The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1861-01-23
WHOLE NO. 223.
Mr., Stewards Speech,

publican Senator and prospective Premier
Of Mr.. Lincoln's administration is devoted
to glowing eulogy on the blessings of
Union, the benefits derived from it by our
selves, and the hopes which all mankind
have in its perpetuation. We clip from the
Milwaukee Free Democrat what it calls the
"pith of the speech" Mr.. S. is a splen-
did writer, and we earnestly commend his
language to those who talk mo concession"
"war to the knife" and all that sort of in
hammatory stuff which evinces desire to
be regarded brave without placing ones
self in the line of danger. The thinking
men of the Republican party, feel, with
Seward and Douglas, that we now have a
Country to save, and that Chicago or Gin.
clnnati Platforms are not of so much use to
the people as are ''forbearance and concili-
atlon." This speech embodies the views of
the President elect, and men alone who are
for cancellation and Union, will be officers
in the new Administration: Radicalism
will note it.
And now Mr.. President, what is the
cause for this sudden and eternal sacrifice
of so much safety, greatness, happiness
and freedom? Have foreign nations CON-
bined, and are they coming in rage upon
us? No. So far from being enemies, there
is not a nation on earth that is not an inter-
ested, admirng friend. Even the London
Times, by no means partial to us, says:
at is quite possible that the problem of
Democratic Republic may be solved by its
overthrow in few days in a spirit of folly,
sclhShness and shortSightedness.
Has the federal government become ty-
rannical or oppressive, or even rigorous or
unSound? Has the Constitution lost its
spirit, and all at once collapsed into a life
less letter? No; the Federal Government
smiles more benignantly, and works to-day
more benificently than ever. The Consti-
tuition is even the chosen model for the Or
ganization of the newly rising confedera-
cies.
The occasion is the election of Presi-
dent of the United States, who is unaccep-
table to portion Of the people state
the case accurately. There was no move
ment of disunion before the ballots which
expressed that choice were cast. Disunion
hogan as soon as the result was announced
The justification it assigned was that Abra-
ham Lincoln had been elected, while the
success of either one of the three other
candidates would have been acquicsced in,
Was the election illegal? No; it is unim-
peachable. Is the candidate personally Of
!enSive? No; he is man of unblcnshed
virtue and amiabe manners. Is an election
of President an unlrcqucnt or extraordina-
ry transaction? ? No; we never had Chief
Magistrate otherwise designated than bv
such an election, and that form of choice is
renewed ev..ry four years. Does any one
propose to change the mode of appointing
the Chief Magistrate? No; election by
universal suffrage as modified by the Con-
Stitution, is the one crowning franchise Of
the American people. To save it they
would defy the world. Is it apprehended
that the new President will usurp despotc
power? No; while he is of all men the
most unambitous, he is, by the partial sue
cess of those who opposed his election,
subjected to such restraints, that he cannot,
without their consent, appoint minister
or even police agent, negotiate treaty, or
procure the passage of a law, and can hard
ly draw mnsket from the'public arsenals
to defend his own person.
What, then is the ground of discontente
1t is that the disunonists did not ACCEPT as
conclusive the arguments which were urged
in behalf Of the successful candidate in the
canvass. This is all. Were their own ar
guments against him more satisfactory to
his supporters? Of course they were not;
they could not be. Does the Constitution,
in letter or spirit, require or imply that the
arguments of one party shall be satisfacto-
ry to the other? No; that is impossible
What is the constitutional remedy for this
inevitable dissatisfaction. Renewed debate
and ultimate rehearing in subsequent
election. Have the now successful majority
perverted power to purposes of oppression?
No; they have never before held power
Alas ! how prone We are to undervalue pri-
vileges and blessings. How gladly, how
proudly would the people Of any nation in
Europe accept on such terms as we enjoy
it, the boon Of electing a Chief Magistrate
every four years by free equal and univer
sal suffrage! How thankfully would they
cast aside all their own systems of govern
ment and accept this Republic Of ours,
with all its short comings and disappoint
ments, maintain it with their arms, and
cherish it in their hearts. Is it not the
very boon for which they supplicate God
without ceasing, and even wage war, with
intermi>sions only resulting from exhaus-
ton? How strange are the times in which
we live! The coming spring season, on
one side of the Atlantic, will open on a
general conflict, waged to obtain through
whatever indrection, just such system
as ours, and on this side of the Atlantic,
within the same parallels Of latitude, it will
open to fiatcrnal war, waged in moment
of frenzed discomfort to overthrow and an
nihilate the same institutions. Do men in
deed live only for themselves, to revenge
their own wrongs or to crafty their ambi-
ton? Rather do not men live least of all
for themselves, and chiefly for postcrity and
for their fellow men? Have the American
people, then become all of sudden unnat-
ural, as well as unpatriotic and will they
disinherit their children of the precious es-
tate held only in trust for them, and deprive
the world of the best hopes it has enjoyed
since the human race began it's slow and
painful yet needful and wisely appointed
progress?
Here l might choose my plea for the
American Union; but it is necessary, if not
to exhaust the argument. at least to exhibit
the whole case. The disunionists, consci-
ouSly unable to stand on their mere disap-
pointments in the recent election, have at
tempted to enlarge their ground. More
than thirty years there have existed con-
Siderable-though not heretofore a formida-
ble-mass of citizens in certain States
A. ~
Mississippi, who believe that the Union is
less conductive to the welfare and gretness
of these States than smaller contederacy,
embracing only slave States, would be-
This class has availed itself of the discon-
tents resulting from the election, to put in
operation the machinery Of dissolution long