The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-11-28
humiliation of State Rights, and States,

| humiliation of State Rights, and States,
and the legislating of States out OF the
Union, seem to be unmindful of their re-
| Election upon the institution of military
governors. AS far as its operation on the
States is concerned, the military arrange
ment is at least dis much State humiliation,
as the legislative authority for govern
ment would be. Then the only question
| is, which is most in accordance with con-
stitutional representative government?
The fearful question is raised, Would
You deprive the loyal people of these rebel
districts of their,State Rights? The "peo-
ple's State Rights is a paradox. But we
do not find this apprehension in the minds
of the loyal people OF the rebel DISTRICTS
On the contrary, they inlplore protection
from the rebels. They welcome the adj
vance of our armies, wiping out their
reasonable State Governments, and their
desire is that every thing that has been cur
rent among them under the false name of
State Rights shall be held III subsection by
the power OF the National Government I'M
til the loyal people can be established in the
control of the States. Restoration of the
destruction or Punishment of the loyal
Their preservation requires that the Ma
tional authority shall continue it's super
vision until the loyal can control the local
authority, and that it shall limit political
rights to the loyal.
Whatever measures are necessary to Sc
cure this, must be provided. Anything
short of this would be fostering and pro-
longing rebellion. Persons may call it
State annihilation if they choose, but it
would not be a wise argument for those
who imagine themselves defenders of the
indetinable thing they call State Rights;
for if that is State humiliation, and is the
reduction of a State to territorial status,
then the advance of our armies into State,
ousting its local Government, is also State
annihilation and this would result in the
ground that any rebellion which had to be
put down by force would be State annihi-
lation. This logical result would be very
radical one.
We have an idea that the practical di-
mansions OF this question will be found
much less than is anticipated. The agita-
ton has been made chiefly by those who
| were DESTROYS to create distinctions, and to
excite prejudice to aid their own faction
The principle is right to any extent that it
may be found necessary~to apply it, and we
have no fears of it. Butin the first place it
is doubtful if any other government than
that Of the commander is practicable in the
| field of military operations and these OPP
erationS viii continue until the military
power Of the rebellion is destroyed. In the
next place, as this power is giving way,
there are signs developing that the loyal
| inhabitants are willing to reorganiZe their
local governments upon a recognition of
existing facts, and upon a basis that will
- down forever the cause and the power
o1sthe rebellion. The evidences are in
creasing of a reorganization Of local gov
ernments that will be a regeneration of So
ciety, and an establishment of liberty and
the Union as one and inseparable.