The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1863-04-01
The Union Restored.

The Union RESTORED.
MEssns. EDlroRs The men arc yet liz
ing who witnessed the birth of the Ameri
can Union. Within tho life time Of singh
individual, il has passed through its infan
cy. its youth. its manhood. its premature
old age. anil seems now TO be tottering or
the brink Of it's untimc,y grave. Borr
amid tho throes Of a revolution, it threat
ems to sink back into the nothingness from
which it sprang. dust to dust. ashes t
ashes. The path Of empire which ha.
taken other nations a thousand years I,
tread. has been run at single breath b,
the republic. Springing into existence un
der the most favorable circumstances, il.
Sponsors predicted for it a future of unri
vailed glory. The latest form Of human
government, it seemed indeed, as though 1t.
founders had laid it's structure on an i'm
perishablc basis, and believed it to be, o.
they had pronounced it, "esto perpctua. '
Whatever the result may prove. it was moi
believed by those who formed its consttu.
ton, that they had at the same time planted
IN it.
..The yruns disease. thss must subd,e at length,
Grswn with its growth, and strengthened with it,
strength"
1t Is as tr lie Of nation as Of an indiyid
ual, that there arc crises in its existence
whn its fate hangs trembling in the bal.
ancc. Through one Of these crises this
republic is now passing. Torn by internal
diSsensions and bleeding at every pore, il
struggles as the strong man. while the anx
inuS cry goes up lean the Union be rcStor
ed"? R.dicalism cries, bleed aud a,npu.
tate. Conservatism whispers, bleed if you
must. but bind up and soothe the wound.
nurse the iniirmity, and the glow Of health
will again bloom or the cheek. II il poxsi.
bic, that the Union may DC restored. Why
not: Are there any natural insupcrablc
obstacles in the way! Does climate, docs
soil, d" productions, does h"nogcncou.
population fo,bidy On the contrary they
invite the restoration Of the old fratcrnaI
relations. which passion disturbed. but did
not totally destroy. al the motives which,
impel'cd Washington, Hamilton, Franklin
an'l the Pink"cys ITO form more pcrfrc,
Union, establish justice, insure domestic
tranquility, pr"vilc for tho common d, Tense,
prom te tn" general welfare, and s, cure tn
blessings Of liberty t. themselves and their
p">trrit." still exist in undiminished fore,
and il cannot lie possible, that the descend
ants Of those illu.trious men are seized
with such master passion Of destruction,
that like Aarun's serpent, il swallows up
all other considerations.
The Union may be restored, but its &C.
c"'"plishmrnt must be the olj"cts sought,
and not an incident Of the destruction Of
slavery, or the r, moulding Of any feature
of the government
N" careful observer Of passing events,
will contend, that under the present maj.
agement, the old Union can be restored,
nor will he very strenuou-ly insist that it.
restoration is the object nearest to the hca {
If those who have sown the storm and ar,
now r.api'.g the whrlwind Of civil war
Such men may perhaps indulge in the
UIopian dream Of re-nadclrd govern
ment, with license installed in liberty
stead, or with power surrendered to deptic
control. but do they ycarn after that Union
and that Constellation, handed down 10 US
and which We are in duty bound to hand
down untarni shell to our posterity. D.
they not rather declare in the language OF
the "architcct Of ruin" that the old Union
shall no longer exist to curse mankind p
Do they not c"nSpire with jefferson Davis
to establish a new Union and a new Con.
sti,ution, as unlike the old, as that which
he has inaugurated in the seeded states
1" be candid, what does the policy. which
guides tho present conduct of the war con.
template? The restoration. you say, Of tn.
Union. Let us see The restoration oil
The Union, means the rrstorati n Of III
Union Of the states. The placing Of South
Carolina on an equal footing with Iowa
giving to the people of South Carolina tn
sam" rights and privileges as to the peopl,
Of Iowa. Does it mean this, or does il
mean restoring to the Union simply .hs
territory Of the seeded states, leaving it,
population ou,casts and vagabonds.
A union Of territory is simply absurd
without Il union Of the people who inhabi
it. Such an Union is the sutjugation Of
an alien population, which is as i,npossihl,
Al it is undesirable. II that policy con,en
plates II restoration Of that "union Of heart,
AMI that union Of hands" which rormerl,
existed, has it provided n way or docs i
invite such result. Has it not rathe
closed the door AMI blocked up every ave
nue against the return Of the "waywart
sisters" aad Left them the alternative %
either fighting 10 the bitter enl, o, throw
ing down their arms AMI casting them
selves outl.wci and b'gs ,red by the con
scrip'ion law on the mercy Of their con
Q"er"rs.
BY thc legislation Of tn last congress. the
rebels are left like the l,pers who sto"
outside the city walls, aud reasoned in thi,
wise: M We ahid. here We shall perish, il
We g. within the city "" can but die"
H.ot,crtsm ms decreel III 1t the reopls o.