The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-02-13

NOVeTHOT 10 Call INC lIeplSiaeuic-auu III
struct their representatives to provide for
convention; and certainly no Governor
will undertake to set at defiance an express
sion OF the voice Of the people. But should
the Governor refuse to yield to an express
sion Of the wish of the people to have con-
vention, then the people may by their prl-
mary meetings resolve upon the election OF
delegates to Il convention with view to
deliberate upon the condition Of the coun-
try, and to act with the lights before the
world for the safety Of the country. Let
the great body Of the people of each State
assemble once more to act for themselves,
and the world will be better satisfied.
For near three years have the Confeder-
ate States been anxiously awaiting the in
terpositiOn of some foreign power to put an
end 70 the sheddingof blood, and to the wild
ruin and devastation all over the broad
land. The power to appeal to is at hand.
Let the people be heard. The inhabitants
of the land are the sufferers. They want
government, civil authority. 1t is their
right to be heard. For three years their
voice has been stfled.
Upon what terms NAV the Union he re-
stored? Just as il was, save the feature OF
African slavery. 1t is evident that the
South must make material change upon
the question before she can again live in
peace with the world. Nations more for
midable in all the elements of power than
/ tie StulueIu States, nave ClteA UcSh iOiSS.t
| TO yield to the pressure against them, ana
to change their policy. This great moral,
religions and political question we should
meet like men, as becomes a christian peo-
pie. We should meet it openly and boldly,
and If the voice Of ChristendOm IS against
us, WELD 10 that voice TO the voice OF Goa.
We have undertaken 10 fight out Of it, but
1t sticks the closer 10 us. We cannot shut
ourselves up within the cotton States and
detiantly proclaim TO the world that our
system is peculiar to ourselves and it must
not he investigated. 1t was thought ny
many tina; we could be independent Of the
world. and that the world was dependent
on US.
What now is the social condition 81 the
South? Not a family to be found Dnt
nlOurnS the loss of some inmate. Fiction
never pictured what reality has disclosed.
Fathers have been slain in battle. Sons
have been sacrificed. Thousands of brave
men have persisted on the ground where
some memorable battle has been fought, AS
if to try the skill Of commanders i'll con
Quoting the instruments Of destruction.
1 Ii is time to put an end to the desolation
of home to the slaughter of kindred and
the ruin Of friends. The restoration ofgov-
| eminent saves our honor az political COM
munities. reconstructs social life, gives Sc
curity TO the person, reputation and prop
erty. There are those who affect disdain at
/
it would dishonor and soil foreverthe char
acter of the Southern people. To recon-
struct the Union is 10 re-establish law, or
der and constitutional authority. 1t is to
re-establish society, with the safeguards
and projections which once existed.
To justify revolution there must be a
cause: and to justify its continuance after
it has been begun. there must be an end to
be attained. The slavery agitation was the
cause, and the preservation of the institu-
ton was the end sought to be attained. II
the revolution is to prove the destruction OF
the very end proposed, then no object IS
to be arrived at, which will Justify pro-
naturally is, will the continuance Of the
struggle save the institution? Had the
Southern States the power to resist the tide
against them-or rather had the slave in
terest in the Southern States the power 10
do so, then the end proposed could be at
tanned. This, then, is the point in contro-
!. versy.
!, The Confederate States threw off the
Government OF the United States: and the
United States are endeavoring TO re-es-
+ tablish the authority Of the old Govern
ment over the territory Of those States that
have thus thrown of that authority. II
the United States Government has the
physical power to reinstate its authority
everywhere that it once existed, of course
f it is the intention of those who control that
power TO do so; and they intend to re-es-
tablish it where they can. They have
armed for that purpose, and the question
again is, can the United States Govern
f ment push forward its power over all the
!. South?
! continues, and the Federal power is pushed
J forward in the same ratio for eighteen
months to come, that it has advanced since
the war began, the whole labor system OF
the South will be unsystematized. The
question may here naturally be asked, will
the restoration of the United States Gov
eminent restore the labor system OF the
South; and give it security? l believe il
will. 1t vii. secure to the State the right
!, to dispose OF its labor system in the way
and manner that shall accord with the cir
; cumstances surrounding us. We can,
, subsist without labor, nor can the labor
system be changed all of a sudden without
ruin. We can have no system Of labor
without Government, and we can have nc
Government so long as the war continues
} And we can have no means or carrying on
the war without labor. The authorities Of
, the Confederate misrule could do nothing
and can % nothing to regulate the finances
without the basis OF labor. That - what
. has ruined the finances OF our country
) the destruction of the labor-the war has
, destroyed the labor; and disunion brough,
the war Remove the causes Of the pros.
; tration, and We may yet have some pros
perity. Can patriot look calmly on, and
zee the cause of a whole.country 8 ruin, anG
make no effort to remove the cause? Mere
fighting will not return us our laborers.-
, We have fought gallanty. The world is
, satisfied with the chivalry and valor Of the
3 Southern people; but the law Of physical
force and the want of unanimity of actor
: are both against the cause of the Confeder.
ates. Can't the same physical power which
4 has made its way from the Ohio to the Ten
/ nessee make its way further down, to the
r Cuff We know that there is a wide diff
5 ference between Overrunning the country
and subugating it. But to destroy the la
' Dor system of the South it is only necessary
Q that the Federal arms shall overrun thu
e country. And what can the South do wheX
| the labor is taken away? 1t may be though
| that the laborers cannot be taken from thu
, country, but that thought is delusion.-
The condition of the country has beer
t growing worse every. year Of the war; ant
e is the prospect Of relief as good now as i
!. was twelve months ago?
e And now is it not time to ask ourselve.
the question, what have we gained by thu
:, ,yor ~ what arc we likolv TO rain0 VIVA