The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-01-16

OF acceptance. To he thus uneasy about
the maintainance of Slavery in the North
argues to our minds quite too much tend
erness for the South. We lock with sus-
picion upon this pretended Abolitionism
whose unfrendly eNactions we're first put
forth on tho very day illumineain America
by the dawn of abolition. We frankly
say we could never have foreseen
that the election Of MIR Lincoln aud the
several acts which we have Just enumer-
ated would be an endless cause of COM
plant, and distrust and unworthy denun-
cation from SO many men who plume
themselves ish Europe upon their hatred Of
Slavery.
And since to destroy the North in pub
lie opinion il was not enou-il to accuse It
of too much favor for Slavery, another
grievance has been found. The North OPP
pressed the South The struggle was Of
two nationalitiesi The South had risen
for Independence.
It's independence there were then sub
lect provinces in the heart al the Union2
Doubtless these provinces haC no part in
the government Of the country. the South
ha, not the same rights as the North? Of
course the South was held in This State al
interority and subection by numerous
Federal garrisons? Not at all. MI the
States enjoyed the same rights. took ike
part in elections. lfany section was favor
ea 1t was the South, to which 4 farther sut-
fragc was granted in proportion to the
number Of its slaves. Ii any advantage
had been enjoyeti il was by the South,
which had given the ma oritv Of Presidents
and chief officers. Yet II this free country,
u country without an army, and whose
material means as well rs laws were a suf-
fcient barrier against oppression, We are
told Of 4 province claiming Independence
We are of your opinion, gentlemen, that
ind, pcnd.ace and nationciity are words too
t.l 1 Il. - IL.
are compromised, and the more noble and
sacred these things the more careful should
we be not to .ontounu them with what is
neither noble nor sacfed-a revolt in the
uanle Of Slavery, iraticidal revolt which
would destroy a free Constitution and
tear asunder common country for fear
les. there might he interference Tith the
internal slave traffic, the continued breed
ing IN Virginia, the sale and separation of
families, and lest percbanee some 'Tarrito-
ries should be shut out from the conIuests
of Slavery.
In vain we seek in the United States for
a nation striving 10 gam lis independence
assailed, but there is absolutely ne trace of
a separate nationality. Nowhere. perhaps.
is there Il more thorough national homoge-
nifty. North and South the race is the
same; faith, language, history, and, We
boldly add, Interests are all the same. Al
these States have struggled together, sut-
tered together, triumphed together. Their
glories their defeats are common. Their
Constitution sprung from the free consent
OF all; all pledged themselves alike 10 re-
main faithful to its obligations.
This pledge is no empty word with which
| caprice may idly sport. Among the inven-
tions of our epoch there is none moro ex-
traordinary than the r!gIt of secession.
Those who discovered il will no doubt
teach us where it should stop. If each Sec
ton has right of secession from the coun-
try as 81 whole. why not each State a right
of secession from such section? Why not
each county right Of secession from the
State? Why not each town right of Sc
cessiOn FROM the county? Why not each
The truth is. that but for Slavery, the
South would not talk Of its suppressed in
dependence, nor of the right of secession.
Slavery has brought the two sections to
strife. The extinction of Slavery will re-
store Unity. The North and the South will
some day wonder that they could have
failed to appreciate the most complete and
homogeneous Of nationalities.
A last resort remains. That we here may
not see the great struggle on the subject of
Slavery, an attempt is made to present the
struggle as one for domination.
But this latter struggle is the very life Of
free countries. 1t is not surprising that the
v,
eaergetically, noisily for the triumph OF
their candidate and policy. But when one
Of them, losing the battle Of the ballot,
plunges without hesitation into another
kind of battle; when il resists, arms in
hand, the result Of regular election
when on the very day that il ceases to rule
it tears into fragments the common coup-
try, it is guilty Of a crime for which it is
difficult to imagine an excuse.
IL.
You will crush the revolt, gentlemen.
You will succeed-sucn is our belef-in
| establishing the Union. 1t will emerge
| from the bloody trial stronger, more free,
| more worthy OF the noble destiny 20 which
God summons it.
| 1t has been demonstrated to US, it is true,
that the ere-establishment of the Union was
| impossible; butt was not also demonstrate
ed 10 US, and by irrefutable argument, that
you would be always and of necessity
| defeated that you would never know how
to handle musket that recruiting would
| become impracticable that your finances
would be exhausted; thai your loans
come bankrupt; that riots would ravage
your cities; that your government would
! be overthrOwn. You have given to all
| these oraces the simplest and best answer.
You will reply in the same manner to
those who assert that the establishment
! OIL the CntOn IS lfipOSSlpie.
| What seems really impossible is not to
restore the Union. Where draw the line
| between North and Souji2 How maintain
| between them u state of Peace, or even o1
trnce2 How shall Slavery and Liberty live
side by side? How, moreover, restrain the
South from European protectorates, and by
what means arrest the frightfnl conse-
quences OF such protectorates? Gcogra-
ph;cally, morally, politically, separation
would create an unnatural situation, q sit
: uation violent and hazardous where each
would live, arms in hand, waiting for the
hour Of conflict.
We have full faith, gentlemen, that such
a trial will be spared to you. 1t is not
that we overlook the difficulties which
stili remain for you TO overcome;
they arc great. greater perhaps than we
Imagine. War has its yicissi.udes, and you
may perhaps be yet called upon to pass
through periods Of i'll fortune. Yet one
fac; always remain, aud shows on which
side tho final triumph viii be ionnd, sup
posing TINT there be no foreign interven-
ton. The flag Of the Union has now, fof
Two years, never paused in its advance
IL 1aGaf1 TODAY over thp soil of cyerV re-