The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-12-13
1854 Ais l4,s62 Alp

3 The NORTHERN PEACE MovEMENr-It is sta
ted in Yankee papers that ex-senator Bigler Of
Pa. has written a letter proposing plan of
peace. We have not seen it, nor any hint as to
the terms he suggests, but as We suppose be was
in earnest, and meant to submit something
practical, we are forced to conclude that he adj
,vises the North to abandon the war, and let the
South alone. Nothing less than this would be
praxical, or have the appearance of being in
earnest. With his appreciation of the merits of
the controversy, and his knowledge of Southern
character, he can have no doubt that so long as
the North continues to make war the South will
continue to make resistance, and there can, con.
sequently, be 40 peace MI Fse
The first step toward paci6cation can come
only from the North, and it must be suspen =
sion of hostilties; and the paci6cation can then
be completed only by making the suspension
permanent. This is inevitable from the charac
ter of the war ITSELF they invade, we resist they
assail, we defend; they seek to subjugate, We to
maintain our liberty. They must cease to invade,
to assail, and to attempt to sebjugate tor We can
not cease to resist and defend without ruin. All
this must be plain to Mr. Bigler; and when he
talks about peace, be will talk idly and insin-
cerely unless he calls on the North to stop ma
king war on the South. This is all we ask, or
have ever asked. In the long controversy that
preceded and brought on the war. the cry of the
South was always "Let US alone. "
Aggression was, from the beginning, the poll.
cy of the Abolitionists. They sought BY every
of popular commotion; by stealing oursslaves or
tampering with their fidelity; and through every
means by which they might render the posses
sion Of such property insecure and dangerous, to
destroy the value of the institution; and to COM
pei US, against our wishes, our rights, and cur
interests, to give it up. We protested and de.
prec,ted, and implored. If we attempted legis-
aton, it was only to repair some wrong Of theirs,
or guard against some impending danger. We
acted always on the defensive, and with pa.
thence and forbesrance that was but little short
of pusillanimity, But nothing could make them
pause After years of outrage and endurance,
finally deepairiDg Of any reformation, we resell
we'd that, as we could not enjoy our rightsin the
Union, we would separate; and this we proposed
to do peaceaby, with noaintention of taking or
claiming anything that did not belong to US
wiling, indeed, to relinquish much that did be-
long to us, and to have an equitable reckoning
with our life PAL tners upon all questions of pro-
perry that were inevitable from the act of sep
aration.
In this painful but unavoidable step, we again
besoupht them to let US alone, to let US 60 In
ne6Ce, Duh tuey WUuiu uVv' AuSi inioSudsiOL
and rage broke forth with redoubled fury, and
thew precipitated war upon US. 1t is sheer non
sense-too contemplate even for q bubble
to talk about our having begun the war, because
Ne fred the first gun The fact is, they have
been pressing US back for thirty years. Wher
re reached the wall, and could 60 no further, We
struck. II was blow of self-deiense. Every
blow that has been stricken since has beer
prompted by the same impulse. We fight be-
cause we are unwilling to be overrun, plundered
and enslaved. We will continue so to hight al
long as we can lift an arm The simple ques
ton. then. for Mr.. Biglef and the Northern PEG
pie to consider is, whether they will cease t.
make war upon u.s. When they have determined
on this, the formal stipulation of peace can b
easily arranged. Until they have so resolved
they will get no hearing from US for anything
they have to propose. Of this they may fee
assured.-Richmond Wing.