The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-08-22

. .ohAee army VINO mas not lYnmeOlately
tied up his portable property in the frs
all possible speed in the direction whence
came the sounds of the Union fife and drum
Laughter and cheers.] / hear that some
people are very mad because the negroes
90 run away from their masters. / sup
pose 1t to be time. It is, at least, very nat.
9rai. Let me tell you one thing, however
Inc army Of the Union was not sent into
the South to free negroes, to catch and re-
turn negroes, but to whip out traitors anG
s4ueicn an Ubiquitous rebellion. If the
reoeis lose their negroes, it must be accep
60 as natural consequence of being whip
PED. Let the negroes 90. If the rebels
want them back, let them catch them and
get them back If they can. I'll see them t.
the d. before I'll do it for them! [Cries
THAT'S the doctrine"-''go itv'] Let me
paint 1t to you as legal proposition-for
before the war, used to be considered
about first-class, or, at least, halfway
know what I might do before Supreme OF
superior Court, but believe, in Cairo,
used to be considered q decently tolerable
Justice Of the Peace attorney, and I under
stand law enough to put this emancipation
business before you in ship shape. Iguess
~ give you my opinion as lawyer.
The President issued his Proclamation.
II 1t was unconstitutional, which is open
TO considerable question, all questions aris-
ing under it can be settled hereafter inst ar
well as though it had never been issued
Alter the war, if property is confiscated, l
suppose every man will have the right to
Drlng his case before the proper Court
First let us restore the Government, Then
just tell Mr.. rebel to lay down his musket.
put IN his plea that he is a law-abiding cit
zen OF the United States again, and then
let him go before Court and petition to
have his negroes returned to him. If he
has not forfeited all his rights, by his trea-
son, then he can perhaps recover his pro-
perty. If the Court decides that his trea-
son, has deprived him of all his legal rights,
then he must lose his negroes. II he then
says the decision is unconstitutional, we'll
argue the question with him. If he likes
1t, well and good. If he don't like it, we'll
make him. But this is for the future. Wait
until the time comes. That time is certain
ly not notD.
There are those who argue against con-
confiscation; but they merely desire to OBJ
Ject and keep up disturbance at the
North. Isn't it extremely curious that
some are so very deeply Interested
Ihey say we are depriving the rebels of
their rights. Let me ask what rights they
have which are entitled to be respected?
They use everything against US. Why not
say, instead: Mr.. Rebel, you stole from our
Government, plundered the land, took our
guns, our right to the free navigation of
the Mississippi. The Government is now
only taking its own back again." am in
favor of confiscating property. What gov
eminent is there as lenient as ours to the
traitor? In other lands, such an act not
only takes away his property, his fran
chise, but adds bar sinister upon his es-
cutcheon forever, to live by his progeny,
until the name shall be extinct. Other
countries, for such crimes, corrupt the
blood to eternity. Our Government is
more lenient 1t only confiscates their
property and DISTINGUISHES him. And if a
man is a traitor, he ought himself to be
subject to confiscation.-[Cry," 7hafs So"
But some will say, if negroes are proper
ty they should be oonfiscated and sold, like
other property. No so. Slaves being
property, or ifproperty, there is no ques-
ioning the right to confiscation. If they
are not property they'll confscate them
selves. Government has the right, in the
case of rebel to confiscate his horse; but
in doing SO, can sell it or not, as is thought
best. If the Government needs horses, as
it does, then the Government will turn the
horse over to the Qurtermaster's depart
ment to be used against the enemy. It is,
then, for the Government to say whether
it will cOnfiscate the negro by using him or
selling him. AS the Government is not in
the negro selling or buying business, it
question for the Government to decide
Now, say further, am for the Govern
ment to be restored, with the negro or
without him. / want the Government, at
all hazards, to be supported and kept intact.
If we can't have it as it was, or as it is, let
US have it in as good condition as we can
get it. AS for the Negroes loss to the South,
do not care. The rebel officer does not
steal my horse and then come to me with:
is not so polite. Nor am I going to take
back this negro, so politely, and say, "My
dear sir, here / return you your colored
man Samuel, who ran off some time SINCE"
If any one else wants to do it, Ive nothing
to say. But it's not my way.
There are other topics. Another argu-
ment made in favor of rebellion, and used
to discourage those who are for the war, is
that called the peace measures. It's advo-
Union men, too. IT they are asked the
question they say they are for the Union,
of course. When asked if they are in ia
vor of whipping JEFF. Davis, they hesitate,
but finally answer Eyes," But they do
not think that war will ever restore the
Government. They say warts most hor-
rible thing-we are loosing too many good
men by the havoc OF war. but Wien We
ask how they would stop it they say,
"Peace," or "by peaoeable means" have
lately met peace man. 1 offered to give
him everything was worth if he would
point ont how, by q peace, we could re-
store our country. The fact is it cannot be
saved but by the war. Will anybody tell
me one other lneans3 The only way is to
force the the rebels to submit to the Gov
eminent. My plan for ending the war and
restoring the power of the Constitution is
to enforce the conscription act immediate
ly, give US 600 more men, and the army
that marched from Cairo to Vicksburg In
eighteen notwithstanding the Mississippi
to the Gulf-will take the other coast, scat
ter Bragg and his men, Beauregard and his
men, and enable Meade to eat up Lee and
his men, and the rebellion will be crushed.
Then the States can be brought again to
the Union. And there will never be an
other rebellion in this country.
Some there are who undervalue what
the army has already accomplished. How
far have we actually advanced Ole year
ago on the 4th OF March, % Geo Men were
preventing Interpretations of commerce on
our Western waters, tho M ississippi, the
Tennessee and the Cumberland. These
rivers were blockaded-au bleckaded.-
What do you find to-dayf The enemy has
been driven from the Tennessee, the Cum
berland and the Mississippi. This has