The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1863-09-17
"Those that live i'm Glass Unu,Scs
Sho1sd not 'Csarow Stones
Mr.. BuRToN.-


Mr.. BuRToN:--
In my rejoinder to your reply, published
in another column Of this paper, promise
inasmuch as you decline joint discussion, !
and are very busy with my record, & G.,
to enter into slight investigation of your
own, in a series. Of articles under the above
heading. In making this examination
will endsavor to deal with you fai, " and
with your record as you have yourself made
it, and with des ire to arrive at truth in
spirit of sentlemanly, but plain candor.
Your main charge against me is, not that
have formerly entertained or advocated
any heresy, but that have changed within
81 c last two or three years. should be
reckless and indeed foolish to claim that
had not changed in many respects--that I
occupied the exact position or entertained
the precise sentn ents that did "two
years ago." Change, progressive change
under varying circumstances is the great
principle of human Development and adj
vancing civilization. 1t applies to men and
ideas and has been 50 universally reccgniz-
ed as to give rise to the saying sthat wise
men change but fosls never do" 4
A position might be right or cxpedient
under one condition Of lcircumS tances, that
would be manifestly wrong sand inexpedient
under different CT circumstances. This pr
ciple was most signally demonstrated in the
course ofthe lamented Douglas. While the
Crittenden compromise was before Con.
gress he was opposed to immediate war
and in favor of the attempt ut Cancellation.
This was under one state of circumstances.
When this attempt failed and the rebels
opened fire, he was in favor of the most stu
pendous preparations and vigorous prose-
cution Of the war by all the means known.
to civilized warfare, as the .only means left
fer the preservation of the Union.
There was certainly change in Douglas
position. Why? Because circumstan ces
had changed. | will freely admit Mr.. Bur-
ton what every body know who knows any
thing of my antecedents, but which you
seem laboring very hard to prove-that so
long as there was any hope of peaceful al
justment Of our difficulties, and you please.
even when the last glimmer of h ope had
nearly expired, I was IN favor of making
the attempt at such adjustment. But these
attempts failed, and I am now and have
been for loLg time convinced, from sub
sequent rcumstances, as was Senator
Douglas. and as he expressed himself in bis
last speech, that any effort to compromise
with traitors who had, months and years
before, fully laid and plotted the foul con,
spiraty of destroying the Union, must have
inevitably proved fntile. They wanted no
compromise. They were sworn and pledg
ed against it. 1t was mere ingg'e to gain
time and divide the North When 7 be-
came satisfied of all this, there was no other
path of Conscientious duty left me but 70
rally TO the support of the Government, and
sustain the Admin list ration with hearty
will in its efforts to suppress the rebellion
! by the use Of every means in our power,
and reco gnized by civilized warfare. That
path of duty, l, have endeayored unfalter-
ingly to pursue, and if God grants me life
and will, | will maintain it othe end under
all circumstances and against every oppos-
ton, until the flag of our fathers shall float
in triumph over every inch of American
soil. This has been my coursc-this has
been my record. / have no apologies to
make, no ex cuses to offer; and yet am
willing to admit that my views in common
with others in regard to the duties Of the
hour when this rebellion first shov ed its
head, were not free from error. am free to
admit that ! am now fully satisfied that it
would have been the wiser course not to
have dallied for moment with any attcmp.
to cHnciliate traitors, but at once to have
brought down upon their heads tie power
Of an indignant Government. al
Now, sir, let us turn to your record, OF
which intend to say .but-a few words in
this article:- - .~ ssse "0- s
You charge that my views have under
gone change in the last two or three years,
OF course they have; for circumstances
have changed, and besides, do not claim
that my past has been free from error You
charge that was once Democrat. I am
one still. The only difference between us
in that respect, Mr. Bur ion, is, that am a
decipie of Andrew Jackson you of John
@. Calhoun, as shall be able to show by
and by.
You claim that you have nerer changed.
will prove by your record, that you have
truckled and shifted dozen of times with
in the last few months. For the pre- sent, |
will refer but to one or two instances Do
you recolect, sir, that about the time D. Al
Mahony was arrested, and when he was
soon after nominated for Congress b-, your
party in his district, you wrote an article in
your paper, protesting not to endorse Kim,
and stating that you din (" not take any stock
in such radicals as j.. B. Grinnell, Wendell
Phillips and D. A. Mahony?
Do you not also reco'lect that. in your
paper of the 18th Of April. 1862, you charg-
ed that David Stewards paper was of such
rebel tendencies that it could be printed
with as much safety in New Orleans, (Which
was then a rebel stropghold &c Il co,,ld l.;