The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1864-08-04

inevitably invite and call forth; when oul
green fields Of waving harvests shall be trod
den down by the murderous soldiery and
fiery car of war speeping over oar land, OIL
temples of justice laid in ashes, oil the hor
rors and desolations Of war upon US, who
but this convention viii be held responsible
for It, and who but he that shall give his
vote for this unwise and ill., timed m easure
shall be held to strict account for this suici.
dal act BY the present generation. and prob
ably cursed and execrated by posterity in
oil coming time, for the wide and desolating
ruin that will inevitably follow this aot you
now propose to perpetrater
Pause, entreat you, and consider for .
moment what reasons you can give tina, will
even satisfy yourselves in calmer moments,
what reasons you can give to your fellow
sufferers in the calamity that II will bring
What reasons can you give to the nations Of
the earth to justify it.
They will be the calm and deliberate judges
in the case; and to what cause. or one overt
act, can You point. on which to rest the plea
ofjustification' What rights has the North
assailed? What interest of the South has
been invadedf What justice has been de-
MED, or what claim, founded in justice and
right, has been withheldi Can any of you
to-day name one governmental act Of wrong
deliberately and purposely done by the gov.
ernment At Washington, of which the South
has right to complaint l challenge the
answer.
On the other hand. let lne show the facts
of which wish you to Judge; and I will
only state facts, which are clear and unde.
niable, and which now stand as records au-
thentlc in the history Of our country. When
we Of the South demanded the slave trade,
or the importation Of Africans for the culti-
walton Of our lands. did they not yield the
right for twenty yearsi When We asked
for three -fifths representation in Congress
for our slaves, was it not granted, When
we demanded the return Of fugitive from
justice, or the recovery of those persons ow-
ing labor or allegiance, was il not incorpor-
ted in the Constitution, and again ratified
and strengthened in the Fugitive Slave Law
Of 185Oi When We asked that more terri
tory should be added that We might spread
the institution Of slavery, have they net
yielded to our demands in giving Louisiana,
Florida. and Tsxas, ont Of which four states
have been carved. and ample territory for
four more to be added in due time, IL you,
BY this unwise and impo.itic aot. do not de-
stroy this hope, and perhaps by It lose all.
ard have your last slave wrenched from you
by stern military rule, as South America
and Mexico were, or by the vindictive de.
cree Of universal emancipation, which may
reasonably be expected to followi
But what have we to gain by this proposed
change Of our relations to the general gov
We have ALWAYS had the con.
troll of it, and can yet, il We remain in it,
md are united as we have been. We have
had . majority Of the Presidents chosen
from the South. as well as the control and
of most Of those chosen from
the North. We have had sixty years of
Southern Presidents to their twenty four.
thus controlling the Executive department
So ofthe Judges of the Supreme Court, we
have had eighteen from the South, and but
eleven ftom the North. Although nearly
four hfths Of the judicial business has aris-
en- in the free States. Yet majority of the
Court has alwavs been from the South
This we have required 40 as to guard
against any interpretation Of the Constitu-
ton unfavorabe to US. In like manner we
have been equally watchful to guard our in
tsrests in the Legislative branch Of govern
ment. In choosing the presiding Presidents
(pro tenn. } Of the Senate, we have had twen-
ty -four to their eleven. Speakers Of the
House we have had twenty three and they
twelve While the majority Of represents
tives, from their greater population, have
always been from the North, yet We have
% generally secured the Speaker, because
he, to great extent, shapes and controls
the legislation Of the country.
Nor havs.re had less control in every
other department Of the general government.
or Attorney Generals We have had fourteen,
while the North have had but ave. OF
Foreign Ministers we have had eighty six.
and they had but 6fty.sour. While three
fourths Of the business which demands dip
lomatic agents abroad is clearly ftom the
free States, from their greater commercial
interest, yet We have had the principal ON
bassies, 20 ~ to secure the worlds mar
ksts for our cotton. tobacco. and sugar, on
the best possible terms. We have had .
vast majority Of the higher officers Of both
army and navy, while larger proportion Of
the soldiers and sailors zero drawn from
the North. Equally 90 Of clerks, auditors
and comptrollers filing the Executive do
partment. the record shows for the last fif
ty years that of the three thousand thu
employed, We have had moro than two
thirds Of the same, while we have but one
third of the white population of the rspub
lie. Again, look at another item. in which
We have great and vital interest, that o
revenue, or means Of supporting govern
ment From official documents we lear
that fraction over tkrss JourtAs Of tAs rss
snus collected for the support Of covers