The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-10-04
BURLINGTON WEEKLY HAWK.EYE.

BURLINGTON WE
farms, burn your houses, and steal your stock
and yet Congress cannot impose the penalty Of
eoufscation Of their goods asy the punishment
Of their crimes. From tho time Of the He
brews to the present, confscation has been
made the penalty of crime. In the It'll Chap
ter Of the book of Ezra, (part of q venerable
volume which commend to the perusal Of my
friend and competitor he will find it declared
that he who shall refuse to obey the laws shall
suffer sthe con6scation of his goods" Every
civilized nation makes it the penalty for crimes
Can he can you, tell me why these enemies Of
our Government, these killers Of honest and
loyal men, should not suffer the penalty?
have asked him for an argument to show it
during tho whole Of the eleven appointments
we have thus far filed, and have received no
reply. l demand it again, and ask you to
watch and wait, and see if ,yon get reply
when he follows me. ask in oil earnestness
why these men who have brought upon US
this civil and unholy war should not be mad
to pay part of its expenses. Our army in
nearly every seeded etate is now sur.
rounded by such property. am in favor Of
making the traitors pay portion Of the bur-
dens OF the war, and BY confscation Of their
property for that purpose; and if enter Con-
gress and find this law defective, and can
make it stronger, please God will make it
stronger if Iknow howl loud cheers. =
LIBERATION OF SLAVES AS A WAR MEASURES
Now desire to talk to you as practical sensi-
bic men, about this subject Of slave liberation as
a war measure II is CONDEMNED BY my compel.
itor and by the Mahony organization which he
represents. He refuses to distinguish between
the liberation of slaves as means OF striking
fatal blow at the rebellion, dssipating their ar
mics in the field, and saving lives of loyal men !;
and on ths'other band, prosecuting the war for
the purpose Of liberating the slaves. Nobody in
the United States, within my knowledge, asks
that the war be carried on for that purpose
But an immense number, without distinction of
party, are urging that the war be ended by one
mighty blow which shall, in their opinion, do
more to suppress the rebellion than our army it.
self has yet accomplished; and shall compel the
shareholders who constitute the life and soul of
the rebellion to return to their plantations and
look after the interests of agriculture and peace,
instead of war. That such a power exists in time
OF war is no new doctrine. Jno Quincy Adams,
cotemporsneous with the Constitution itself,
and instructed by the trainers of the Constitu
ton, repeatedly asserted it on the floor of Con-
gress. In 1885, ls4l, and ls42, he asserted it
y
gnsge on the 2tth Of Nay, 1886:
"From the instant that your slaveholding
States become the theatre of war, civil, servile,
or foreign, from that instant the var poseers Of
Congress extend to interference with the institu-
ton Of slavery in every way in which it can be
interfered with, from . claim of indemnity for
slaves taken or destroyed, to the cession of the
State burdened with slavery to foreign power"
In April, ls42, be re.afirmed the doctrine in
q speech in which he said
ut is . war power. l say it is q war power !;
and when your country lie actually in oar, whesh
er it be war of invasion, or a uar of insurrec
ton Congress has po'eer TO carry on the rar, and
must carry it on according to the laws Of war ;
and by the laws of war, an invaded country has
all its laws and municipal institutions swept by
the board, and martial law takes the places Of
them" SIN .s4.s.,,
These assertions and arguments Of that veter
an statesman, made in time of peace, have never
been successfully contradicted. There 10 no
limitation in the constitution upon the mode in
which Congress shall carry on war. The only
limitation is found in the ussges of war as prac-.
ticed by civilized nations. The constitution
gives the war making power to Congress. Our
articles of war governing the army are passed
by Congress. All the war power is in Congress,
and the generals themselves are subject to the
restraints that may be imposed by Congress-
Except SO lar as restrained by Congress, there
fore, the President, as the commander.!n chief of
the army and navy, has power to do any act Of
war allowed, by the code of civilized nations,
including the liberation of slaves as re-
ward for assistance in war, or for 6esertion
from our enemies, or to weaken the power Of
enemies. Washington and Jackson acted upon
this principle in special cases. Slavery was
abolished in Columbia by both General Murillo,
and BY General Bolivar, under the war power;
and the enfrarchisement has continued to this
day. 1t is plain that it is enc means Of prose-
cutting successful war; 1t will take away the
productive labor by which the rebel armies are
supported. It will take away the element of
safety which keeps the planter in the army,
while his fields are titled as well and as securely
as if he was at home. 1t will compel the soldier
to return to his fields, instead of waging an I'M
holy war for our destruction. eepest, it is no
party question. 1t is d peoples question. The
army is nearly unanimous for it. os
THE CLAIMS OF THE PRESIDENT TO THE SUPPORT
II q of THE PEOPLE. -,s. "a
have now reviewed the position of my com.
petitor, and the platform which he is solemnly
pledged to support. do not think it q plat
form on which really loyal man can stand,
except at the cost OF his conscience. 1t as
sails the President and Congress as guilty of
unconstitutional acts, andcondemns the confs-
cation law which is. perhaps, the most popu-
lar law ever passed by Congress. If it does
not express positive sympathy with the rebel
hon, it fails to express positive sympathy with
the country. It gives no word Of cheer, but
only insult and condemnation, to q President
whose vast burdens and difficulties entitle him
to the sympathy of the civilized world 1t
pledges 20 support to the Administration i'll
carrying on this war. I, cheers and encoura-
ges al rebeldom with the prospect of divi.
ded people in the loyal States, and with the
hope of a party to cooperate with them in
their great purpose of thwartipg, resisting,
and defeating the operations of the United