Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1862-10-10
EDWARD EVERETT ON "PEACE..

EDWARD EVERETT ON PEACE"
AT a late meeting in fremont Temple, Bos
ton, Mr. Everett, in the course of an eloquent
and soulstirring address, thus gave his ideas
Of the notion of :" peace with the rebels"
What should we gain by abandoning the
struggle as hopeless and acknowledging the
independence Of the Confederacyp In the
first place, where will you draw the boun-
dairy? Shall we, who few years ago, and
under Southern lead, were ready to plunge
into d war with England for corner of Maine
and corner Of Oregon, shall we give up to a
foreign power (for foreign it will then be- the
gates Of the Chesapeake, the fortresscs that
command the Gulf Of Mexico and the mouth
Of the Mississippi, and half the territory Of
the United Statese Is it England, who
threatened war with Spain in ITO for the
worthless group Of Falkland Islands, and in
1890 for the still more remote and at that
time worthless possession of Nootka Sound,
that rebukes the United States for not sur
rendering one half of their territory and the
most important lines of commerce and militia
ry communication, at the frst tap of the reb-
el drum! 1s2'a'0' E'e t'." ''.....@l ~"
But let the question of boundary pass.-
Suppose that, yielding to the burden of the
war, we agree to recognize the Confedcracy,
give up whatever they choose to take; aban
don the Union men Of Western Virginia,
Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee,
in q word, Of the entire South, to the tender
mercies of the Confederate leaders, already
shown in the most ruthless prescription, how
long is peace to last? On what footing will
you standss Recollect they profess to despise
you. They describe you rs unwarlike. NOR
cenary, cold blooded, hypocritical-the de.
generate posterity of the vulgar Puritan stock.
born to be ruled by the high toned warlikc'
chivalrous South. The immediate cause al
the present war is that your President would
not sell them Fort Sumter, which he had no
constitutional right to do. This is their wav
Of discussing international affairs, for they
claim to be a foreign nation. They make a
preposterous demand, with which you could
not If you would comply, and because YOU
decline, they fire on your flag, lombard and
capture your forts, raise an army and march
on your capitol; and you, outnumberine
them in proportion of q, ,OOO, 900 to 1000.
600, after a struggle of sixteen months.
crowned for the most part with the most
brilliant successes, at partial turn Of the
tide OF fortune, are told that YOU ought 70
1850" sAAS SSaAtScS uiAu ouC IUT LpcaCc
All, my fellow citizens, is such a course ro.
ing TO insure you peace at home and abroad
no you think 1t wise or safe to take this new
departure on the voyage of national existence
under these mournful insignia of discontinue
and disaster? Did nation ever secure an
honorable peace by showing that she was un-
able to sustain herself in just war? Are
you going to say to tho South, by actions
that speak louder than words, :" out-numbcr
ing you as we do nearly three to one, surpass-
ing you as we do in the same proportion in
all resources Of material wealth, we vet sue
cumb to you! Take back the Forts which
you ceded to us, I'VE cannot defend them .
wrest from us the new States Of the Gull
which we bought with price, fiye-sixths Of
which was paid by our free population: par
tition our territory; help yourselves to the
public lands and dedicate them to slavery
cut Oft our great lines of railroads; open and
shut the outlet of the mighty rivers which
drain our central basins at your pleasure do
what you will with us, we Feel that we cannot
resist you'll ,-,ri a,., -.... .,E .s.'sE ~
And will they not take us at our word now
ana forever? You see already what they
consider cause for war Enter into an cleo
ton with them, choose a President whom
they don't like, deny their right to trample un-
der foot the Constitution they have adopted
and sworn, to support, and refuse to sell them
your forts, and they 60 to war. This is the
history OF the past, and if they succeed in it,
on all the principles of human nature, it will
be the history of the future. If, re- jecting
the mild arbitrament Of the Constitution and
the laws, almost always administered by
themselves, they have chosen to settle this
dispute by secession and war, how can we ev-
er 1--we at peace when the umpirage of the
Federal Government is withdrawn, and moth
ing but war remains for the settlement Of pub
lie disputes ?" "i7' " Hai'nn"'.-. - ~