The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-06-11
THE HAWK-EYE
Wednesday, June s.

Wednesday, June s.
@-John c. Fremont has resigned his
position in the army and his resignation
has been accepted. It is well that he mas
done so. It was fit that the author OF the
letter he has written, which in substance
declares that, unless the loyal people Of the
country consult has peculiar whims IN tneir
nomination for the Presidency ne Will DO
what he can to sow discord among them,
should get himself out Of the army. I'll
Fremont's letter accepting the nomination
of Col. Moss's Mass Meeting has any
meaning. it is that, to crafty his enmity
towards Lincoln, he will in case Of his
nomination do all that he possibly can to
secure the election of . Copperhead, to en-
sure the triumph, after all our sacrifices,
Of traitors and rebels. That is the precise
Interpretation Of his letter. He says to US,
edo - l dictate, or will endeavor to de-
stroy you and the country"
This measureless insolence of q man who
has been treated with quite too much def
erence by the Administration and by the
public, is of piece with his conduct in
every Office he has occupied, whether civil
or military. He has never been contented
to do his duty, but has invariably sought
to make his superiors conform their poll
cies and measures to his own personal
wishes. His hatred of the President is
simply the growth of his desire to rule the
President because the latter had honored
him with commission as Major General
in the Regular Army, had placed him in a
responsible position, and afterwards found
it necessary to remove him for incompe-
tency. No doubt he hates Lincoln. 1t is
natural that he should do so. Ingratitude
is fruitful of hate. The man who attempt
ed as soldier to dictate to the Admins
tration. must be expected, as a mere poll
tician, to attempt to dictate what the peo-
pie shall do.
We are under obligations to the Elk Ma
jor General and now defunct politician
His letter exposes his malice, makes plain
his motives, evidences his utter want of
capacity, and proves beyond a doubt to the
dullest apprehension, that, merely to gra-
tify personal animosity, ne is willing to
become the ally and instrument Of Copper
heads and traitors. That is the sort of s'i-
deity to principle which he proposes to
practice. That is the mode in which he in
tends to sustain Radical Democracyv'-
He is going to root out Slavery and sup
press the Rebellion by doing what he can
to place the country under the control of
slavemongers and traitors, their aiders and
abettors! We are tina nkful that his ability
to do harm is not equal to his desire. We
are thankful that he has so openly declared
the desire of his heart. We once gave him
credit for honesty Of purpose,-for some
share Of discretion. But the letter he has
just written proves him q mere political
mountebank, incompetent. to maintain
even the appearance of sincere loyalty
We sympathise with those who have trust
ed in him.
@The mistake made by the small pol
iticians who nominated Fremont, consists
in their idea that considerable number
of people are mad enough to prefer the
qualification Of individual desires to the
safety Of the country. There may be q
mont would make good President. But
certainly there are not more who have had
that idea of him, than there are who have
thought the same of half a dozen other
prominent men. If the friends of these
others had acted as those who have thrust
Fremont's name before the public, it is
plain that we should have had that number
Slf can didafoS r. II ie r;e,l,< -, III 49,. =.
stance, it is right in all. If one set of men
may insist. that their preferences alone
must be consulted, or if one anxious aspi-
rant may insist that this or that man must
not be candidate, under pain Of an at-
tempted division, any other set of men,
and any other aspirant, may do the same.
The result of such insane conduct would
be that no nomination could receive a gen.
eral support.
The mass Of the people understand this
fully. Fremont's letter, in which he saws.
there Is no reason Why there should be anu
division among the really patriotic" is his
own oitterest condemnation. He will 10
FOR any one. except Mr.. Lincoln, no mat
ter how unanimously he may be selected
- the candidate! He will aid the cause of
the loyal, provided that the loyal submit to
his dictation and crafty his personal hate!
The people will not be apt to endorse such
talk as that. They are not partizans of anv
man in that sense. There is not an intel.
ligent friend Of Fremont in the whole
country, who will not scorn his conduct
and treat him with the contempt he de-
serves. They don't mean to follow him or
any other man, merely to givethe country
to traitors.
~ We don't know but Senator Hale
has really done some good in his official
position. His defense of q criminal for the
modest fee Of 5000, has secured the pas
sage Of an act which prohibits such conduct
in future on the part Of Members of Con.
gross. 1t is said that the early Romans had
no law against parricide, because they
deemed such a crime incredible. We have
~ 1o~r