The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1861-05-18
he women ssk,nx mp ,he Argu,nen,

The Women taking mp she Argument.
The FIRST gun fred by the rebels at Fort Sumter
| closed up the argument, and left nothing TO the
men Of the country but an appeal to arms. The
women, not being allowed to fight, can amuse
themselves with arguing the questions at issue,
and they will do it WELL ,AVirginia vicegerent
OF the Mount Vernon association lately sent a
circular to her ASSOCIATES in the free states ny.
ting peace convention Of women to settle the
national difficulty. The Rhode Island vicegerent
| sent back the following reply, which demolishes
the false assumptions Of the Virginia women, and
states the whole case handsomely:
DEAR MADAM:--I hasten to reply to the COM
munication which Ireceived from you on Satur.
day evening, and ami glad Of the opportunity to
correct some msapprehensions into which you
have fallen as to the object and meaning of the
present great uprising Of the North. The ques.
ton at issue is not that of slavery or no slavery
No one proposes to interfere with slavery in the
states; and with regard to the territories, that il
question of physical geography, and already
decided by its immntable laws. If there is fear
OF negro insurrectiOn i, any Of the states, they
have only to remain firm in their allegiance, and
the whole power of the government is pledged
for their protection. But should they withdraw
themselves from under the broad agis of the con-
stitution, do not see how it can be possible for
the border states to retain their slaves unless
they are more loyal to their masters than those
masters to their country. @ g D
The question which moves the heart of the
North a. the heart Of one man, IL that Of govern.
ihcnt or no government, freedom or anarchy,
loyalty to the flag Of our country rebellion
against it. There is no middle course. "a con
ditional patriot is an unconditional traitor" In
presence OF this great question, all party lines,a
social distinctions are here obliterated. The
Ereckinridge democrat shoulders his musket in
TIE ranks side by side with the Lincoln republic
can, and their wives and daughters sew together
ON the same clothing for the soldiers. and offer
themselves with equal readiness to serve as
nurses in the hospitals the millionaire and the
i.ish laborer drill together in the same company
with equal enthusiasm and devotion to their
common country. There is no bitterness to.
wards the South; no desire to interfere with its
rights 1T is not war of passion, but of princi-
pie; mn unfnching determination to support not
Mr. Lincoln or any other man, but the majesty
OF law, the authority Of government For this
ali are ready to shed the last drop of their blood,
to spend the last penny Of their fortunes. The
hxed, resolcte determination of the North to
which there is no dissenting voice, is to have
country, government, at whatever cost it may
be purchased. IF 1t can be done only by war,
then war it must be, though all men deprecate
its coming.
The time for peace conventions, my dear Mise
johnson, is past. The time for government to
use the voice of authority has come. For my
self, the first Latin ever learned in my girlhood
was, Dtce ct decoruna est pro paria mort ;" that
is the Lesson which must teach to others now
have brother and urnephews serving to-day
as volunteers. They go as patriots. not as repub.
licaus, for but one OF the five voted for Mr. Lin
coin. but they are ready to give their lives. if
need be, to save the most bene6cent government
which the world has ever seen, from falling be-
fore traitor hands,
lhave worked heartily with you, nv dear Mad
am, for the Mt. Vernon cause, and co not be.
iieve that our labor is lost, but cannot join you
in what you now propose, because know that il
would be useless There is not man in Rhode
Island of any shade of party, of any grade of
culture, who would entertain your propositions
We have had one Peace Congress- and where is
its president now. A
With the fullest confidence in the power of
the government to sustain itself even in this
hour of its trial, and with the earnest prayer that
every good man and true may rally to its support,
i am most sincerely yours, -