The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-10-18

6
N OLD LETTER FROM GEN. SCOTT.
what he thought ON March "a. 1881.
NV York, Oct. l4-At the Democratic
meeting last night the following important let |
ter was read by John Van Buren,, not however |
with the consent Of the author.
WASHINGTON, March Sd, 1861.
DEAR slR:-Hoping that in a day or two our
new President, will have happily passed through
al personal dangers and find himself installed an
honered successor of the great Washington,
with you as the chief of his cabinet, beg leave
to repeat in writing what have before said to
you orally. This supplement to my printed
views in October last on the highly disordered
condition Of our so late happy and glorious
Union, to meet the extraordinary exigencies Of
the times. It seems that am guilty Of no AFRO.
gance in limiting the Presidents field of action
20 one Of the four plans of procedure sub
Joined.
lst Throw off the old and assume new des.
ignstion, the Union party, adopt the conciliato.
~ measures proposed by Mr.. Crittenden or the
Peace Convention, and my life upon it, we shall
have no new case Of secession, but on the con-
trary an early return of many, if not all, Of the
States which have already broken off from the
Union. Without somelequally benign measure the
remaining slaveholding States will probably join
the Montgomery Confederacy in less than sixty
days when this city being included in foreign
country would require permanent garrison of
at least 81, 900 troops to protect the Govern
ment within it. !. a
I'd Collect the duties on foreign goods out
side the Ports Of which this Government has
lost the command, or close such Ports by act of
Congress, and blockade them. r.r.s .r..,z
3D.. Conquer the seeded States by invading
armies. No doubt this might be done by a
young and able General in two OF three years.
A Wolfe, Desaix, or q Hoche, with 300, 600
disciplined men, and estimating third for gar
rison, and loss of . greater number by Skin
mishes, sieges, battles, and Southern fevers, the
the destruction of life and property on the other
side would be frightful, however perfect the
moral discipline of the invaders. The conquest
completed at that enormous waste OF hnman lite
to the North and Northwest, with at least $3.50,
100000 added thereto, aud eui bono fifteen de
vastated provinces not be brought into harmo
ny with their conquerors, but to be held fOt
generations by garrisons, at an expense quadru.
pie the net duties or tax which it would be pos
sble to extort from them; followed by Pro
tector or an Emperor.
4th. Say to the seeded States "Wayward sis
tiers depart in peace
In haste, remain, very truly, yours.
WINFIELD ScoTT.
To Hon. Wm.,H Seward.
COMPROMISE Douglas Democracy at
Charleston split the Democratic party, in the
face of the threat of Secession, rather than con.
cede in the party platform the right Of slave.
holding in the territories. 1t is generally ad.
mitted by Democrats that this refusal divided
the Democratic party, inaugurated active meas
ures for rebellion, and defeated the party at the
election. The Northern portion of the Demo
cratic party chose to risk the threatened Seces-
sion, rather than risk the defeat of the party in
the North, by putting such principle in the
party platform.
There has been no time since when such con-
cessions would have prevented or settled the re
bellion. States were precipitated by force, one
after another, into rebellion; and it was pro
claimed that if blank sheet of paper were of
fered the rebels to write down their own fern
Of compromise, they would not make them. TIL
various pretenses of compromise, introduced in
to Congress-, were merely devices to divert tn
Government and the public while Secession wa
going on and gaining its power.
But if any plan Of compromise had been prat
ticable, will Democrats pretend that the Cor
stitution should have been degraded by doc
trines which they thought too base for thin
Of such easy virtue as Democratic Platform
Can the party which then controlled the Gov
ernment and which refused to put concession
to Slavery in the territories into its double face
platform, because it would contaminate tina
slippery instrument, accuse the Republican
party because it refused to defle the Constitu
ton with concession to slavery in the terrific
ries?
The time when compromise would have pre-
vented secession, was when the ultimatum wa
presented to the Northern Democracy in tn
Charleston Convention. There has never beef
time since when any one could say that
would have been effective. The Douglas De
mocracy refused, and preparations for active Sc
cession Immediately began. The secession O
several States was contaminated before the Re
publican Administration came into power
When secession had once begun, it scorned al
terms. We do not charge that there is any
blame upon anybody for refusing to surrender t.
the threat of secession; but if there is any blame
for q refusal to prevent secession by compro
mise, it is clearly upon the heads Of the North
ern Democrats in the Charleston Convention
[Cin. Gazette. ,s.n srr
Now is the time to contribute shirts, draw
ers, ale, jellies and other articles for the West
ern Army hospitals. Sanitary stores shout
at this time literally pour in from our citizen
in city and county, for our sick wounded ant
bleeding soldiers in Kentucky and the South
West. We regret to learn that but little i
now being done by our citizens, to alleviav
the sufferings of the thousands in the hos
pitfalls.
Surely, while our brethren are offering thei
lives on the battle-felds ofour country, "
stsy-st home people should leave nothing I'm
done to relieve their distresses and render then
as comfortable as possible when they are dis
abled
q Let every patriotic man and woman in Hi
nois do something and contribute what the.
can for the sick and wounded soldiers. Patri
otism and humanity alike appeal to US. Nom
need be afraid of doing too much. If an hun.
bred times the quantity Of sanitary stores tina
have already been sent to the hospitals shoul'
be provided, there would not be too MUCH
TChicago .Journal