The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1861-08-08
stood firmer under the laws Of the land

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than they do now there never was .
time when they had not as good canse
for disunion as they have to day
What good cause have they now tina,
has not existed under every Administra.
ton? =
II they any the Terfit ,rial Qession-
now for the first time there is no &C,
Of Congress prohibiting slavery any.
where. Ifit be the non.enforcemen,
Of the laws, the only complaints that
have heard have been Of the too viger
nus and faithful fulfillment of the Fugi
tive Slave Law. Then what reason
have they?
! The slavery question is a mere excuse
The election Of Lincoln is mere pretext
| The present secession movement is the
result 6f an enormous conspiracy form
cd by the leaders in the Southern Con-
tedcracy more than twelve months
ago.
They use the slavery question as a
mears to aid the accomplishment Of
their ends. Thy desire the election
Of Northern candidate by = sectional
vote in order to show that the two scc
tions cannot live together. When the
history Of the two years from the Le-
compton Charter down to the late Pres.
idential election, shall be written, it
will show that the scheme was deliber-
ately made 10 break up this L, Jon.
They desired Northern Republican
{" be elected by purely Northern vote
and then assign this fact as a rea-
son why the sections mag not longer
live together. II the Di>union candi-
didate in the late Presidential contest
had carried the United South, their
| schcme was, the Northern candidate
suct e>sfui, 10 seize the Capitol last
spring. aud by n united South aud di
viaed North. hold it. That scheme
was defeated in the defeat Of the ,lisun-
ion coplidate in several Of the South
ern States.
But this il no time for a detail Of
causes. The conspiracy is now known
Armies have been raised; war is levied
to accomplish it. There are only two
sides to the question, Every man mus,
Le t'r the United States or against it.
There can be no neu,rals in this war
patriots or traitors.
THANK Cad illinois, is not divided on
this question. (Cheers.1 iknow ,hes
expected to present united South
against divided North. They hoped
ia Southern States, party questions
would bring ci.il war between Demo.
crats and Republicans, when the South
would step in with her cohorts, aid one
party 10 conquer the other, and then
make easy prey Of the vic.or>. Their
scheme was carnage and civil war in
the North.
There is but one way to defeat this.
In IAiascis it IL being defeated BY clos
ing up the ranks. Was viii thas be-
prevented on our own soil. While there
was hope Of peace was ready for
any reasonable sacrifice or compromise
to maintain it. But whei. the question
comes Of war, in the cotton fields Of
the South, o. the corn fields Of Illinois,
| say the farther off the better.
We cannot close our eyes to the SAD
and solemn fact that war does exist
Tho Government must be main1 aimed
ats enemies overthrown, and the most
stupendous our preparations d,c less
the blood shed, ard the shorter tiae
struggle. But We must rem ember cer-
tain restraints on our actions, even IN
time Of war. We are christian pee.
,Ae, and The war must be prosecuted in
manner recos nized by christian ma
tions.
We aaHsk not invade constitutional
rights. The innocent must NOT suffer,
nor women and children he the victims.
Savages must not be let loose. But
while l sanction no war on the rights
Of Others, l will i,aplore my country not
to lsy down their arms until oar own
rights are recognized. {rAeers
The Constitution and its guarantees
are our birh,ights, aud ! am ready to
enforce that inalicnahlc right to clse last
extent. We cannot recognize secession.
Recognize it once, and You have not
enly Dissolved the government, but you
have destroyed social eraer, upturned
the Foundations If society. Yoa have
inaugarated anarchy in its worst form.
and will shortly experience all the hor-
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