The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1861-07-24

lost. Now Secession is such subverson.
OF its attempt and progress towards this end,
the disasters we are feeling are the incipicnt
results. m .s.,.. a. "a d. ..s,.. .. .- -4. %.
'But no." it is objected, "the war and its
mischiefs are the evil consequences of a re-
insal to compromise" ~
But 1st, no compromise with the Seeded
States was possible. Secession frora the first
has rejected all compromise. Its act was
declaratively forever. So that from the first
Secession act of South Carolina, the same
question has been presented which is before
us now, namely shall the Government
consent to its own dissolution Or shall it
vindicate its life if need be, with force against
those attempting it's destruction. CompTo-
mise there was none, but in a surrender of
its own existence y -.--..-.s.-.
In the ID place, compromise with those in
open fragrant war upon the Government,
claiming to uverrule the solemn decisions of
the constitutional majority, and extort by
force what IS lost by the ballot box. is nec-
essarily to enthrohe the former over, the lat
ter and subordinate the majority to the mi
nority. It is to surrender the life principle
Of fRepublicanism, Order and Liberty. 1t
would have been precedent fatal to us.
In the Sd place, the amendment proposed
to the Constitution, declaring the idviolabil-
ity of Slavery in the States, and the organi-
cation Of all our territory with no restriction
on slavery, left nothing in moderation or
reason to compromise /; and, granting there
had been, it was to be obtained by argument
and persuasion, not extorted by force and
menace. Granting that the majority had
been inmoderate and unreasonable in re-
fusing to compromise, still it was clearly the
duty Of the minority to submit and wait the
future action of reason and the ballot. To
do otherwise, p clearly wicked and treasona-
bic unless the wrongs suffered justify the
destruction Of the Government, which no
sane man can believe to have been the fact
in this case The claim of the minority to
appeal at pleasure from Constitutional vote
to arms, to withdraw at pleasure from an or
dinance of the majority by Secession from
the Government, Of course makes Constitu.
tional Liberty and Free Government i'm
possible.
But let US have no false issues The COM
plants against the Republican party and Ad-
ministration In regard to compromise or al
legged faulty measures Of policy, even if true,
do not justify either Secession or our stand.
ing still while Secession is doing its deadly
work. The house is burning, and the first
question is not how it got on fire, but how
shall we put it out We should think a
man fool that would let his house burn
down because he thinks the fire took OF
spread through mismanagement or crime. =.
Our country Is burning. The confagration
can be arrested, not by compromising with
Secession, or in any form admitting its right
Secession itself must be extinguished and
extripated, or we shall burn up. To recog
nize its legitimacy, is to abdicate our exist
ence as a nation.
The present crisis rises above all party is
sues We must first save the Government
then we will again debate about its policy
The origin Of our troubles we may then dis
cuss; but now we have to defend the lie o
the nation ITSELF the vital principle of ou,
Government against open and deadly vic
lence. We have got to rally to the rescu,
of our country against this violence now o,
nerer. It will not do to say, that the Ad
mnistration is not Of your choice or approx
al, and therefore you cannot come to tn
defence of your country you must defend !
no,o, or you will hereafter have none to de
fend. The present Administration now rep
resents the Government; and it is all tn
representative the Government has in tn
execution of its laws; and goa must saps !
, Nth this Administration representing It, o
lose It forerer Let not an insane hatred O
an Administration lead you to destroy tn
country, or to sit idly by and see it destroy
ed. If the country is saved you may here
after replace and change an Administration
But if the country is now abandoned, "
shall have nothing left hereafter to admin
lister.
No, fellow citizens; the more deeply W
look into our present terrible trouble, tn
more clearly il is evident, that our first ques
ton at this time is not with Parties or Plat
forms, or Measures within the Constitution
not with Administrations, Proclamations q
! Embargos, but with our pronounced mort,
foe-Secession. Other causes alleged Al
effects or occasions. None necessitated on
calamities. But Secession carried them a
in its guilty train, and must ever carry then
Against it we must rally and wrcstle 8
against death. We must quench il, as W
would fire. We must expel 1t, as we Woul
poison from the system. It is of its yer
nature dissolution, anarchy, bankruptc,
faithlessness and falsehood, social discor
4 and hate, civil war and massacre. Have an
Of us dreamed Of a bloodless dissolution p
Could we expect mighty nation would co,
sent to die without struggle? And ha,
|, we not been warned by History and Philo
ophy and the express words Of the Gre,
Dead Of one country that "such a dissolutic
% eyes should never behold3., Is not tn
faithful warning now seen in terrific ialfi
nente ~ :. ~ 50 $500, -