The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-04-18

precarious tenure? Again, look at the mas
and consider the position of Key West II
the Tortugas, and of Fort Pickens. II was ~.
truly stated by Lieutenant Maury, in an
omclai report, some years ago, that who
ever commands them controls the nayioa-
ton OF the Gulf of Mexico. Are YOU poinc
to resign these dominant stations to thu
foreign State Of Florida, whose whole non.
ulation, white and black, does not etInsI
that OF any Of the counties of Suffolk, Mid
dlesex, Essex or Worcester? puny State.
which, II the Confederacy is recognized =
not unlikely in a few years to be recolo.
nized by spain, by the same process which
| has been lately gone through at st. Domin-
go. What is to prevent her, if this notable
doctrine OF secession prevails, from leaving
| the Southern Confederacy as she has leff
| the United States, and carrying Key West
| the Tortugas, and Pensacola, along with
her? Look finally at the map, and trace
the course of the mighty stream that drains
the central basin of the continent. FOLLOW
it from its outlet in the Gulf, up the main
channel, to the junction with the Ohio. and
up that beautiful river to the confluence of
the Monongahela and the Allegheny. the
one coming down from the north western
corner of Virginia, the other from the
southwestern corner of New York; then
up the Mississippi itself above the junction
with the Ohio, with. seven States uDon its
banks, TO the highlands which divide its
waters from those which flow into the Arc
tic Sea; then up the Missouri to the inmost
recesses,of the Rocky Mountains, forming.
with a'hundred tributaries, each as large as
the Hudson, the grandest system Of inter
nal water communication OH the face of the
globe: its banks occupied even now by
twelve loyal States, and ten millions Of
freemen who own the soil they till; destined
in the lapse of another half century, to saw
the least, to double their numbers and their
fhn,, toll
who dares, that the United States, to whom,
on the highest considerations of national
and international policy, this imperial do
main was coded by the first Napoleon two
generations ago, are going TO give up it's
portals to the keeping of a foreign State,
and who, if this wretched bubble of seces-
sion is recognized as part of the public
law, may, If she chooses, retrocede herself
to France Tomorrow. .n.d a =.
call it q wretched bubble, and a recent
almost providential disclosure, shows its
authors consider it so themselves. A few
months since the dispatches of the Confed-
crate Government to their agents in E,-
rope, fell into the hands of one of our cruz
SEES. From one of them il appeared, that,
in the course OF the last Summer, the
French Vice Consul at Galvest'n without the
slightest lndirection or attempt at conceal
ment, addressed a letter to the Governor OF
H..
1t would not promote the prosperity of Tex
as to establish her separate Independence.
About the same time II similar inquiry was
addressed by the French Consular Agent
at Richmond, to one of the Texan Senators.
This simple inquiry, to which a civil an
swer was returned by the Governor and
Senator of Texas, was denounced by Mr..
Secretary Benjamin as an act ''of hostility
to the Confederacy;'' Mr.. Slidell was or
dered to call the Emperor Louis Napoleon!
to account for his alleged completely in
this "intrigue;' and the unfortunate Vice
COnsuls were ordered by Mr.. Davis, "tO be
expelled from the Contederacy" at twenty
four hours notice. STEPPED to the lips in
the blood that he is shedding to vindicats
the right of u sovereign State to secede, he
expels couple of foreign consuls from the
country, because they inquired of the Gov
ernor, and a Senator of the State OF Texas,
whether it might not be for her interest to
exercise that right. a-tt ..t.se
So absurd, so flagrantly insincere. 40,
openly repudiated by it's authors, are the
pretexts of this unholy war; What re-
mains but that we should strenuously and
loyalty support the Government of the
country in bringing it to victorious re-
suit. Peace on any other terms will be
nothing but hollow truce, lasting only till
fresh causes OF controversy arise. and the
means of renewed aggression and outrage
are accumulated. Toward the successful
prosecution OF the war, every good citizen
is bound to contribute to the utmost, by
word and deed, by personal service, if of
age to render it, by his counsel, with his
purse, if need be with his life. If he can
do nothing else, let him at least speak
words of patriotic cheer, seeking to inspire
the community with confidence, to
strengthen the arm of the Government in
the discharge OF its arduouS duties, and to
animate our brave fellow-citizens in the
ranks of the army. What we now want is
not so much strength in the field, as union
at home: or rather till we have cordial I'M
ion at home, we never shall have overwhel-
ming strength in the field. Do not, for
Heaven sake let us re-enact the fatal blum
der that has been committed by free States
since the dawn of history. The strength
of Phillip of Macedon was in the divided
counsels of the Greeks. Do not let the
strength of the rebellion be in the want of
harmony in the loyal States. L'
But 1T may be asked, how can men sup
port the Administration in the conduct of
the war, if they do not approve its meas
ures; how, ask in return, can any free
Government carry on a war, if every one is
to stand aloof who does not approve all it's
measures? That the war must be carried
on, till the rebellion is subdued, is the all
but unanimous sentiment of the loyal
States. 1t is as much the interest of the
South as of the North to hasten this consum-
nation, for she suffers infinitely more than
the North by the continuance of the war,
and there can be no return to a state Of gem
eral and permanent prosperity on any 9TH
er condition. That errors will be commit
ted, errors of judgment certainly, errors
of purpose perhaps. on the part Of individ-
uals, is sure to happen in all wars Com
manders OF armies, members ofcabinets,
members of Congress, Generals, Secretaries
and Presidents are fallable men, subject to
like passions as we are. do not at all de-
ny that it is our duty to watch and criticse
their conduct, but we must not forget that
critics, editors and orators are also fallible.
While we sit in quiet and safety by our fire
sides, and inveigh against those who bear
the heat and burden of the day; who carry
upon their shoulders the thankless burden
OF official duty and the heavy responsibility
OF results, which often depend on the ele-
ments and on casualties beyond human
control, we must keep in mind that we
have also our interests, our prejudices and
our passions, and that it is much easier to
find fault, than to pursue any course OF
conduct which will escape censure in a
FIR ir,rr +,,D