The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-08-27

;KLY HAWK-EYE
n The military result 81 this civil var
hos never been . matter % doubt e or
mind. Our danger has never been "a that
direction. The North u quite competent
"a subjuxate the rebellion, and. = Ned
ware. another a formidable IN addition e
II. There Wa never any question aooos
that. The fact Il that our strength has
never yet been employed and probably
never viii be 70 it, full extent It = D.
cause We are strong that We have betrayed
weakness in the exercise Of our military
mower. It u because the South - really
weak that IL has seemed strong. The rebels
have, from tho 6rst, put AL their energies
into the work. We have failed TO employ
even . moiety Of ours. The difficulty
has been that few have realized how-con-
centrated weakness may be made 70 seem
like strength, and how actual strength may
be wasted and FILTERED away by merely
mistaking the character Of its opposite. -
The whole South is made subservient 70
war. In the North We have hardly en-
ployed 90 much as our ordinary surplus Of
idlers. Here men have gone to the war OF
not pretty much IS they pleased. and
great many have chosen to idle their time
away at home. In Dixie men have had
no choice about it They have been CON-
pelled to go. The rebels saw the necessity
Of putting all their energies into the work,
and they did 30. We have done differently
because we have not generally been able tc
sec the necessity.
Our danger, the real danger We have had
before US from the first, has mostly resulted
from this want of Q true conception Of the
National crisis. The people would not OF
could not grasp the tremendous issue, In
all its bearings, and they failed to put the
whole country on . war footing when II
should have been done, and 30 much Of our
effort has been paralysed because not truly
adapted to the emergency. Had we done
this at once, we should not only have been
more successful in the field, but opposition
marily and most thoroughly suppressed by
the force Of public opinion, and the real
peril Of the conflict would have been
thrust aside forever.
Nearly year ago We told our readers
that the great issue Of the war was yet "a
be contested here at home,-that il was
here that the most important questions
were to be determined. Events show that
we were correct. It is plain that the people
are to determine this year, once for all,
whether rebellion against the 'rule Of the
majority" is to stand justified by their
own voices, or Is to be crushed out Of ex-
istence forever.
They are to decide this, too, in the face
Of IN attempt on the part Of Northern Con-
federates Of the rebels, to introduce the
same element Of force into our elections
throughout the land. They propose to Sc
cure the power Of the Government, not by
the honest votes Of tho majority, but by
armed force exerted by the minority. They
intend to overturn the first principles Of
Republican institutions, by appealing from
ballots to bullets. They insist that the
voice Of the majority shall not only not be,
but shall have no chance of being heard
They are resolved to make President not
by election but by force.
The issue before us is not simply whe-
Their the revolt Of the slave-mongers shall
be put down, but also whether We are here
after to have an elective Government
whether ballots or bullets are to be the ar
bitter Of our future destinies. That is ex-
actly what the people areSto prepare for.
If we mean to sustain Republic, We are
to make known our determination by our
acts and by our votes. five vote for those
who mean to sustain the Union by sup
pressing the rebellion, we ensure both the
Union and the elective franchise. If we do
we insure the success Of the re-
volt and SOW the dragons teeth Of anarchy
broadcast through the land. We not only
destroy the Union, but declare our unfit
ness to be freemen or to vindicate free in
stitutions. We have faith that the people
not only mean to assert their love Of the
Union, but that they will be sure to do il
ut the right time and in the right way. II
We are unhappily deceived, then farewell
to human liberty forever.
~ The statement We copied yesterday
from the st. Joseph Herald, exposing the
mode In which the "Sons Of Liberty pro-
pose defeating Mr.. Lincoln, will open the
eyes Of the public, il they are not already
open, to the real meaning Of the Copper
head cry about the freedom Of elections.
That statement declares that there was a
Lodge, called Hickory Grove Lodge, 800
strong, fully armed, in Henderson county,
Illinois, Gust opposite this city, and that
they were going to resist the election OF
and meant to defeat him, II they
had to Kill every man who undertook to vote
for him.
Our. readers need not to be reminded that
This game Of carrying IN election by force
Of arms has been tried once in this coun.
try, and for the time being was successful.
Kansas was the place, and tho Missouri
rufhans were the agents in accomplishing
the design. These scOundrels. ont Of an