Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1862-06-21
9TH Dist, Gilman,
THE TWO POSITIONS.

II will be folly in the highest degree, if
the Government shall fail to extermiuate
the earse of this huge and horrible rebel
lion. The blood of slaughtered thousands
Of the best men of the country cries from
the ground that slavery shall no longer
exist in our land. The destruction of
millions of property on its altar demands
IT, and the future peace ami prosperity Of
the nation require it as a necessity. Never
has the country been in a condition to
meet such an issue and if We fail to do
it, tenfold more disastrous results will
follow, which we and our children must
meet and suffer. The viper mus: not be
scotched, bu. crushed We can do it now
better and easier than at any previous
period in our history, and far more safely
than at any other future time. 1t would
eifectnaliy put on end 10 the war, and pre-
vent its recurrence. Let there be no dal
lance, mo- compromise We have found
where the mischief IS; let us remove it,
Darenport Gazette.
With very few exceptions, the republi-
can papers have openly or by ntimation
endorsed the doctrines and policy above
indicated by the Ga=ctte What they 50
persis,ently denied two years ago they
now frankly avow,- their purpose to in
terfere with and abolish slavery within
the States. Slavery must be abolished, is
the demand OF the party IN power. The
Union as it was, and the Constitution as
it is, is the watchword Of the Democracy.
Disguise it as we may, every other issue
has been narrowed down to this one, dis
tinct, important, vital question. Every bal
lot cast at the coming election will be a d.
rect vote for one or the other Of these pro
positions. Heretofore it has been admit
ted in every quarter that under the Com
stitution there is no power to abolish sla-
very within the States, except within the
States themselves. Slavery being local
institution, all assented, ,ha! its existence
depended on local law Aud yet, Congress,
has been engaged for months on emanci-
patton and conhscation bilis-attempting
to do the very thing which oil have ADM,
ted she has no right to do.
But it is said, We are ia state Of war;
and all this can be done by virtue Of The
war power. Now how does the war power
act upon Congress or clothe il with any
new powers? Congress derives its exis-
tenee and all its powers Of legislation from
the Constitution. 1t canno. 60 outside
OF, or beyond that instrument. The war
power, as we understand il, is the right of
. commander in the field to exercise unu-
suai and enlarged powers, when in his
Judgment the exigencies of the occasion
require it, 1T has no relation to a Legis.
iative assembly any more than it has to a
sabbath school
With some plausibili,y it is argnel that
the property of the rebels-sl slaves includ,
ed should be confscated, and the pro-
ceeds thereof appropriated towards pay
ing the expenses OF the war. How much
would all this benefit the government p
The property Of the South consists chic fly
III real estate and slaves. The former
cannot be confscated, and the latter Should
not be. If you take slaves by confscation
you take them for tie bencM cfMe pub'ic
treasury. The phrase indicates such
disposition Of them. Does Congress ser.
ousy entertain the idea Of converting slave
property into public funds-of making
the National Capita! slave mart and the
Government slave dealcr3 IL not,
and we cannot believe il does, then the
argument Of the couh.catonista, that