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

expectation were, if not absolutely to place sla>
very in the States in process of extinction, at
least never to recognize it except indirectly and
remotely, under municipal law. not even by adj
hitting the word slaye to its phraseology.
"Even in the Northern States themselves, to
say nothing OF the Territories, I am not safe with
my property. can travel through France or
England and be safe; but if I happen to lose my
servant up in Ha;rmount"-Mr. Teombs pro-
nounced the word with somewhat marked &C.
cent of .derision,-''and undertake to recover
him, get jagged. Besides, your Northern
statesmen are far from being honest. Here 10
Billy Seward, for instance, with q gesture to-
ward bis neighbours house,-"who says slavery
is contrary to the Higher law, and that he is
bound as Christian to obey the Higher Law;
but yet takes an oath to uphold the Constitution,
which protects slavery. This inconsistency runs
through most of the Northern platforms. How
can we live with such mens They will not be
true even to compact which they themselves
acknowledge"
"You would think, then, Wendell Phillips,
for instance, more consistent in his political
opinions than Mr.. Seward p"
Certainly. l can understand his position.
Slavery he says, lis wrong. The Constitution
protects slavery; therefore will have nothing
to do with the Constitution, and can not become
a citizen This is logical and consistent.
can respect such position as that"
Here Mr.. Notwithstanding, as perhsps the
writer ought not to relate, competent mass OF
tobacco-saliva into the blazing coal-paused
some what reAectvely, perhaps unpleasantly re-
volving certain possible indirect inhuencies OF
the position he had characterized.
upon which side, sir, do you think there is
usually the most Observation-Disclosures the part
no thp r
part Of the South concerning the North ?"
"Oh, by ali odds" he replied. 1--WE understand
you best. We send fifty thousand travellers,
more or less, North, every summer, to your wa
tering places. Hot down in Mobile"-his style
taking somewhat unplessantly the information AZ
we'll as the negligence of the bar.room-"can't
live in Mobile in the summer. Then your pa
pers circulate more among US than ours among
you Our daughters are educated at Northern
boarding schools, our sons at Northern colleges;
both my colleague and myself were educated at
Northern colleges. For these reasons, by all
odds, We have better opportunity for under
standing you than you have OF u.s."
"In case of general secession and war;, the
writer ventured next to inquire, would there
probably, in your opinion, be danger of q slave
insurrection ?"
"None at all. Certainly far less than of
The writer was surprised to find, notwith-
standing Mr.. Toomb's eulogy of Southern OPP
portunities, his understanding Of the North 90
imperfect; and still more surprised at the polit-
ical and social principles which followed.
"Your poor population can hold ward meet
ings, and can vote. But we know better how to
take care of ours. They are in the fields, ard
under the care of their overseers. There can
be little danger Of an instruction under our
system"
The subject and manner of the man, in spite
| of his better qualities we're becoming painful,
and the writer ventured only one more remark.
Gan ugly time, certainly, if war comes be-
tween North and South" .o
"Ugly time? Oh no 7"
The writer will never forget the tone of utter
csrelessness and nonchalance with which the last
| round toned exclamation was uttered.
] "Oh. no! War is nothing Never more than
Q tenth part OF the adult population Of coun'
try in the field. We have four million voters:
Say tenth of them, or four hundred thousand
men, are in the field on both sides. A tenth OF
them would be killed Oh die of camp diseases
But they would die anyway. War is nothing.
The tone perfectly proved this belief, not ban
dinage.
"Some property would be destroyed, towns
injured, fences overturned, and the devil raised
generally; but then all that would have good
effect. Only yellow. coverered literature men and
editors make a noise about war. Wars are to
history what storms are to the atmosphere-pu
ri6ers. We shall meet, as We ought, whoever
invades our rights, With the bayonet. We are
the gentlemen of this land, and gentlemen al
ways make revolutions in history"
This was said in the tone of an injured be-
naughty man, with perfect intellectual poise ant
earnestness, yet with fervor of feeling tina
, brought the speaker erect in his chair.
The significance of the last remarks, which thu
writer can make oath he has preserved verbatim
being somewhat calculated to draw on debate
. of course wholly untitled to the time and place
the writer, apologizing for having taken so mucl
time at formal interview, and receiving, o
, course, most courteous invitation to renew tn
call, found himself, after but twenty minutes
conversation, on the street, in the lonely DeceEl
Der evening with mind full of reflections.
INTERVIEW WITH Mr.. HUNTER
The formal interview with the Hon. r. n.
Hunter was sought in company with two other
students Of New England colleges We ha'
hoped to meet Mr.. Mason at the same apart
ments, but were disappointed. The great con
trast Of personal character between MIR. Hunte
and Mr.. Toombs made the concurrence Of tn
former in the chief views presented by the latte
the more significant. The careful habits o
!, thought, the Observation-Disclosures, and the pract
. cal common sense for which the Virginia farme
is esteemed, and which had made his name
, prominent one for President of a Central Con
federacy in case Of the separate secession of tn
- Border States, we're curiously manifested bot
> in his apartments and his manner. The cham
Der was apparently at a clearinghouse, hu
: very plainly furnished with red cotton serge Gu,
tame, and common hair.cloth chairs and sofa
. The Senator's manner of speech was slow, cor
; siderate-indeed, sometimes approaching swk
= wardness in its plain, farmer-!ike simplicity
One OF the first questions was the central ont
concerning the chief grievance Of the Sou.t
!, which had been presented to Mr.. Toombs.
:. "Yes,"w was Mr. Hunters reply, somewhat les
. promptly given, ut may be said to come chief
: from that-the non recognition of our propert
= = under the Constitution. We wish our propert
. recognized, as we think tie Constitution pro
ydes. We should like to remain with the North
= He spoke without particle of expressed pas
sion or ardor, though by no means incapable
when aroused as those who have seen his pletl