Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-12-25

Gen. Z. w. CAN'T, late of the Confederate
army, made a speech at Little Rock, Ark
Nov. 7th, in which he expressed his views or
the slavery question in avery candid manner
His opinions on this subject should put tc
shame the conservative, proslayery gentlemen
Of the North, who would rather see the Union
slide than have it reorganized without slavery
We make the following extracts from this
speech of repentant rebel: .
As secessionists, we supposed we were out
Of the Union. We went out to protect slavery.
We failed. We now come back. For what
purpose? To protect slavery! The absurd
ity is too monstrous to tolerate for a moment
We went-out to protect the negro. We come
back to protect the white man. We regard
the negro question as definitely settled by the
last source of appeal, and we say there let it
rest.
But we of Arkansas must dispose of what
is left of this question for ourselves. We
can't dodgeit. In our settling it, we are not
agitating the slavery question. Can you agi.
tate the dead? Is not slavery dead in our
State? Did it not 60 down in the vortex of
secession and civil war? But though dead,
its remains must be disposed Of Its dead
carcass is all that lies between us and per-
feet restoration of our former relations with
the Government A convention of the people
should meet and bury it. The question of
abolition and its converse can't be made in
our midst. We are not in Missouri. With
US the question is, what shall we do with
that which is already aboIishcd! To this
there can be but one answer: Amend the
Constitution and put it beyond the hope of
resurrection. We of the North and South,
knowing that slavery was the only disturbing
element in our Government, after many "set-
tlements," each one deemed ''final," resorted
to the last arbitrament-the sword. Wewho
own slaves have lost, and must abide the de-
cision. The people of Arkansas are therefore
the proper ones to act ON its final extinction
in our midst The sooner we do it, the bet
ter for us and the country. To many ttis
truth is unpalatable, but we can't blink it it
must be met let US meet it like men.
There is a large and growing party in the
North that is disposed to reduce the seeded
States to the condition of Territories. The
central idea of this party is to get rid Of
slavery, as the source Of all our calamities.--
1t would be unbecoming in US, as well as
waste Of time, to get up and argue the alb
stract question with them as to their right to
do this. Let US anticipate them and cut under
them at once, by meeting in convention, at
the earliest day that we can be empowered so
to do, and extirpate forever the last vestage
of slavery in our midst, and bury out of
sight this source of our calamities, personal,
State and National. By thus formally Civ
ing up what is already lost, we will have Sc.
cured to US our rights as equal States in the
Union. If We do not do so, l give it as my
opinion, that, right or wrong, We will be re-
duced to the condition Of Territory, and so
remain until we do pass upon this question,
definitely, at once, and forever. You can't
find soldier in the army who has not
already reached, or who Is not closely approx
lmating the conclusion, that his health, hap
piness and life have been exposed and jeop-
ardized because of negro slavery, and who
will not insist, that, after all his toll and
hardships, this question, which diplomacy
and craftsmanship could not settle, being se.-
tied by the sword, should be put at rest for.
ever