Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1861-04-29

digooeed, nay ~ reach nsighborhoods,
Ssuustse ~ sSSa ~ STATE, and i i u
this spirit thse We address you. We
hoss no Other feeling than thst which
0ay b sappesed - animate every right
oieded mas when he Gees the perils
Which surround the nation, the divisions
sad disssssioss throughout the State,
01sNAue iwWsseo seills 4he wass asd
terrible suGssing which y fast coming
upon - PsopIA For more than . gen.
esatiep, " hsve bees accustomed to
ce@slx1iopta Nth you-to tske - &C.
tive part II I'll publie adsirs-to discass
boldly oad Independently The various
qussfiohs spgingine np year after year,
and dividing the people. IN 81 that
time, Ne heve found just consideration
for everything ve had TO say ct the
hsnds Of Miseourisus. II at times our
council has been disrsgarded and Get
aside, W have the satisfaction Of know
ing that sooner or later it was indorsed
by the people, and now, though We may
differ from some Of those With whom We
may have acted, Ne feel assured that we
shall have hearing in the few remarks
vhich We propose to make on public
affairs.
FeIlow.oitiseps-If there ever wa .
time when feeling, passion, prejudice,
should give way to cool judgment, reas-
on and real patriotism, that time is now.
One false step taken, may precipitste Us
into unending strife, without even the
consolation Of knowing that We were
controlled by pure motives and justi6a-
bic ends. Are We prepared, nov, to
abandon the position which We, 10 CON-
mon with the Border States, have &C.
cupied oil aloog-to abandon the Stars
and stripes of the Union-to separate
ourselves from all the rich and honora-
BILE history o. the United States-and
this without any further effort to recon-
Gle and settle existing differences be.
tween the Northern and Southern sec-
tions Of the Unioni Are the people Of
Missouri prepared for anything Of this
kindP Of what advantage is it to be to
them, il, at the end Of series Of years,
the North should 10y waste and desolste
the South, or that the South should
prove to the world the impossibility Of
the subjugation Of any one Of the States
now in revolt, and compel an acknowl-
edgmeut Of their independence Once
again, in what can Kentucky, or Mis-
souri,, or Tennessee profit, if by passing
IN act Of secession they should become
the battle-6elds of the present belliger
ent parties, albeit they have had no
hand in bringing on this uncbristian,
and unnatural warl These are ques-
t,ons proper for the consideration OF the
people of Missouri, and we invoke their
attention to them. We declare our be-
lief. that the true policy Of this State
consists in the preservation of ad atti-
tude Of Armed Neutrality. We do not
believe that any step ought to be taken
now admits Of secession, or the possible
ity of any ultimate connection with the
North on any terms. We think it is
the duty OF Missouri to remain just
where she is, ready to act % mediator
between the hostile sections whenever
mediation can be interposed with effect,
If other arguments were wanting, the
defenselcss condition of the State-with-
out an organised military force, without
arms, ammunition, artillery. or . solitary
appliance OF war-constitute the best
grounds for neutrality. Good men, Is
we'll Is numberless demagogues, talk
about secession-about Missouri taking
herself out of the Union-as if it were q
mere fiolic as if she wonld not from the
very start be compelled to encounter
hostile armies, to enroll large bodies Of
men herself, to arm and provision them,
and, if strong enough, to "carry the war
into Africa" and all this without dol
lar in the Treasury and q credit which
is, unfortunately, At very low ebb. Can
we borrow money in the East, even sup
posing secession to be justifisble Z No.
Can We get it At home, to any extent
No. Can We hope for it from the South
or the Confederate Statesl No-they
are as poor as We are, aud will require
all the wealth which they have to sus-
tain themselves. How, then, without
money, can we, with fifteen hundred
miles of border to protect, hope to en-
ploy troops to keep off IN insoleut and
vindictive foep 1t is madness to think
of it.
Popinjay politicians talk IS glibly in
and exciting meetings about
secession from the Union, IS If they had
only to will it to be 90, and it would be
dode-never rejecting that the burden
of the war, while it may never reach
them, is to be borne by the taxpayers
aud those who have q substantial inter.
est in the community. Such men too
usurp place, and attempt to
give direction to the public mind, when,
il they we're left to their true position,
they would do no harm. They are the
men who are at work now in this State,
endeavoring to excite the honest masses
to revelation, and . severance of the
connection of Missouri with Kentucky,
North Carolina and the other loyal States
of the Union. They are not the men
who ought 80 lead in such crisis. The
people Of Missouri have wisely commit
ted this question to Convention Of men
OF superior mind, Of tried integrity, Of
LOFTY patriotism, and it will be time
enough for Disunion Ordinance to be
pAssed when their judgement sanctions
it.
We appeal to the sober sense Of the
people. We appeal to them to discount
teuance every attempt at secession. come