The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-11-28
Mr.. Seward.

"The instruction will perish uuier mil
itary power, necessarily and therefore law
FULLY exercised, and slavery will perish
with it. Nevertheless am aoaltng that The
prodtgdt son shall return. The doors. no
Jar as am concerned, shall GlacdyS be open
to him. f'''
These words are Secretary Seward's-
spoken few days ago at Auburn. Are
they worthy of the times or unworthyp~
Are they honorable or dishonorble? Are
they wise or foolish? The President de-
clared, on the 1st of January, that the
slaves are henceforth and for ever free: and
in his letter to the Illinois Convention he
declared that he would never revoke that
sublime act. 1t stands, therefore now and
prospectively, as the solemn law of the
land, for ever forbidding the enslavement
of the millions whose bonds it loosed.-
Now is Mr.. Seward content to see slavery
brought back? Then he is content to see
the law of the land violated, and in the in
terest of slavery! His speech is q blow at
the proclamation. He strikes the master
whom he serves! He is willing to give up
what the President himself can never give
up! He is willing to disappoint the nation
in its hope of freedom, and TO bring to
naught all the bloody cost of the war.
The Journal Of Commerce agrees with Mr..
Seward. 1t says: 49,.
again, as heretofore, we will have a
Union Of independent sovereign states, reg
ulating their own religious and social sys-
TENS. The New England abolitionists
shall not interfere with the Southern slave
holder or his system OF slave-labCr, if he
chooses to keep it, Ia.
No, Mr.. Prime; no, Mr.. Seward; the
Southern STAKEHOLDER cannot have his sys-
tenn of slave-labor even ''if he chooses to
keep it." He cannot Keep it if he chooses
He has no choice in the matter; nor has
Mr.. Seward; for the President, on the LIST
ne c1 &c
hands of the STAKEHOLDER and put it into
the hands of the slave. The ousted ty-
rant is not to be beckoned back into
his place even by the waving of Mr.. Sew
ards graceful hand. The President has
made, and the people uphold, a decree
which has lawfully put an end to barbar-
Gus system. This iniquity is not to be re-
stored, even at an invitation from Auburn.
1t is not to be recloaked with power
even by the diplomacy of Cabinet min
lister. Imagine with what surprise this
speech will be read in England! After
the British taunts that the American Gov
eminent has no serious intent to abolish
slavery-no heart in it's own Proclamation.
How will Mr.. Stewards words be ex-
planned? We will explain them. They
are the utterances of a man who once spoke
for great party, but who now speaks only
for himself. Mr.. Seward is no longer a
representative man. He has forfeited the
commence OF MS 1elIOW- Vmen VINO
used to hang upon his words with entbu-
siastic delight. He has fallen lower in the
estimation of his party than any other man
who ever held a high station in it. Once the
father of this party, he has become its
prodigal son. Once its oracle, he has be-
come it's outcast. His former friends, his
own State, the great body of the people, all
have lost their own fine feeling for this
changed and sinking man. All the cleo
tions-in all the loyal States-express the
one mind of the people, saying, Shut the
door now and for ever against Slavery!-
Mr.. Seward replies, in a feeble strain at
Auburn, No; open the door, and let
Slavery re-enter! Missouri, Maryland and
Tennessee all see that the time has passed
for compromises, and are saying, Down
with Slavery! Mr.. Seward pitifully re-
plies, No; up with it! But one mans
voice is nothing among million-and Mr..
Stewards speech is nothing against the will
Of all the h.-Indepe'ldent.