Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1864-09-02

we have no foreign debt, be none tho poorer
But 1t as worth something; il has the solid
basis Of a large cotton crop, while yours rests
upon nothing, and you owe all the world
As to resources: We do not lack for arms
or ammunition, and We have stl wide ter.
ritory from which to gather supplies. So,
you see, We are not in extremitics. But il
we werc,--it we were without money, with.
out food, without wcaponS,--if our whole
country were devastated, and our armies
crushed and disbande,l, could we, without
giving up our manhood, give up our right to
govern ourselves? Would you not rather
die, and feel yourself man, than live, and
be subject to a foreign powrr?"
,a" From your stand. point there is force IN
what you say" replied the Colonel. g But
we did not come here to argue with you, Mr..
Davis. We came, hoping to find some hon.
orablc way to pence; and | am greved 10
hear you say what you do. When | have
seen your young men dying on the battle.
field, and your old men, women, and chill.
drcn starving In their homes, / have felt
could risk my life to save them. For that
reason am here aud | am gricvcd, grieved,
that there is no hope"
know your motives, Colonel JaGucss,
and honor you for them bat what can |
do more than am doing? would give my
poor life, gladly, if it would bring peace AMI
good will to the two countries but it would
not. It,is with your own people you should
labor. 1t is they who dcSoate our homes,
burn our wheat fields, break the wheels Of
wagons carrying away our women and chill
dren, and destroy supplies meant for our sick
and woGnded. At your door lies all the mis-.
cry and crime OF this wal, and il is lear.
ful, fearful account"
D." Not all of il, Mr.. Davis. admit Gar.
(ul account, hut it is not aiI at our door, The
passions Of both sides are aroused. Unarmcd
men arc hanged, prisoners arc shot. down in
cold blood, by yourselves. F'lctncnta OF Tar
ha:ism arc entering the war on both sides
that should make us--you and me, as Chris
tlan mcn-shudder to think of. In God's
name, then, let us stop it. Let us do some
thing, conccde something, to bring about
peace. You cannot expect, with only four
and a half millions, as Mr. Benjamin saws
yom have. to hold on, forever against twenty
Millions"
Again Mr.. Davis smiled
DO you suppose there are twenty mill.
ions at the North determined to crush us y"
do,--to crush your government. 4
small number of our people, very small
nnmbcr, are your friends, -Seccssionists .-
The rest differ about measures and candi.
dates, but are united in the determination to
sustain the Union. Whoever is elected in
November, he must be committed to yiror
Gus prosecution Of the war"
Mr. Davis still looking incrcdulous, re-.
markcd,- -r ,.-f' e.
g 1t is so, Sir. Whoever tells you other.
wise dcceivcs you. think know Northern
sentiment, and | assure you it is so. You
know we have system Of lyccum ccturng
In our large towns. At the close of these
lectures, 1t is the custom of tho people to
come upon the platform and talk with the
lecturer. This gives him an excellent appor.
tunity of learning public sentiment. Last
witcr lecturcd before nearly a hundred of
such ASSOCIATIONS, all over the North. from
Dubuque 70 'sRgor anh took pains to
ascertain the feeling CT the teopic. | found
n unanimous determination to crush the Re.
ballion and save the Union at every sacrifice.
The majority are in favor of Mr.. Lincoln,
and nearly all Of those opposed to him arc
opposed to him becausc they think he does
not fight you with enough vigor. The radi.
cal Republicans, who 60 for slave suffrage
and thorough coniiscation, are those " no viii
defeat him, if he is defeated. But if he Is
defeated before the people, the House will
! elect a worse man Il mean, worse FOR YOU
II is more radical than he is,--you can sec
that from Mr.. Ashley's Reconstruction BIN
and the people are more radical than the
House. Mr.. Lincoln, know, is about to
call out five hundred thousand more mcn,
ana can see how you cqyl resist much long.
or; but If you do, you will only deepen the
radical feeling of the Northern people. They
will now give you fair, honorable, generous
terms; but let them suffer much more, let
thero be dead man in every house, as there
is now in every village, and they will give
You no teIms,-thcy will insist on hanging
every Rebel south of ----. Pardon my
terms. n..an no offence
" You give no offence" he replied, smiling
very pleasantly. | wouldn't have you pick
your words. This is frank, free talk, and
| like you the better for saying what you
think. Go on."& To-
" was merely going to say, that, let The
Northern people once really feel the war, -
they do not feel it ct,--and they will insis,
on hanging every one OF your leaders,
Wei. admitting all you say, | can't see
how il affects our position. There are SONS
things worse than hanging or extermina,ion
We reckon giving up the right of self. gov.
trnment one Of those things" -
by self government you mean disunion
Southern lniependcnee 2" ... # ...
"Ycs." .st
And slavery, you say, is no longer an cl
cmcnt in the contest"
No, it is not, it never was an eatntiaj
element 1t was only a means of bringing
| other conflicting elements to on earlier cul
mination. II fired the muslpt which was
already capped and loaded. There are essen
tial differences between the Norli, and the
South that will, however this war may end
fmake them two nations"
You ask me to say what think. viii
you allow me to say thatfI know the Sout
pretty. well, and never observed those differ
| ences"i = .'s"' #
Then you have not used your eyes Ny
sight is poorer than yours, but | have seer
them for years"
The laugh was upon me, and Mr. Bena
min enjoyed it.
Well, Sir, be that as IL may, If under
stand you, the dispute between your govern
ment and ours is narrowed down to this
Union or Disunion." J"
Yes, or to put il in other words: Inde
pendcncc or Su'jugation.' e..
Then the two governments are if-ccon
| cilably apart. Thoy have no alternative but
to fight il out. But it il not 81 With the peo
pie. They are tired Of flght.ng, and wan
peace; and as they bear all the burden anc
suffering Of the war, Is it not right the,
should have peace, and have it on such term,
as they like y
! don't understand you. BE little NOR,
explicit. ....
fEch suppose the two government,
| should agree to something like this To gc
to the people with two propositions say
Peace, with Disnnion and Southern Indc
pendcnce, as yonr proposition. and Peace
with Union, Emancipation, No Confiscation
and Universal Amnesty, as ours Let th,
citizens of all the United States (as they cx
listed before the war; vote Yes, or 30 er
| these two propositions, at n special elcc,ier
within sixty days. Ii q rss;oiity vote Dis
| union, our government u be bound by it
and to let you ga ja peace. II a majnrit,
votes Lnion, yours to be bound by il, and L
stay in peace. The two governments car
sa nf In, ~ a.