Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1861-01-25

. approving ono as good as the other. There
7 fore, it is wise for freedom to retain th
: goodwill Of God by letting slavery depart j
2 peace. Yours, A. FOSTER.
Z -tlaa. ~- SEFor the Journal 9 .+''
! ! MR. MAHIN: - There are some things II
E the present state of our political affairs tLa
should not be forgotten by tine thinking par
, of our community. There are twoquestion
) that every voter should ask himself, and hl
should let the answers have that impression
on his mind thst is demanded by their i'm
, portance to himself. to posterity, to liberty,
: to the rights Of man and to freedom the
world over. Who are they that clamor for
an amendment to the Constitution of the
| United States? and, for what purpose is the
amendment to be made? We all kno y that
at this time, there is q great effort being
| made to induce, yea to compel, the citizens
of the free States to amend orr Constitution.
That Constitution, handed down to US by our
] venerable fathers, Sin order to form a more
perfect union, establish justice, insure domes-
| tic tranquility provide for the common de-
| fence, promote the general welfare, and
secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves
AID our pos.erity," and uuder which we
have lived for more than seventy years land
under its benign influence have increased
from three millions to thirty-one millions of
people and our improvement in arts, in sci
ence, in inte lligence, in wealth, in every
thing that makes nation great, powerful
and happy; respected q. home and among
all nations of the world, that Constitution
must be altered Or we must have civil war.
Who make this demand, aud use this threat
to enforce it? Not that party which has
been denominated sectional - the Eepubli-
can but By the party which has always
boasted that they were the National party.
The Democratic party and their allies, the
"Be.l and Everett" men, now demand that
the national Constitution shall be altered.
And Why altered? What change must we
make 1t must be made to nationalize a
local institution, for the benefit ofa sectional
party. Ii tmust hereafter recognise property
in man. Man being a chattie only where
a local law makes him SO, our Constitution
Of freedom must be Iwered to suit slavery.
And this is askea-no, demanded, in this
age of the world. The factthat
this demand is now made, is proof that the
declarations of the Democrats, that slavery
was carried into the Territories of the United
States by the Constitution, is not true; and
hey acknowledge their falso and untenable
position by thus seeking amendments to tho
Constitution. There are but about three
lundred Thousand slaTe-owners in the United
States, and this change must be made to suit
hem, and at their bidding. 1t you'd be @
step backwards" which we trus. tn Q people
# the United States will not take.
We trust that after this demand by the
Democratic party, We shall hear no more
,rating about the Republican party being
The Republican party wish to
maintain the National Constitution just as
t is; the Democratic party wish to alter. it
or a Sects0nGt purpose.
But We are threatened with a dreadful var
we DO not comply. An! the chances of
UGH war are, from all appearances, in
vitable. By the imbecility of the President
nd the treason Of some Of his Cabinet min
Sters, the revolutonists have already pos
ession of number Of the forts and arsen-
Is Of the United States, and are to- day in
pen rebellion against the government
hey are apparently determined to destroy
his glorions Union that has been tho cause
f countless blessings to ls. They are en-
outraged in their unrighteous demands by
heir allies in the free States, who are ever
eady to bow before them.
But suppose that the North is again bull
led into submission, and change the Constitu-
ion to suit the Shareholders, have we any
that they will not demand another
hange in a few years? They will have the
ame right again that they have now, and
IAN use the same means OF coercion. We
nave no guarantee when and where these
demands will stop.
But these demands are already producing
an effect different from that which was in-
tended. We see many prominent Democrats
who prefer their country to their party. 1t
is Union or disunion. The Constitution and
the enforcement of the laws or war, is
becoming the cry of all. If th, South SEQ
proper to plunge this nation into q war
because we viii not alter the Constitution to
suit slavery, be it SO; and on them will rest
the responsibility, The North does not wish
for war, but it will not submit to degrada-
tion to avoid it. Look at the vote in Con
gress the other day, on the resolution of
Adrian, of n. J. Look at the meetings
lately in New York and Philadelphia.
Notice the firing Of cannon in honor of Maj.
Anderson--the messages of the Governors
of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana,
&C., and the responses of the Legislatures.
Do these things look as if the North was to
be compelled to amend tho Constitution for
fear of war? Let those who force US into
war, beware! If, in Muscatine, we have
any citizens who justify the South in their
| revolution, let them be remembered.
Let us all adopt the language of the hero
of New Orleans - "The Union it must be
preserved W.
| -->o>
BRowNLow ON SECESSION PREACHERS. -
Parson Brownlow, Of the Knoxville, Glenn J
Wig, is very severe on certain Secession
clergymen OF the South. He says.
We notice in our exchanges that Dr. Pal
i. mer, of New Orleans, and Dr. ThorDwel OF