The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1861-03-30
INC Pe.ceful eecession hodge,

And when you speak Of me, do me the kindness
never to say anything in my favor.
lam, &c. W. G. BRowHLow.
The Peaceful secession Dodge,
In the Senate, yesterday, Mr.. Bayard, Of Dela.
ware, more cautious, or perhaps moro honest,
than those democratic senators who have hither-
to, under the lead of Mr.. Douglas, endeavored to
worry and embarrass the Administration, gave
notice Of HE intention to introduce resolution
having for its object the acknowledgement, by
the United States government, of the indepen-
dent sovereignty of the "Cnntederate States"
Mr.. Bayard's only excuse for this extraor-
binary proposition is the belief, which is now af-
fected by all the democratic leaders, that the
southern people are unanimous, or nearly uHan-
imous, in their demand for separation from the
Union. Four months ago there might have been
cause for such thought, though even in the hur-
ly.burly of the first struggle there were not lack
ing, lin almost every seeding state, men who
protested in the name ofcommon sense and COM
mon honesty against the hasty consummatiop Of
the treason. But just now every sign in the
southern heavens portends speedy and form.
dable reaction on the part of the people of the
South against the traitors who, have surprised
the cotton states into revolution.
The aspect of southern affairs has greatly
changed within the last ten weeks. The manly
inaugural of President Lincoln has had lts effect
wherever it has reached; and the course which
the Administration has so far held, and seems
likely to hold, adds force every day to the Pres
ident's honest words. The southern people have
had time to reflect and in their sober second
thought the buster, the reckless and bloodthirstv
war spirit, the oppression and useless military
preparations, and the unreasonable and up-
reasoning haste OF those who have forced upon
them the secession movement contrast badly
with the patience, selfrestraint and silence Of
the federal government
"a The fear that the first act of Republican ad-
ministration would be to invade the South, and
lay it desolate with fire and sword, is fast diving
out before the facts of Mr.. Lincoln's policy; and
it was by playing upon this fear that the uuscru-
ment were able to seduce the people Temporal
rily from their true allegiance. As no act of the
new Administration has lent even a shadow of
probability to such belief, the people begin to
ask: "Why all these costly preparations" The
Atlanta fGeorgia) correspondent of the Nashville
Democrat writes: HThe seizure of folts and ar
senals is simply ridiculous, as no war has been
waged against the South by the general govern
ment"
The most convicting proof, however, of the
real state of feeling at the South is the utter
willingness of the seceders to submit their deeds
to the approval or disapproval of the electors
In not one of the seeded states are the people
likely hereafter to be consulted as to the adop-
tion of the Montgomery Constitution. The Lou
isiana, Alabama, and Georgia state conventions
have already refused to submit to the popular
vote, and thus usurp powers which the people of
those states did not even contemplate to confer
upon them. Conventions were chosen in all the
LODI sfufo p1v To do ho linz
tions Of immediate or cooperative secession
That decided. the work of the delegates was
done, and they had no further authority before
appealing once more to the people-thc ''foun.
tain of political power" Yet not one of these
conventions has dared to venture on this, with
the exception of Texas, and there the friends OF
the Union were kept BY violence from the polls.
The conventions have either continued in session,
as in Alabama and Louisians, or they have ad-
journed subject to call by their Presidents Ac.
cordingly, the Mississippi Convention is called
by its President to ire assemble" on the 25th
instant to pass the Montgomery Constitution
The South Carolina Convention to re-assemble'
on the 26th for the same purpose. Nowhere dare
the traitors 60 back to the people.
Outside of the cotton states all the signs are
of LOYALTY to the Union. In North Carolina, Gov.
ernor Ellis has decided not to call together the
continued agitation of the secedcrs has failed
signally to get the people even to choose dele
gates for state convention, and the handful Of
traitors have at last had to content themselves
with an informal mass meeting at the state CAPT
tai Eastern Tennessee, us our correspondent i'll
yesterdays Evening Post reports, has given an
overwhelming majority for the Union of forty
thousand votes; thirty three thousand were re-
corded against convention, and the Union ma
jority in the whole state was Ga, O54 In the Mis-
souri, Convention on Monday, two amendments,
just limiting at disloyalty to the Union were
promptly laid on the table; and in the approach.
ing city election in st. Louis the party opposed
to the Republicans committed itself unequivo-
cally to the Union. Lastly, in the Arkansas Con-
ven;ion, the secession ordinance has been voted
down after protracted and desperate struggle
Of the secessionists and the loyal citizens of the
state proclaim their joy by the firing of guns
Nor is this all. In Alabama the people have
so strongly resisted the collection of special
tax levied to raise money wherewith to arm the
state, that the Legislature, just adjourned,
thought it prudent to authorize an issue Of two
millions of state bonds, from which the military
expenses are to be paid. And there is abundant
reason for the belief that the people of Texas
have been overridden, in their vote, by brawl-
ing minority of seceders, encouraged by the
shameful treason Of General Twiggs The Ger
man and free-labor element, which is loyal to
the Union is now sufficiently strong in that state
TO make itself felt, and will doubtless array
itself on the side of General Houston, and to
some extent control the future of the old warrior
who has had too many opportunities, i'll his long
frontier life, Of Tearing the benefits received BY
frontier state from the power and resources of
a rich ano firmly established government, to
throw himself or Texas lightly into the hands of
set of fillibusters.
With Houston gathering together the true men
Of Texas; with Virginia's probable rebuke, at her
next Congressional election OF those sons who
have proved themselves recrcant to the Union;
with the general government wisely, impartially
and faithfully administered, as it will be in Mr..
Lincoln's hands; with the ability of the North to
await in mastery inactivity the issue of events,
while the South must do something or die; with
all the indications we have recited, that when
the people of the southern states have an oppor.
tunity to make their sentiments known, they will
be ranged in unmstakable Najorlties on the side
OF the Union and against treason, it is su-ely an
extraordinary proceeding in the Senatos from
Delaware to propose that the federal government
shall deliberately prove faithless to its highest
trust, and abandon those to whom it owes pro-
lection against internal as well as external foes
1t would seem as if the seceders knew that time
was against them, and had determined to carry
precipitation" into the action of the federal
government, as they have carried it into the
Cotton States-[N. Y. Eve. Post
A SECESSION IrEM-Mr. Mark Miller, the edi.
Tor and proprietor of the Northwestern Farmer
in this city, informs US that within the past
month he has received not less forty subscribers
from the State Of Georgia; the first in fact he