The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-03-05

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source and strength. The rebellion was
he crime Of that institution and for that
crime the institution should have received
1t his hands the death blow in the entire
land, for it is everywhere essentially the
same in its relations to this war. 1t were
as wise to attempt to execute sentence OF
death upon n condemned criminal by cut
ting off q hand or a foot, as under the Cir
cumstances of this time to liberate slaves in
the insurgent region and vet to leave the
slave system untouched. Had the Presi-
dent proclaimed the instant and universal
eXtirpation of the system, il would have
been but the logical sequence Of holding
Slavery to be the cause of the rebellion,
and the logic wonld have swept the heart
of the Nation aud the public sentiment Of
The world with resistless and boundless
power The Border Slave States might for
a time have demurred, perhaps growied, |
possibly attempted to resist; but ere this
loyalty and patriotism would have indicat-
ed the justice Of totally destroying for the
courtry's sake what assumed to destroy
the country, and Of exacting from the insti-
tuition, as a whole, the penalty Of its unpar
alleled crime against liberty, humanity,
and God.
THE PRESIDENTS EMANCIPATION pROCLA-
NATION.
Not for censure upon the President have
l thus advered 10 what consider the de-
feet OF his great act of Emancipation.
thank him for that act; the human race is
his debtor for it, and for it history will hon.
or him. only regret that he should not
have seen his way clear to pronounce the
doom Of slavery in the whole land. But yet
may 1t not be that the completion OF this grand
Uork has been left by Precedence to the loyal
people of the Border States as their special
privilege and pec.liar glory? They have
sent forth their sons to every battlefield for
the Union; but SO has the North. Ihey
have mourned over their slain in the bat
ties under the old flag: but SO has the
North. In all these things the free States
of the North, and the Border States have
moved together, sharing the tolls, the dan
gers, the su1terings, the sorrows and sacrl-
tices OF this unequaled war. But BESIDE all
this. it is for these Border States 10 lay up
on their country's altar d nobler sacrifice
than any the North can bripg; tits for them
to give the final eXterminaiing blow to that
institution which has wound itself into the
deepest recesses OF their domestic and So
cial life, and their organized existence. and
proclaim at once emancipation 10 the black
race and deafness freedom TO the white
| Applause.
| saw the final exterminating blow, be-
cause 1t is for those States to give It SO lar
as separate State action IS concerned. With
the full assent of my deliberate Judgment,
| I hold that the Proclamation OF Enancipa.
ton was a constitutional exercise OF the
war power of the nation, and that, IN law,
| it did. at the moment Of its issue, free eve
ry slave in the whole region embraced in
its terms; and hold, moreover, tina. il was
no temporary expedient, like the marching
OF an army, forward to-day, to be counter
marched tomorrow, if strategy require, but
a fiat Of instant, eternal emancipation, new
er TO be recalled, and not possible to be re-
called, SO as thereby to lose a jot OF its orig
inal and binding force. AND such, De-
lieve, will be the judgment Of the Supreme
Court OF the United States, whenever the
validity and force OF that Proclamation
shall be contested there. Bat whether sc
or not. the Proclamation is backed up by
half million OF most potent arguments
tipped with steel, which will never be
sheathed, and ought never 10 be, till Slavery
is admittedly extinct. in theory and in fact
in all rebeldom, aud buried beneath new
, formed Constitutions Of Freedom. re-an
nouncjng its resurrection eternally lmpos
sible Vociferous Applause.l II such bt
the righteous retrlbutioE on paricldal Sla
t very, the limits of It's territorial possesslor
, are already dwiudled to those of the Border
. States To end il there, ends il everywher'
, in America. And there, powerless ant
cringing. il awaits that final exterminatins
J blow from the patriots of those States, ant
. shall they not give It? That, my friends
is with us the great question o. the hour
: The source, the power, the very lie OF IN
g rebellion is Slavery, and the rebellion WI
. not survive Siavery's death. Deedlnl
q country calls aloud for its destruction; tn
: vengetul halloo Of justice is on It's track
/ the Angel Of Liberty brandishes her flam
\ ing sword across its path. History pant
to record It's downfall, and shall we shrnl
Q from letting fall the blow? lNoices-Nc
= nol Shall we, 10 whom IS LEFT only IN
: hem OF ihls poisoned garment, refuse 10 ex
4.s.t NO ra. 81 trttp
\ which we wouit; Toe conscious OF paying
n price above wba. other patriots paid? ]
: the Constitution worth so little tha; we WI
refuse to sacrifice this b!ood-s;ained inst
tuition Tor il? Is the Union So small IN va
ue that we viii balance i; III one hani 9n
: Slavery IN the other, hesitatIng when
7 choose? Is the infinite honor of guardian
y ship over Human Freedom such a baubl
: in our eyes that we will prove faithless
i the trust rather than abandon S!avery?-
4 ssFor one. say" in the words Of kentut
r ky's noblest and greatest son, never, neUei
4 NEvER!' And from the graves OF the Re,
It olution, could our fathers speak, would com
i to US this hour, the quick and stern re-
: ponse, s'never, never, NEVER" lRepeate
It applause.']
Il THE NIaaER PREFERRED TO THE UNION
I'll But il is not to be denied, that in ever
,. Border Slave State, there are many WI
q deliberately prefer Slavery to the Uniol
= and in their blind devotion TO the form'
d can see no higher law of patriotism cons'
s- Grating them to the latter. They are ira
10 tors, whatever they may seem. Othe
l. there are who profess Unionism, but loI
v for Slavery with the Union; yielding to Il
n strange delusion that after all. in the no
l. rible record of the last three years, there
n vet room on this continent for both. The
1t are but little better than the first. Other
n again, love the Union. but. like Lots VII
D. cannot forbear to look back upon the >
y dom Of Slavery, though fire is raining upt
Re it, and they stand like her, congealed, wit
r: their steps towards the Union, but the
u faces toward Slavery, Laughter and q
n plause.l Still others deny unwillingne
J. TO give up Slavery for the Unions SAX
is but whine at losing their "niggers," wit
,e cut being paid for them, and quote, WI
of emphasis. the constitutional declaratio
h that "private property shall not be TAX
I'd for public use without compensation
,e but do not remember, that un
re Slavery pays back to the nation the tho
id sands Of millions of treasure which It's "
in upon the Union has cost the RepuDil
there is .sno money in the treasury not OF
~ o..,,;co or.o,~r;otn1 - ont of which TO d;