The weekly Ottumwa courier., 1861-05-22
Message Of Gov. Kirkwood;
GENTLEMEN OF THE SENATE

! AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
The Constitution requires that shallsta
to you the purpose for which you have lie, n
convened in. Extra ordinary Session.
When alittle more than year ago your
regular session closed, the whole country
was in the enjoyment of peace and prosper
ity. At home, life, liberty, ana, prosperity
were secure, and abroad the title Of an
American citizen was claimed with pride,
and full assurance that it was a sure guar
could make good the claim. To-day Civil
War is upon US, and wide spread conspi-
racy against the General Government, which
we now know has been maturing for years,
has been developed, and the whole country
is filled with the din Of arms On the one
hand, and form one sectio of the country
men who should be legal citizens, if benefits
conferred by yovernmet should make men
! loyal to it. are mastering in armed bands
with the intent to dissolve the Union, and
destroy our Government, and on the other
hand, partially from the same section, and
as one man from the other, our loyal people
are rallying around our Union and our Gov.
ernment, and pledging for their maintenance
what our Fathers so freely perilled to secure
tiSul, anu nOf1OT.
In this emergency Iowa must not and
does not occupy a doubtful position. For
the Union as our fathers formed it, and for
the Government they formed so wisely, and
so well, the People of Iowa are ready to
pledge every fighting man in the State and
every dollar other money and credit land
have called you. together in extraordinary
session, for the purpose of enabling them TO-
make that pledge form.ll and effective.
Those who, to crafty their mad ambition,
have brought upon the county this great evil,
seek to disguise their true intent, to cover
their true purpose. They say they 20,
not desire to destroy our Goyernmet, but
that it has become hostile to them, and they
only wish to peacefully withdraw them
selves from, which they claim the right to
do whenever in their judgment their interest
or safety may require such action. Many
loyal men, secured by their professions and
not preeeivlng that "peaceable secession" is
destructive alike to the. Constitution and
Union, were unwilling that any coercive
measures should be used to bring them back
to sense of their duty. How are the facts?
Our Government is based upon these great
central, controlling ideas. The people ARE the
only true source ofpower. In the exercise
of their power, they have created our present
form of fGovernment, retaining in their own
hands its management and control They
have honesty enough to desire, and intelli-
gence enough to discern the right, and if at
any time they should, by reason of excite
ment or passion, misdirect the action of gov
ernment and do wrong to any portion Of
themselves, their honesty and intelligence
can be surely relied upon to correct such
wrongs. These are the fundamental ideas
of our form of Government, and when any
section of our country, OF any portion of our
country, or any portion Of our people, ale.
ging that wrong has been done them declare
they cannot and will not rely upon the hon
esty and intelligence Of our people to right
such wrongs, but will Eight their wrongs in
their own way and BY their own hands, they
strike blow which if not asrested, will
crumble the fabric of our Government into
ruins.
Has the Government been hostile to them
At the time this unnatural rebellion COM
menced there was not on the statute books
or the United States single law that had
not been dictated, or assented to, by their
Representatives. The recent election, Of the
result of which they SO loudly complain, had
placed in the Presidential Chair person
opposed to their policy upon important ques.
ton, but Had left them in possession Of the
Government, so that it was utterly impossi-
BILE any injury could result to them from the
election Of President who was not their
choice. Under these circumstances, without
waiting to see what would be the disposition
! of the newlp elected President, without trus-
ting to Congress and the proceedings yet un
der thoir control, without waiting for an ap-
peal to the honesty and intelligence of the
| People to right any wrongs that might be
attempted against them. They rebelled
against the Government, and sought to des-
troy it by arms. They have seized by force
the forts, arsenals, ships and treasure, and
| have set at defiance the laws and officers of
the United States, and they have sought to
set up within the Union another and indie
| pendent Government they have for
months past been leyying troops, building
forts, and gathering munitions ofwar, with
intent to make war upon our Government, if
it should attempt to perform its lawful func-
tons, and after months of preparation have
attacked with overwhelming numbers and
captured the troops of the United States,
L~ll 4