nocompromise until the right
to secede was fully renowned, because it
would be recognition of the right of one or
more States to break up the Government at
their will.
Iowa has peculiar interest in this ques-
ton. If this right of State revolution be
conceded, her geographical position is such
as to place her completely in the power of
revolutionary States. Will she agree that
one State can secedc and take from her the
mouth of the Missouri, and that others shall
be PERMITTED to deprive her of the right of
passage to the Atlantic ocean? If she will
not agree to this it becomes her people to
insist that the Constitution of the country
shall be upheld, that the laws of the land
shall be enforced, and that this pretended
right of a State to destroy our national exis.
tence shall be sternly and emphatically re-
buked. know the people of Iowa well en-
ough to believe that appeals to their mag
nanimity, if not successful, will be kindly
received and considered, whilst appeals to
their fears will pass by them as the idle
wind, and that they will risk all things and
endure all things in maintaining the honor
of the national flag and in preserving the
national Union.
One word more and close this letter, al
ready too long. At the commencement Of
the session, before revolution had assumed
its present gigantic proportions; before any
; State had pretended to secede except South
Carolina, before the Forts and Arsenals Of
the United States had been captured, the
flag of the country fred upon, and the Cap.
; itol ofthe nation threatened, assented as a
member of the Senatorial Committee of Thir,
teen, to three propositions which were to
the following effect, viz
First That Congress should never be per.
mitted to interfere with the domestic insttu,
tons of any State, or to abolish slavery
therein.
Second, That the several States should be
advised to review their Legislation in regard
: to persons of color and repeal or modify all
such laws as nigh conflict with the Consti
tuition of the United States or with any Of
the laws of Congress made in. pursuance
thereof.
Third, To admit Kansas into the Union
under the Wyandotte Constitution, and
then to admit the remaining territory belon
ging to the United States as two States. one
. North and one South of the parallel of sc
deg. 80 min. with the provision that these
States might be subdivided and new ones
erected thcrefrom whenever there should be
sufficient population for one Representative
in Congress upon sixty thousand square
r miles, ....'
These propositions if adopted, would have
Quoted the apprehension of the Southern
people as to the intention of the people o
the Free States to interfere with slavery ir
the States, and would have finally disposed
of all the territory belonging 20 the Govern
ment. They would have made two very in
convenient States, but they would have set
tied a very nconvenient question. They
could have been adopted without any sur
render Of principle by any body or any sec
ton, and therefore without any party and
personal humiliation. But they were spurn
ed by the Disunionsts. They preferred t.
plunge the country into revolution, and they
have done it. 1t only remains for us now
to obey and enfore the laws and show to tn.
world that this Government is strong enough
to protect itself from rebellion within as wei
as from assault without. ..
The issue now made up for the decision o
the people of this country is between law
order, the Union and the Constitution, OF
the one hand, and revolution, anarchy, dis
solution and bloodshed on the other. d.
not doubt as to the side you and the peopl
of Iowa will occupy in this contest.
am very truly
Your obedient servant
8 ...... .- JAMES w. GRIMES.
Hon. SAMUEL j. KIRKwooD, Co.. Of Iowo
WASHINGTON, Feb "a dispatch iron
r. B. Rhett, states that the Montgomer,
" ~