The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-04-05


ed before our troops, yet We were so much more
| generally well behaved that the people express.
| ed the greatest surprise at the order which was
manifested by our soldiers 2ae
| But this march was very unexpectedly cut
short, and will not probably be resumed at pres
ent, as understand that Strasburg is now the
headquarters Of Gen. Banks.
I - --- N------- ="
The Resuscitation OF the Democratic
Parry.
| There is conviction in the public mind that
the war is drawing toward close--that the
events of few weeks, lying Immediately before
| us, will deprive the rebellion of its life, and
bring us to point where no question can be
made OF the final restoration Of national unity.
Under this conviction, certain ambitious men,
formerly connected with the Democratic party,
are sweeping and garnishing the old concern for
the reception of the renegades who polluted it,
and went off to try housekeeping on their own
account There is really an attempt in pro-
gress to resnscitate the Democratic party-a
sort OF indecent haste, while battles are pending
and only one question is really before the people,
to pull on gloves and be ready to take the
hand OF treason the moment the sword and
mnsket are knocked from its grasp. The basis
for a reunion Of the old fragments Of the party,
still lying around loose at the North, appears to
be opposition to the emancipation message of
the President and the endorsal of it by Congress.
liz this, they have the sympathy and the charsc.
teristic cooperation of the Border State men,
who seem to have abated none of the arrogance
of those times when slavery was not convicted
OF high treason, and its friends were not hunted
from fort to fort and field to field like fellons.
Gentlemen, do not be in hurry. There will
be time enough for these little operations after
the last Union soldier is decently buried There
are battles to be fought yet. There are thou
sands OF lives to be expended. There are great
conflicts yet to take place by land and sea-
which the blood Of noble men is to be poured
out like water There is to be wsi|ing in my.
Rad homes, over fathers and brothers and low
ers slain. The dirges are to be played yet, and
the bells to be toiied Do not be in hurry.
1t is possible that, if you wait until you see
how much this beautiful institution Of slavery,
which you propose to patronize, costs the nation,
how much treasure it swallows, and how
many lives il sacrifices of men whose worst
crime lie love of country, you will change your
mind 1t is possible that emancipation will not
seem so black scheme year hence as it does
now, even to yourselves, and it is very probable
that the people will regard it very differently
from those who have axes to grind.
There is a certain class of men, all over the
North-wc have them even in Massachusetts,
who have been educated in the belief that there
ls degree Of sacredness about the institution
OF slavery which really pertains to no other in
stitution. Even to-day, while the whole mill
tary and naval power of the country is reused
to the effort Of loosing the grasp of the slave
pewer upon its throat, there are men not wholly
idiots or consciously traitors, who think anG
speak tenderly of 1.-THE rights of slavery" They
would not object to taking the horse OF a slave.
holding rebel, or barn full of hay, or a
thousand barrels of flour-nay, they would
IN tol tbo
and shutting him up in Fort Warren; but when
we come to lay hands upon his 'nigger-when
we talk OF emancipating the poor fellow who
has been held all his life in unrequited bondage
their hands are thrown up in holy horror
1t seems to them that slavery has great many
more rights under the Constitution than any
other institution. There would seem to be ab-
solute Insanity on this point. Good God! The
institution of slavery to be treated tendery by
Northern men, on account Of the sacredness of
its rights under Constitution whose obliga-
tons it has shaken off Slavery to be patron |
lied, and emancipation in any form to be op-
posed by a Northern party that proposes to
draw its support from people decimatcd and
taxed to keep slavery from destroying the Re-
public
Well gentlemen try it. The Administration
has taken its ground on this point and the Re-
publican party stands with it. If slavery wants
anything, even as favorable to itself as the
emancipation message Of the President, it has
got to wind up this war in very short space
of time 1t has forfeited everything, and must |
forever remain, if it remain at all, simply toll
Grated institution; and If men at the North wish
to undertake the organization of q party based |
upon the old, unrestricted slave power. let them
try it. We assure them Of one thing, IS the re-
suit OF this war, viz: that the republican prin-
ciple of the restriction of the power and terri
tory of slavery will be vindicated and estab-
lished.
The American people, no matter what their |
political antecedents may have been, will never |
consent to see slavery extended over another |
foot of territory, will never consent to FREEDOM
nance of the slave power in the national coun
ellis, will never consent to see slavery more than
an unwillingly tolerated institution Respect
for the Constitution, as it was framed BY the
fathers, is alone that which will give slavery
peaceful foothold in the States where it exists
The policy of this nation, dating from the mo-
ment Of the issue of President Lincoln's message,
is to be for freedom, and not for slavery The
Government forever changes front on this ques-
ton. 1t says that the abolition Of slavery is
something to be desired. 1t opens facilities and
points out means for its abolition by emancipa-
ton. Here stands the Administration and here
the party that placed it in power
Now if the democrats in Congress and around
Washington wish to confront this attitude of
the Government, let them try it. Let them start
their old machine, and advertise that it is to
operate against the emancipation of the slaves
in the mode suggested by the President; and the
country will grind them to powder. The coun-
try has learned something if they have not, and
will in time teach them what they do not know
While we think it would be well for them to
wait little, we do not make the request on ac-
coun. Of the Government, the republican party
or ourselves. The experiment may as well be
tried first as last, and the rebels at the South
and their sympathizers at the North whipped
out at the same time. We simply warn them
that the reign of the slave power in this country
is ended, and that any party which undertakes
to stand upon the old ground of the democratic
party, will be doomed from the start.-[Spring-