Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1864-01-21

tant one. The labor and responsible
ty of the Adjutant General have been
very great. The labor has always
been well and promptly performed,
and the responsibility cheertully borne.
The books of the Office are well sys-
tematizcd and kept in most excellent
condition. They embody mass OF
Information, in neat and accessible
form, that will, in the future, be high
ly useful to our soldiers and their
friends and to the state. 1t affords
me great pleasure to say, that much,
of whatever success has attended the
raising and organization Of troops in
this state, is due to the efficient SER
vices Of the present incumbent of that
office. The compensation, now allow
ed by law, is, in my Judgment, wholly
inadequant, and | recommend the in.
crease of the salary to the sum of two
thousand dollars per annum, with an
allowance for travelling and other ex-
traordinary expenses.
NATIONAL AFFAIRS.
I can not close this communication
and with it, my official connection
with the people of our state, without
adverting to the condition of national
affairs in which we are all so deeply
and so vitality interested.
The war for the destruction of the
Union on the one hand, and for its
hn ~ OF
on During the present year the sue
cesses of the Union armies have been
so numerous and 50 important that
the public mind appears to have set
tied down iuto the belief that our ul-
innate success is certain and not far
distant and is now, to some extent,
occupied with the question OF recon
struction, so-called-thc question as
to the manner in which, and the terms
and conditions upou which, the people
within the territory composing the
rebel states can again take part with
the people of the loyal states, in ad-
ministeripg the affairs Of the General
Government.
The President has recently issued q
Proclamation to the people Of the reb-
el states, in which he proposes to them
such terms and conditions as, in his
Judgment, are right and proper. He
proposes, in substance, that as soot
as a numbet of the voting population
of any one of these states, equal Il
one-tenth of the entire voting popula
tion of tie state, as shown at the las
Presidential election, shall take al
oath, the form of which is prescribed
and shall establish new government
Republican in form, and consistcn
with the terms of the prescribed oath
such government shall be recognize,
as the true government Of the state
and protccted-as such.
1t seems to me these terms and con
ditions are eminently just and prope
fair and liberal to those to whom
they are offered, and such as the pei
manent peace of the country requires
All the people in the rebel states
perhaps, in law, certainly, great ma
jority, both in law and in fact, hav
committed treason-are guilty of tina
crime before the law, and are liable I
the punishment affixed by law to tn
commission of that crime.
1t would not be safe and judicious
either to punish all or to permit all t.
escape punishment. The leaders, TIN
most guilty, should be punished. Th,
mass, the least guilty, should be par
doncd. An inspection of the exccp
ton from pardon, made by the Presi
dent. will show he has made this dis,
tinction.
But, in extending pardon to the
mass, lis just and proper that rea
sonable terms and conditions should
be made.
Upon accepting these terms and
conditions, the men now guilty OF
treason and liable to punishment as
criminals, are at once pardoned-are
restored to their rights as citizens
and again permitted to take part in
administering our government, and at
the same time, are restored to all their
rights Of property, except as to slaves,
and where the rights of third parties
have interviewed.
1t is directly or implicitly admitted
by all, that slavery is the cause of the
civil war now desolating the land, al
though different parties endeavor to
throw the immediate blame upon their
adversaries. The anti-slavery men Of
the country say that slavery is the
canse of the war because, being foun-
died on force, it is necessarily aggres-
sive in its character /; that it nccessa-
rily makes Shareholders, as class,
naughty, overbearing, impatient of
control and unwilling to submit their
opinions to those Of the majority,
whom they consider their interiors
Some of the rebels admit, frankly,
that the desire to perpetuate slavery
and to make it the corner stone" of
the new confederacy, caused the re-
bellion, while others and their apollo
gists generally. insist, that the cause
Of our troubles is. not slavery itself,
but the fanatacism of anti.slavery
men on the subject Of slavery and
there is still another class OF our peo-
pie who declare, that in their judg-
ment. the cause of the war is to be
found in the fanatacism upon the
subject of slavery among extremists,
North and South. These arc but va
rious statements of the same thing,
showing that, however prejudice or
partnership may seek to evade or dis
guisc the fact, our people, generally,
recognize slavery as the cause Of the
war.
1t is also true that slavery has been
very much weakened since the war
began very large numbers Of slaves
have been set free, in fact, while other
very large numbers. yet under the
partial control of their masters, have
been so operated upon by events as
to make them unfit for slaves 1t is,
indeed, thought by many men. North
and South, that in any event, slavery
will perish.
IL 10 alcn frpn that tho ti-slaypry