The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-09-08
The old Issues and Nothing Else.


Our venerable contemporary still dit
cusses and expounds at learned length the
causes of the war. In yesterdays is
sue be labors through column and half
to convince bis readers that the true cause
of the war was the unlawful interference
with slavery.
Our readers will remember that the late
Senator Douglas, who was in his day some
what better authority than our cotempor-
airy, declared in public speech that such
a pretence to justly the war was utterly
false and unfounded, and tina, at no time
since the days of Washington had the
shareholders less cause Of complaint than
at the very time when they plunged the
country with civil war.
Our contemporary Insists that the North
ought never 10 have opposed the intro
duction Of slavery into the Northern terri
tories of the United States, for the reason
that slavery from the very nature Of the
case would not be introduced into those
regions.
Washington, Jefferson and the men Of
their day. whose misfortune it was not to
enjoy the benefit of the lucid lucruba-
tions OF our eotemporary, thought other
wise and prohibited the introduction of
slavery into the then northwest. And
their descendants in later days adopting
their views and principles, followed their
example and excluded slavery from
Iowa, Oregon, Kansas and Nebraska. All
this had been done from time to time
without causing war, and the names of
nearly all the great Statesmen of the
country are to be found at some period
recorded In favor Of measures excluding
slavery from territories Of the Union.
So far MS the Republican party is con-
cerned, IT simply held to the faith of the
fathers and fearlessly followed in their
footsteps. But our contemporary charges
them with the crime Of precipita,ing civil
war by so doing, and holding them, and
not slavery nor slaveholding traitors, to b
the authors of the war, he insists upoI
their utter destruction. And if his theory
is the true theory, if Lincoln and the Re.
publican party are the guilty authors Of
the war. and not JEFF. Davis and his myr.
nidous, as is ignorantly supposed by tn.
common mass of the country, then Of cours,
he and all sympathizers. even to tn,
British, may plead that in excuse of thei
efforts TO resist the policy OF the -GeFeHa
ment for the overthrow of the rebellion
Our contemporary does not hold out yer,
nattenng prospect to the country, for liz
insists that the war caaaet terminate ill
The Republican party is destroyed, roo
and branch, but that under the most fav
orapie circumstances cannot happen il
less than two years and half, aecordin,
TO the provisions of the Constitution O
the United States. But seeing that &C
cording to the creed Of our cotemporar
it is Lincoln and Republicanism that ar
at war with the Union and Constitutio
and prevent the restoration of the pcac
OF the country, We must expect him
continue bis efforts to destroy them. eve
while they are waging war for life o
death against the enemies and tro;to-. 4.
human liberty and Republican govern
mens- Every lick cur contemporary strike
10 against Lincoln and the Republicans
for in hise view their destruction il essen
tial to the restoration Of peace, and sucl
BY singular coincidence seems to b.