The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-11-01

Co,versasssnal Inservlevys Win sAe
Leaders Of Secession.
,,.;xs Le}a on the Southern ConP'raey-na,ssT,s
~ foomSs. Hunter and Dav's, :" Dece'"oe'' 1901
=, the November number OF the Atlantic ;
uen,bly a writer gives interesting ske.cnes OF
;a,e,vievs had with the Hons. Robert IoomDs'
pN T. Hunter, and jefferson Davis, IN wash
;, :" CITY, during the months OF Decemoer'
SEQ and January, 1861. DE was tnen STU
liant At Yale, and visited the Natonai Capitai, as
h. observes, to obtain unimPeacnao'e nlorw Ia
-, ..the causes of the present rebellion, the
nou W. h;story of the leaders, and the incidents
peiso oa;atelv precedirg the breaking out OF the
imm ae;racvn These conversations serve to show
eon . <, 1ss the settled purpose of the leading
M s"",hern statesmen to 60 out OF the Union,
oIah allowed to depart peaceably or not,
WIN W.. .hey cooly calculated the chances, and
una. .s W. he consequences, and that the tempo
Ne'sn asosndaucy Of the Republican party was
ls,! 90 much Of import,to them, and served more
~. ~ occasion than q plea, as the underlying
As az general political sentiment in the North,
"s;.h vi,hout respect to politics, would refuse
~hiop' oaa IN the slave power an Interpretation
70 co"' Constitution which would guarantee to
o. ,ns tenure the common law.protection OF
its io. in whatever direction they wished 1t
propea The sentiments and designs of these
eaen w. The directing spirit of the rebellion,
m.n, ssed while vet they retained their seats In
e.. Senste Of the United States, are worthy OF
m oo,n, s,ray They would convince the most
.sa.,;cal that. were the Republican party To-
ON, ont Of mower, the primeval cause OF there
u e1;sts and will prevent any voluntary re-
vem Of the seeded States. In short, that II
sver thew can be brought back into the Union, II
,,ms, he nv coercive measures and the persuasion
Of STEEL
INTERVIEW WITH Mr.. r0oNBS.
rho 6,st interview sought was with Mr.
r.anhe the most daring and ingenious, and
asrSans the most gifted in eloquence of the
SSon,hern leaders, whose house, at that time,
o.s a LOFTY building upon F Street, only two
Soo,s from the residence of Mr.. Seward, A ne
wv .ervaut who, with all the blackness OF . ma
I've African, yet with thin lips and almost the
.saular features of Caucasian, appeared to
The writer to be possibly the descendant OF the
sunerior, princely African tribes. showed the
xay to an unoccupied parlor. The room was
lnIuriously furnished with evidences OF wealth
and taste: magnificent pians.torte, several
we'll chosen paintings, and marble bust OF some
nubhc character, standing upon high pedestsi
re the SEINE material in the corner, attracting
particular attention, and pleasant fire in the
omen crate, making the December evening social.
A step presently heard in the hall, buoyant and
vigorous was altogether too characteristic OF
Mr.. Toombs's portly, muscular, confident, and
somewhat dashing, to be mistaken for any other
than bis own. Mr.. Toombs appeared now to be
about forty.fve years of age, but carried in bic
.bole mien the elastic vigor, and irresistible
,eW reliance, frankness, decision, and socialty Of
character, which marks his orstory and his pub
lie career. His good evening and inquiry con-
corning the college named on the card of the
writer we're in q tone that at once placed the
visitor at ease.
"Your first visit to Washington is it Mr.
Eyes, Sir Like others, have been attracted
by the political crisis and the purpose of study
ing it from unprecedented sources"
"C,i.i.! Oh, that's pas' s@F
The writer will not soon forget the tone o.
perfect confidence and Bonchalance with which
this was uttered. The time was the last week o
December, 1860
You are confident, then, Sir, that fifteen
States will g, e,de?"
"secede? Certainly,-they must secede.-
You Northerners, you are from Northern
college, believe" -refering to the writer's care
won Northerners wish to make new Con-
stituton, or rather to give such an Interpretation
to the old one az to make it virtually new doc
ument How can society be kept together, i
men will not keep their compacts? Our father
provided, in adopting their Constitution, for the
protection of their property. But here are fou
billions Of property of the South which you pro
pose to outlaw from the common Territories
You say to US, by your elected President, by you
House Of Representatives, by your Senate, b.
yoI. Supreme Court, in short, by every mean
through which one party speak to another, tba
these four billions of property, representing tn
toll of the head and hand of the South for tn
last two hundred years, shall not be respected
the Territories as your property is respecte
there. And this property. too, is propert
which YOU tax and which you allow to be repre-
septed: but vet you will not protect it Ho
can We remain? We should be happy to remain
ifyou would treat US as equals; but you tax u
and will not protect u.s. We will resist. D.
it,n-this and other striking expressions are pr
cisely Mr.. Toombs language,-"we will meet 70
on the border with the bayonet. Society ca
not be kept together, unless men will keep the
compacts."
This was said without the information of fierc
ness or malignity, but with great decision and Il
vigor Of high spirit. A VI.
1t was taking, of course, with considerable en-
phssis, q side in q famous constitutional ques
ton, familiar to all readers OF American Con
gressionsl Debates, once supported BY Mr. Cal
6oun, aud rather strangely, too, with that phil
sophicsl leader, confusing the absurdly asserte
State right of seeding at will, with the undoub
ed right, when there exists nc peaceful remed
Of seeding from intolerable oppression: an en-
tire position which Nj. Webster, especially, an
subsequent statesmen, in arguments elucidatin
the nature and powers of the General Govern
ment, to say nothing Of the respect due to
moral sentiment concerning slavery, which, pc
meating more than majority of the people, hi
the force, when properly expressed, wherev'
the Constitution has Jurisdiction, of supreme lay
are thought by most men, once and forever,
have satisfactorily answered. 1t was con
plant, certainly, which the South had had ev
since the Constitution was formed, and whie
could with no plausibIity be brought forward
ajustifcaton Of war, while there existed 20
sttutionsl tribunal for adjusting difficulties
constitutional Interpretation. Yet, as it W
almost universally asserted, OF course, by II
Northern partisan presses, and BY Northern Co
gressmen, that the rebellion was utterly cans
less, and as the writer was, therefore, exceet