The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1861-02-23


Tho most perfect gSsem Of sccountabilityn Il
Meant spsthod 81 transacting business that
,roaisss rewards 70 negligence, and affords the
most valuable facilities and incentives 70 fraud.
hen. indeed, may the late Secretary have reason
70 speak with confident self.praises of his ssys-
an Of administration and Slime Of policy" 4
Whether or not his assertion that there has
been no s'embexxlemenlr or "theftn in bis de.
partuaent, ID true, will soon be- decided in the
courts. The recklessness Of his official conduct his
and the ignorance Of the details Of
bio a8airs, have been already shown, ard will
Dtand ont IN still greater dissinctness On sxami-
nation Of contradicsions and ohscurities Of his
testimony. Yourcommittee will therefore leave
Judgment to b pronounced BY the House, and
By the country. 80. u IS 3
The 0srnan Werkingnsn ~ Cincinnati
ana 0r. IlneolA. 80
ffrou he UineinnaH Coumercial 18Th.
Eighteen German Industrial Associations,
several thousand men,, marched to.
the Burnet House at 8 o'clock. with flags flying,
music playing and torches burning. They pack
ed the street in front Of the hotel - close a.
man could stand 70 man. The arrangement was
that they should deliver NJ. Lincoln an address.
an arrangement that seemed likely never to be
effected, for the halls and corridors OF the hotel
=
Thought to be impossible TO get the President
elect on the balcony. Mayor Bishop tried to beg
the crowd to excuse Nr. Lincoln, but without
avail. He was their President and they were
bound TO have him. One big Dutchman, With .
flaming tar stick and stentorian voice, kept
crying ont ".yop shust brings him out, cumes
out, you honest Old Abe" 5,.s ~.
Finally passage way was cleared, and the
following address delivered by Fred. Oberkline,
ESQ and responded to by Mr. Lincoln:
To abraham Lneoln, Prssident elect of he United
States 50.
Sla-we, the German free working men Of
Cincinnati, avail ourselves of this opportunity
to assure you, our chosen Chief Magistrate, Of
our sincere and heartfelt regard. You earned
our votes as the champion of free labor and
free homesteads. Our vanquished opponents
have, in recent times, made free use of the
terms " workingmen and " workingmen's meet
ings," in order to create an impression as it
mass of workingmen were in favor of compro
misses between the interests Of free labor and
slave labor, by which the victory just won would
be turned into defeat. This is despicable de-
vice of dishonest men. We spurn. such compro-
mises We firmly trust in the principles which d.
rected our votes in your favsr. We trust that
you, the self-reliant because the self-made, man,
will uphold the Constitution and the laws against
secret treachery and avowed treason. If to this
end you should be in need of men, the German.
free workingmen, with others, will rise as one
man at your call, ready to risk their lives in the
effort to maintain the victory already won by
freedom over slavery.
Mp. LtNcOLx's REPLY.
Mr. Chairman thank you and those whom
you represent, for the compliment you have paid
me, by rendering me this address In SO far as
there is an alusion to our present national din.
culties, which expresses, as you have said, the
views Of the gentlemen present, l shall have to
bag pardon for not entering fully upon the Quss
lions which the address you have now read sug
gests. n. t
I deem il my duty-a duty which owe to my
constituents-to you, gentlemen, that should
the present national difficulties, before express
myself decidedly what course shall pursue
hope, then, not to be false to anything that you
have to expect of me.
/ agree with you, Mr.. Chairman, that the work
ing men are the basis Of all governments, for the
plain reason that they are the most numerous
and as you added that those we're the sentiment!
of the gentlemen present, representing not only
the working class, but citizens of other calling
than those of the mechanic, am happy to con
cur with you in these sentiments, not only o
the native born citizens, but also of the German
aud foreigners from other countries. ~
Mr.. Chairman: hold that while man exists
it is his duty to improve not only his own con
dition, but to assist in ameliorating mankind; ant
| therefore, without entering upon the details o
the question, will simply say, that am TO
those means which will give the greatest good Il
| the greatest number.
In regard to the Homestead Law, have t.
Al r. - L
disposed of, l am in favor of cutting up the wilt
lands into parcels, so that every poor man MAJ
have a home.
i In regard to the Germans and foreigners, es
TEEN them no better than other people, nor any
worse. Cries Of "good."I It's not my nature
when see people borne down by the weigh
of their shackles-the oppression oftyranny-tt
make their life more bitter by heaping upor
them greater burdens but rather would Dc
all in my power to raise the yoke, than to ado
anything that would tend to crush them
Inasmuch IS our country is extensive and new
and the countries Of Europe are densely popu
lated, if there are any abroad who desire to make
this the land of their adoption, it is not in my
heart to throw aught in their way to prevent
them from coming to the United States
Mr.. Chairman and gentlemen, will bid you
an affectionate farewell
''Tal WRoNos OF THE SOUTH Surely, fal.
lacy more grousdless has never had popular
run. To examine it is to explode it,
Does the Constitution wrong the South The
only unequal advantages conferred by that in.
strument are two. 1t bestows on the South the
privilege of capturing escaped slaves within the
limits of the States which have prohibited sla-
very thus, to that extent curtailing the local
sovereignty of the free States and suspending
the operation of the worlds common law. Again
it bestows the slavehclding States with an extra
representation in Congress, and a superior fran
chise in the election Of all Federal officers, by
adding three-ffths of the slaves to the number
Of the free people OF these States as the basis
of their representation, thus endowing them per-
manently with vastly more political power than
it confers on communities of similar size m
the Free States. These may be wrongs, but are
they wrongs of the South?
Has Congress wronged the South ? 1t has
bought Louisiana and Florida, fought Seminoles
and Mexicans, receded from the jefferson policy
of Slave-restrction, enacted Fugitive Slave bills
and enforced them, connived at the slave-trade
packed the Supreme bench, and winked at Dis.
union-sli for slavery. These may be wrongs,
but are they wrongs OF the South?
Has the Judiciary wrouged the South Con-
slider the comparative efficiency in execution of
the Federal laws in the interest of slavery, a.
compared with those in the interest of freedom.
The other day, at Cleveland, in the extent north
ward from any of the Atlantic or Gulf slave
States while they were menaced at home by such
4 force, ready in few days sail to decend upon
heir coast without warning, and without pos
'ibility Of being met at all points BY An adequate
resisting force.
The maritime supremacy of the United States
will be of incalcuable value if We are forced in.
70 war with the rebels. They never can have
. navy, for even if they could procure ships
they could not man them, for seamen cannot like
soldiers, be extemporized They must grow nat
arally from the habits and tendencies OF the
people. Those who command the sea in this
age of steam have the immense advantage that
hey can transport troops with ease and expe-
dition to any point on hostile coast, and can
keep an entire seaboard in terror by the uncer-
tainty which envelopes the movements and the
destination of feet upon the high seas
All the military forces that the rebel States
can bring into the field will be fully occupied in
looking after their own coasts. They will have
none to spare for the invasion ofthe North. The
United States Government, on the other hand,
can, with very moderate naval and military
force at its disposal, carry on as great war as
we are likely to see, even in the worst extremity.