The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1864-09-07
For the TIMES

For the TIMES
The evils of despotism are rapidly tight
ening their hold on the liberties Of the
people. By one prctext after another, are
their dearest rights taken away and their
liberties imperiled. By falsehoood and
fraud the spirit of faction is set in blaze,
and hatreds are kindled in every neighbour
hood by the tools of arbitrary power, until
deep seated pervading gloom has seized
on the minds of good men in every corner
of the land. Where arc the great land marks
Of the Constitution to-day? Gone down
in the mighty upheaval and overthrow
of law and order. Where are the great
lights of human liberty? Gone-glimmer-
ing in the gathering night Of despotism.
The spy and the informer crawl in the
darkness or invade the privacy Of domestic
life. Suspicion and distrust darken every
countenance, lest some Titus Cakes catch.
ing up careless word shall hurry away
to tell it in the Star Chamber, or breathe
it in the ear Of Jeffrys. To deepen the
gloom and increase the alarm, comes mil
itary decree robbing the people of the
Western, States of their right to buy, or
bears arms for their defence. "a well re-
gulated militia being necessary to the Sc.
curity of free State, the right of the peo-
pie to keep and bear arms shall not be
infringed." Where lies the security guar
anteed by this sacred provision of the
Constitution? Hold for naught, demolished
by the imperial Abraham Without arms,
a people may be secure, but with the right
to bear them taken dway, they become help.
less playthings of arbitrary power. Close
in the wake of this despo.ic edict, stalks
a more threatening danger. A military
despotism may, protect, while it enslaves,
but when the spirit of faction rides on
the storm and RACES with the fires of = pal
tisan malignity, what security has lowly
Innocence in its retirement, or exalted
Worth in public place. This fell spirit has
our State Executive invoked. Abraham has
tied the feet and bound the hands Of the
people, and does the State Executive now
propose to arm its adherents and turn
them loose to prey en- the liberties of their
fellow men? What means that strange
and unheard Of Oath that holds in bondage
the honor and the souls Of men Is it not
enough that a freeman should take the old
time honored oath to support the Consti-
tuition and obey the laws. Must he crawl
on his belly and eat dirt-must he swear to
"obey all the orders coming to him from
the Governor OF this State no matter
how arbitrary or illegal. Must. he stab at
liberty if the Governor commands. Must
he surrender at, some Shiloh if cowardice
hangs out its flag. Must he swear that "he
desires to see the war prosecuted with vigor
until the rebellion is crushed" thus forever
forswearing all desire or hope of restoring
the Union by. any other means. Must
Abraham's "'ro whom it may concern lie
thrust down the threats of dissatisfied
people with partisan bayonets.,
The platform adopted at. Chicago ex.
presses the deep seated conviction of two
millions of men in the Northern States,
when it says that "Justi,e, Humanity, Lab
erty and the public welfare demand, that
immediate efforts be made for the cessation
of hostilities, with view to an ultimate
convention of the States, or other peace.
lo 10 tha hot
practicable moment Peace may be restored
on the basis of the Federal States" Must
all these men abandon their convictions
and foreswear their faith, before they may
receive back their birth right to bear arms
in the defence of free State Must all
freedom Of opinion be encased in this glib.
bet of death and drawn and quartered with
this 'iron bound oath ?" Does the party
in power seek to perpetuate it's dominion
by this despotic trickery that puts to shame
the greatest robbers of human rights that
have ever stained the pages Of history with
their follies or their crimes? What means
that instruction to the Adjutant General,
ITO commission those only in the militia
who are known to be strictly loyal?" Sim.
ply this: that none are loyal who can not
conscientiously take the "iron bound oath"
The two millions of men who stand by the
Chicago Platform, and who will vote for
Geo. B. Mcclellan cannot and will not take
that oath! They will look upon its au.
thors as the enemies of human liberty and
on those who, for little hollow fame, sur
render up their self respect and manhood
by taking the oath as the instrument of
one Of the most crushing despotisms that
has ever attempted to insult or enslave
mankind. In the name Of Almighty God,
let an earnest appeal 60 up to the State
Executive, that the hand may be turned
back on the dial Of Despo.ism, before the
curfew bell shall toll the midnight hour of
Freedoms hope. @@H# its.
BRICK PoMERoY.--Our city should not
fail to make up club for the La Crosse
Democrat. Brick publishes paper SO
lively, so witty, and so 9independenl that
even his spponents cannot do without it.
The language Of our eccentric friend is not
aluavS IF iha annthact bind lint IL