Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1861-05-06

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.: = 80 Is:::.sss:s.'
/ TAs ALLEGING l11lsr isos Hoe. nisl
Bosae Ne tGks In he National 1htSo
1snew
RsonuonsI Apsil 10.
M DBAa Sn :-Foar lstass yssess.
dsy hes besa received. Before this you
sill have learned through the prsse I'll
shae be- oeessssd q Norfolk and q hi,
plscs bot l cannot begin TO give you Z
just conception Of the excitement GREAT
ID, not only here bat throughout The
whole Ooathsrs country, By he psosls'
nation Of the 18th, which, in masy r.
spects, may b regarded - the moss IN.
fortunate docpment thst ever issued
from The govesnmsnt In the absence
u that paper this STATE could mot have
bses taken out Of the Union With it,
the Uaion party end the Union feeling
have been almcst entirely swept out Of
existence. You cannot meet with one
mao in thousand Who 10 not in6smed
With . passios Of sav and every one
seems 70 regard the proclamation - Z
dscl .rstiou OF var for the subjugat on
Of the entire South and for the exter.
minstion Of slavery; reason with them
on this po;nO would - soon arrest the
motion Of the Atlantic - il would shsek
the current Of their passions.
When I cav you 10 Washington,
some ten days since. bad the honor to
10y before you and other members Of
the Cabinet, - we'll ~ before Mr.. Lin
coin himself, . plan for the settlement
Of our troubles, through the medium Of
. National Convention, to give to the
seeded States leove 70 ssithdr0s0.
thought then, - do nov, that the plan
thcn sug6 ested was the only solution to
the dreadful c'isis which Va upon ~.
Since thst time matters have assumed
far more lrigbtilI aspect, and l now
venture to make one more effort to save
the unnecessary effusion OF brothers
blood and, in the name Of liberty,
humanity and Christianity, l implore
you TO give it your earnest and solemn
deliberatiou.
/ need hardly say that NO msn in this
nation has held in higher appreciation
the valuation Of our blessed Union; no
,nan has lsbored more constantly and
earnestly for ito perpetuation than l.
No mans heart can bleed more freely
for its loss than mine; no man can mourn
more sorrowfully tor it, overthrow than
l will. No man can condemn more
severely the immediate causes that have
90 unnecessarily led Us into this awful
aud terrible catastrophe than I do. Yet,
for the first time, after an entire nigh,
Of sleepIess reflection, when prayed .,
| never prayed before for wisdom and
strength to do my duty, my mind has
been brought to the conclusion that q
dissolution is an inevitable decree Of fate.
! am satisfied that . CO 1test on the
part Of the General Government, with
it, perfect military organization, power.
fol naval forces, it's command Of money,
and its credit without limit, backed BY
eighteen or twenty millions Of people
against eight millions, without military
organisation, without naval forces, with.
out money or credit, is not likely to be
Of doubtful result in the end but after
that, what then Can the Union b.
preserved on such terms, or would it b.
worth preserving if it couida After tht
best blood of the country hiss been shed
in war which has passion, prejudice
and nnnaturol hnt v.,s,tuaI hato for fnn ~
dation, To- sns'fied by the couflict, could
the two sections ever be brought togsth.
er rs one people sgainp And would i,
not require large standing armies, in
constant active service, to conquer and
maintain peace! And would that not
end at least in . hateful, losthsome mil.
itary despotism
II am right in all this, would not .
peaceful separation, not as = military
necessity, but as triumph OF reason
order, law, liberty, morality and religion
over passion, pride, prejudice, hatred,
disorder and the forces of the mob, BIZ
far wiser and more desirable solution
Of the problem than such scene as will
result from = purely sectional warfare
(result as it may,) and from which the
heart sickens, and the soul recoils with
horror?
You may cut, main, kill and destroy
You may sweep down battaIions with
your artillery; you may block up com.
merce with your fleets; You nay starve
ont the thousands and tens Of thousands
of the enemies of government; you
may overrun, but you cannot subjugste
the united South and if you could do
oil this, you could not do it without in
6icting an equal amount Of misery upon
those who are its best friends, and who
have stood a. long 40 there was plank
to stand upon by the side Of the Union,
the Constitution anc the laws. Our
streets may run red with blood; our
dwellings may be Ievslled with the earth;
our fields may be laid waste our hearth.
stones may be made desolate, and then,
at the last, what end has been gained
Why tho government has exhibited its
power, which has never been questioned
but BY the idle, the ignorant and deluded,