Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1862-01-24

must not advise a change of policy, if ou
Judgment teaches, or experience has show
such change to be necessary.
l What, then, if anything, have wcJto ad
T wise: Let US see where we stand, and wha
arc our surroundings. More than twelv
months ago this war upon our government
was begun, and it has been prosecuted up t.
this time on the one side with fierce vindi
cativeness, and terrible carnestness. Moth
ing literally nothing, has been allowed t
stand in the way of the advancement of the
cause for which this war has been waged, BY
those who advocate that cause. Officers o
the Army and Navy, to advance that caus'
have deserted their flag. Statesmen, to ad
vance it have betrayed their trusts. Among
all ranks, acts of fraud, words of falsehoo(
and deeds of violence haYe been held goot
and honorable service, ifthercby this cause
might be advanced, and the entire energies o.
its advocates have been directed to that single
end. The sole question they have asked has
been: "What thing can we do which will
most effectually and speedily break the
str.ngth of our adversaries p And when
that question has been answered, they have
as one man done that thing. How have they
been met? Until the 4th day Of March last
past, not only were no steps to arrest their
progress, but many Of those who now are not
Of and with them, insisted that coercion
should not be used to arrest it After that
date, although the new Adminstra ton took
prompt und vigorous steps to meet the crisis,
many people in loyal States still protested
against cOercive measures to suppress rebel
lion, and many others sought, as if expecting
to find, some neutral ground on which to
stand, some middle ground between loyalty
and treason, as if a citizen could be loyal to
his government who did not lend his hand to
defend it when rebels sought to destroy it.
But time passed on until Sumter fell and our
nation awoke from what had appeared to be
the slumber of death. With fiery zeal and
generous emulation, the young men Of all
classes and all parties in the loyal States raj
lied around the government, until to-day we
have under our banner the best army the
world has ever seen, ready and eager to meet in
battle all enemies who seek the destruction Of
the Union. And yet it seems to me that we
do not bring to this conflict the same direct
ness, the same unity of purpose and action
our adversaries do. 1t seems to me we do
not ask ourselves what one thing can We do
that will most etfectually and speedily break
the strength of our enemies and when that
question is answered, do that thing. 1t seems
to me the idea still pervades and controls the
minds Of many of us that our duty requires
of us not only the preservation and protect
ion of the Union, hut the preservation and
protection of slavery; that we have sometimes
feared to strike m earnest blow against re-
bellion, lest that blow should fall on the head
of slavery; that we regard slavery as an es
Sential part of the Union itself, and that the
Union would not be worth preserving, unless
slavery could be preserved with and remain
part of it. .. .fa- 49,
If these things be so, we are yet far from
tEe'path that will lead to success Slavery,
the lea ling cause of this rebellion, is an ele-
ment Of strength or of weakness to the rebels
just as we will it shall be. If we say to the
slaves of rebels, we are your enemies, they
will remain with their masters and be to them
a strength and support If we say to them,
we are your friends come 10 US and you shall
be Free they will seek to come by thousands,
and the armies now standing in battle array
against our soldiees will be needed at home to
restrain them. Take the case of South Caro-
lima. Our soldiers are to-day upon her soil.
more than onc-half of whom are slaves. Ex-
perience, the best of teachers, has shown that
these slaves want freedom, that they look up
on our soldiers as friends, and would, if en-
couraged so to do, flock to our camps by
thousands. As the slaves of rebel masters,
their labor in the field and in the camp furn-
ishes the rebel troops with food aud does for
them much of that severe camp labor which
exhausts the energies of the soldiers and
brings sickness upon them. Thus rebellion
is streng' hened by slavery. Shall we continue
to leave its strength? Shall we do more than
this? Shall we continue to drive back to
their rebel masters these unfortunates, and
compel them to be our enemies, although they
wish to be our friends? Shall we continue to
require of our brave soldiers, who have gone
forth to fight our battles, those exhausting Ia
bors that have brought sickness and death to
to so many of them. when these people stand
ready and willing to relieve them if allowed?
1t may be said that if we proclaim freedom
to slaves of rebel masters, slavery mu st suffer
and may be. extingushed. 1 reply SO be
it. The friends of Slavery have in its sup
posed interest thrust this war with all its
evils upon the country, and upon them and
| upon it be the consequences. 1t may be said
the slaves of loyal masters will escape, and
thus loyal men will suffer loss. This may
| be, probably will be so. But if we shall be
successful in preserving our Government, and
putting down this rebellion, we can and will
make good all losses caused to them blythe
acts of the Government for its preservation.
Besides, it is their misfortune and not our
fault that they live in sections of our country
in which the war is carried on and in which
either majority of the people are rebels, OF
the loyal men in the majority have suffered
themselves to beprostrated and trampled on
by the rebel minority. We regret their con.
dition, we pity their. .misfortunes, we will
make good their losses caused by our acts
for the preservation of the Union, but we
cannot allow the Union to be stricken dowr
because efforts for its preservation may work
them present injury. War necessarily brings
suffering and loss to the people among
whom IT is waged. This war brings suffering
and loss to the loyal people of all our States
and we all must bear as we'll and as patiently
as we may, until the end, when it will be oul
duty to repair so far as we may, the losses
sustained by loyal men because of their devo
ton to their country. ~. -.
1t will not be misunderstood This war il
waged by our government for the preserva
ton of our Union, and not for the extinction
of slavery, unless the preservation of the one
shall require the extinction of tine other. /
the war were so prosecuted that on to NOR
row the preservation of the Union were ef
fected and secured, would not now, wag'
the war another day. ! would not now. spent
further treasure or further life to effect tht
extinction of slavery, although might re
gret that the war of its own procuring hat
left in it enough OF life to leave it to be ou
bane and pest in the, future as it has been ir
the past. But while this is true, it is als
true that if had the power on tomorrow t.
end this terrible strife and nreserye our IInin,