The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-03-28
A NOBLE SPEECH.

pkia:
! an an unninching. unyielding. and uncon-
ditional Union man. [Cheers.] There are no
favor Of sustaining my Government and my
country with proviso. [Applause-cries Of
''good-of course you are."1 I love loyal men
and hate traitors.-I am not one Of those
who apologize for treason, and sympathize
with the men who are now in open rebellion
against the Federal Union. They are the en-.
emies of my country and am theirs. have
been an active Democrat for third of i CEN
tury. am Democrat now, and will contin.
ne SO during my life. One Of its cherished
principles, as learned, was love of country
and obedience to the Constitution and laws-
to maintain liberty, and, if needs be, fight for
it. Long continued applause am one of
those, too, who believe that patriotism is above
party, and that it is the duty of all loyal men
how, irrespective Of party names, to unite,
heart and hand, body and soul, and put down
at the point of the bayonet, the most foul, cor.
rupt and causeless rebellion that the world
ever saw. The time has not yet come, Mr..
President, when the loyal men of the North
have made up their minds to sit down with
folded arms and surrender their liberties. 1t
may be the case with demagogues but not with
the masses-it may be 80 with sympathizing
secession traitors, but not with patriots. Our
liberties cost too much to be so easily surren-
dered. Our ancestors were seven long years
in establishing the American Union, and degen.
Grated indeed we are if we can not devote
twice that number Of years in maintaining and
perpetuating it. They sealed it in a covenant
with their hearts blood-it is hardly yet cool;
and yet do I hear men every where doubling
if the Union can be saved. Is it because they
would see it destroyed? Have they relish
for agarianism? Would they welcome the gull
lotine? Derisive laughter Under the pre-
text that this is 'san abolition war" they say,
''let Abolitionists fight it. They cry ''peace"
when there is no peace. Now, sir am no
Abolitionist, and yet am in favor of fighting
this war to the bitter end-till rebellion is
crushed out, and the bleeding Union restored.
| am as anxious too, for peace as any man
living, but it must be q peace with one Union,
one Constitution, and one flag. 1t must be q
alike honorable to the courage of the North
as well a. the honor of the country. Not that
kind of peace which Northern sympathizers
with Southern treason would have; a peace
which would destroy the last vestige and hope
Of human liberty. but, sir, how idle and de-
lusive to talk of peace while armed rebellion
is in the ascendant. The rebel press say
that eff the whole Yankee nation will lay
themselves at our feet and become our slaves,
we will spurn them from us, We will re-
unite upon no terms, upon no condition, with
them" The great leader OF this bogus, bastard
Contederacy, in speech recently delivered by
him to the Mississippi Legislature, wondered, in
utter establishment, show he could have had any
love or regard for the old Union, composed of
the descendants of men from the boys and fens
of Ireland and Scotland, of low and vulgar ORR
gin. With such vulgar creatures he would new.
er again unite" [Laughter.] With such SEN
timents from the rebel press, and the great un-
chained leader of rebel hordes, who, In his sens
es, at the North can talk of peace? [Cries of
'no one"J The evidences, to my mind, are
that the man who does so is traitor to himself,
and so must regard him, despite his declara-
tons to the contrary. Self pride would at least
make me resent that cool and defiant iusolence
uttered by JEFF. Davis and his abject and wicked
coadjutors. When have rebels intimated the
least desire upon their part to reunite With the
Government? [Cries of ''never!"l At no time
or place, to my knowledge. They are as inso-
lent to-day as they were the day they fred into
the country's fsg on Fort Sumter. Their &C
cursed mission is to kill and murder. They are
moved and instigated by the devil, and with him
only will they make terms. With the vulgar
Yankee at the North, and they denominate all
loyal men Yankees, the descendants of men who
emigrated from the boys and fens of Ireland and
Scotland, they will make no peace. They will
never reunite with US. If peace cannot be had
on honorable terms, what alternative have we
left but to fight for an honorable peace? Our
revolutionary fathers we're met at every corner
by cowboys and tories, but they fought on and
fought through. They BUNDLED the enemy of
liberty abroad and conquered and subdued him
at home CApplause. What nobler example
can we follow! Hallowed be the precedent
It is worthy Of all intimation. These same
North, are the twin brothers of the cowboys of
revolutionary memory, and . destiny and fame
a damnsble and overpoweriDg await them
Can the memory of that man live who stsbs his
country in her hour of trial and danger? The
fame of Arnold shall be the fame of that man;
the curses Of unborn millions are his heritage
Let oil such join their dearly beloved brethren
in arms against their country; let them kiss their
hands, imbrued in the blood of loyal thousands
slain upon the battle-felds in defense of human
liberty. Ali how glorious would it be to have
peace with whole country; but how delusive
tho hope till the proud head of the rebels is
BUNDLED Then We can have peace. Voice
'Yes.nl They who now cry peace, and would
accept 1t upon the dismembered fragments of
this great Republic, are worse enemies to the
Union than those who bear arms against it; be-
cause one is an open enemy, that may be seen
and met; and the other, q secret viper concealed,
but biting with more deadly venom. [Long ap.
plause This terrible war did not originate in
the loyal North. For its terrible consequences
we are not accountable. eItis no work Of ours.
nation bankrupt, people demoralized, vast
commercial and manufacturing interest des-
troyed, cities decimated of their peaceful nhabi.
tants, hundreds of thousands of our brothers and
sons slain in battle-these are no trophies of
ours This has all been done to sppease the
dark, evil spirit of secessionism-a crime that
has no atonement, stain of blood that all the
waters of the ocean cannot efface. And these
are our beloved brothers, whom Northern SYM
pathizers would hug, all covered with bloody
gore of their own household, to their bosoms!-
a species of sympathy which sharpens the appe.
tite of the crocodile to devour its own young
If there ever was az hour since this rebellion
began when loyal men should stand together, it
is now: now while L speak. Peace with whole
country is deniedsto us and We must fight like
true men. We must fight for our Constitution:
upu fipht for our hnn,n. snd an, ero.;ln,