Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1863-09-10
Governor Kirkwood.

Auo VtCiL VI uOS. AHAWOOu w kuiO
place last week attracted hither from
the neighboring towns large number
Of people, who came in to pay res
pect to their Chief Magistrate and lis.
ten to his promised speech. The num-
Der of people assembled on the occa-
sion was nearly one thousand. The
Governor spoke more than two hours,
and his remarks throughout command
ed the closest attention.
Hou. E. G. Bowdoin presided /; and
when he announced that the audience
were about to be addressed by their
Governor, the people crowded around
with such eagerness to obtain favor
able position for hearing him. that it
was several minutes before order
could be sufficiently restored for him
to proceed. We can only allude to .
few Of the leading points in Governor
Kirkwood's speech.
After explaining that he visited this
part Of the State by request of gen.
tlemcn to whose wishes he deemed il
duty to defer. and abiding to vari-
Gus topics of general interest. the
Governor said There arc men who
devote their time to inquiring into
and discussing the origin Of the war !;
what caused it, they ask. and in what
manner is the Union to be restored |;
how shall it's broken fragments be re-
constructed into one great whole !?
find, said the Governor, since CON-
ing here. that, during the past year. a
terrible FIRE has destroyed much of the
business portion of this beautiful
village. Now, while that fire was
raging, and men, women and children
were exerting themselves to the ut.
most TO qucnch the flames and save
property from the devouring element,
If some man had refused to help until
lie had learned the origin of tho fire
and also settled the question Of recon-
struction--he demanding that the new
buildings should be precisely like the
old ones as to material, doors, win.
dows and architectural appearance gen.
erally-what would you have thought
of him! Why. you would have cal
led him either fool or q heartless
villain.
We sometimes hear complaints
about martial law and the suspension
Of the writ of Aa5eas corpus. Every
intelligent. honest man knows that
measures are justifable in times of
peril and danger which would not be
justiiablc in times of security and
peace. President Lincoln said in his
inaugural address that he had not the
Constitutional power to emancipate
the slaves, and yet since then he has
done so, to certain extent. There
is no inconsistency in this, because at
the time of his inaugural there was
no rebellion. But since the rebellion,
under the war power. he finds ample
Constitutional authority for depriving
rebels of their property. including
slave property ; for have not rebels
forfeited all their rights. except, rs
Parson Brownlow says, the right to
be hanged and the right to be damn
edf Thus. it is plain that. to save
the country and uphold the Govern.
mcnt. many acts are Constitutional
and Unsuitable in q time of rebellion
and war which would be unconstitu.
tional and unjusti6able in a time Of
concord and peace.
Some of you know that / have
been favorinP the organization Of vol
unteer companies. and arming them,
in various parts of the State. l find
that there have been men base enough
to say that these companies were be-
ing armed for the purpose of driving
Democrats from the polls on election
day. also End that there are men
who are foolish enough to believe it,
and therefore want to tell you how
it is.
] have the opportunity Of knowing,
and ! do know, that organizations are
being formed in various parts Of the
State for the purpose Of opposing the
conscription act. and my object in
forming and arming these companies
10 to show those who propose to OPP
pose THE Law. that it will be danger.