The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1862-04-24

thing OF the past. Give the deceased
decent culogy. and let it sleep in quiet,
neighbor
Old Abe's Signs.
The editors Of the Nercury in their las,
issue, seem to take exceptions to the "Signs
Of Old Abe," as they are pleased to style
our Chief Magistrate. What are the signs
that appear to grind this grand triumvirate
the prime head OF the Mercsry' An be.
cause slavery is to be wiped out Of the Dis.
trict of Columbia This act, says the Ed.
tors, viii consign his (Lincoln's) name to
infamy. Poor man
And again. he is denominated by the
editors, an abolitionist. trickster, dema-
gogue. &c. Anl why I! Because, forsooth,
he failed 70 use the veto power when bill
passed by large majority Of both houses,
for the emancipation Of the slaves in the
District of Columbia, vas presented to him
for his signature or his rejection. Adolf.
tionism appears to be the Msrcury's sharp
Of thousand strings" and for an opinion oil
our own, we wot not but that it will be the
spirits Of just men made perfect" But
again. Is not the authority Of Congress
over the District of Columbia supreme p
Who has or wil deny it? Has not the
senior edito, Of the Mercury for the last ten
years been trying to teach this people thai
it slavery lisa local institution, subject to
local law, depending for existence on the
legislative sanction Of the Legislatures Of
individual Stats? VIII he denyi,! Well,
again: Does not the Congress ofthe United
States legitimately exercise double the pow.
or over the District of Columbia, that the
State Legislature does over the State, subject
thereto Looking at it az we do, we find
Congress acting in local as well as nation.
al capacity, exercising the power Of State
and national legislatures combined And
we ask. does she act as local, law giving
power for the individual States?
1t is singular indeed that Congress and
"Old Abe should so far transcend their
power, as to abolish slavery in the District
government territory subject to no law
but that Of Congress. The Editor had bet.
terlook at his own "wood pile for the niger.
Tsit not fact, that with the Editors Of
the Mercury. every move made by the gov.
eminent towards the suppression of the re.
bellion is mrong, and smells a LITTLE of H.
olitionism What sensitive olfactories they
must have. 1t is a pity that the editors
of the Mercury will not let Mr. Lincoln alone,
so that he can have time to make some ar.
rangement with jeff Davis and lis southern
con-thievocracy, whereby bloodshed may be
averted and the Union amicably divided be-
tween the North and South, so that our
friends, tLe editors) can get nights sleep.
Our friends, (the editors,) have such a
humane, holy adherence for bloodshed. that
falls unon their ears (and they have grea,
ears for musie) ''like the signing Of the mid.
night zephyr" to hear that al is quiet along
the Potomac, and that our southern brother.
IRE Certifying Yorktown, Richmond, and
other places, to prevent such dreadful ca.
lamity. II certainly would he impolitic to
shed blood in order to psrpstuate Repub.
lican Government, and to transmit unim
parel to future generations. the liberty
fought for and won By the Fathers, and the
glorious institutions that have emenated
therefrom. o yes say the editors, "rathe,
than see this country disintegrated, we 9TH.
edirors) would see slavery spread from the
Gulf of Mexico on the south, to thu
British possessions on the north, and from
the extrenc eastern coast to the coast Of Cali
fornia on the west" or to give my own yer
sian Of their language, mot that we love tn,
"Union" less, but that we love slavery more
They have not stated at any time, in thei,
pestiferous little sheet, to the best of ou1
knowledge, land we have read every mum
Der since .he frst) that rather than see tn,
Union dissolved. they could see slavery
blotted from existence. We would mos
assuredly consider this patriotism, the lor
If country, paramount to tho lore for tn
peculiar iastitution," but we doubt tn
former, believing that ''he who is not for u
is against Us.
War, we acknowledge, is powerful neces
sity, and "the last resort Of kings" II car
ries with it the four grand cardinal p,inci
pies Of Law-to wit the declaratory, vim
dictatory, remedial and executory. Thes
are the natural results of government, an
the true foundation Of legislative action
The cdict has gone forth, that dissolution b
armed force is treason. The effort is no,
being made. Sumter has fallen; our nationa
capital has been harasscd fora year by thou
sands Of I'd traitors the national prop
erty has been stolen, and yet we must la
low. No sirs ! Good government must b
|lgindicated--the capacity for self. government
must be established-or rather maintained
MGoyernments are intended to be perpetual
in no case has government made pro
49, for its own overthrow. Such a
e i'd perfectly absurd. II public goo,
h and NAL security and prosperity deman,
4, the 4ipg Of the cause, the three las
70 pr'ncfi npst be applied, and every vest
e, age Of NJ must be eradicated, and tn
is laws mus zkecutcd according to the spir
IN it and tens Mr. constitution.
to II is ours asl citizens, to submit anc
render such y ray be in our power 50