The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1864-02-23

cietv, with the safeguards and protec
ton which once existed.
To justify revolution there must b.
cause and 10 justify its continuance az
ter commenced there must be an end te
be attained. The slavery agitation was
the cause, and the preservation Of the in.
sti.u,ion was the end sought to be at
tanned. If the revolution is 10 prove the
destruction of the very end proposed,
then no object is TO be arrived at, which
will justify prolonging the struggle
Then the question naturally is, will the
continuance Of the struggle save the in.
siitu.ion? Had the Southern States the
power to resist the tide against them-or
rather, had the slave interest in the
Southern States the power to do SO, then
the end proposed could be attained
This, then, is the point in controver-
sy.
The Confederate States threw off the
government Of the United States and
the United States are endeavoring to re-
establish the authority Of the old govern.
ment over the territory of those States
that have thus thrown off that authority
II the United States Government has the
physical power to reinstate its authority
everywhere that it once existed, ofcourse
it is the intention of those who control
that power, to do so and they intend to
re establish it where they can. They
have armed for that purpose, and the
question again is, can the United States
government push forward its power over
all the South?
Certain il is, that If the armed strug.
gle continues. and the Federal power is
pushed fol ward in the same ratio for
eighteen months to come, that ii has ad
vanced since the war began, the whole
labor system Of the South will be un-
systematised. The question may here
naturally be asked. viii the restoration OF
the United States government restore
the labor system of the South, and give
security? believe it will. 1t will Sc
cure to the State the right to dispose OF
its labor system in the way and manner
that shall accord with the eircumstan.
ces surrounding us. We can't subsist
without labor, nor can the labor system
be changed all of sudden without ru.
in. We can have no system Of labol
without government and we can have no
government so long as the war contin.
ues. And we can have no means of
carrying on the war without labor. The
authorities of the Confederate misrule
could do nothing and can do nothing to
regulate the finances withou, the basis
Of labor. That is what has ruined the
finances Of our country-the destruction
of the labor--the war has destroyed the
labor and disunion brought the war
Remove the causes of the prostration.
and We may have yet some prosperity.
Can patriot look calmly on and see
the cause Of whole country's ruin, and
make no effort to remove the cause?-
Mere fighting will not return us our la,
borers. We have fought gSllantly. The
world is satisfied with its chivalry and
vslor Of the Southern people but the
law OF physical force and the want oi
unanimity OF action are both against G
cause OF the Confsderates. Can't the
same physical power which has made lis
way from the Ohio to the Tennessee,
make its way further down. 10 the Gulf?
We known that there is wide differ
erence between overrunning the coun.
try aud subjugs.ing it. But to destroy
the labor system of the South il is only
necessary that the Federal arms shall
overrun the country. And what oan
the South do when The labor is taken
away? 1t may be thought that the la
borers cannot be taken from the country
but tlat thought is a delusion. The
condition of the country has been grow
ing worse every year Of the war and j.
the prospect of relief as good now as il
was twelve months ago?
And now is it not time TO ask our.
selves the question. wha, have we gain.
ed by the war. or what are we likely ,c
gain? What can be expected when the
labor OF the country ceases? What can
we export? and if we can export nothing
can We import anything? and if We
can import nothing can we prosper
Neither can we live within ourselves. fol
we cannot live without labor. Ii the ne.
gro laborers are taken from the country
we must have the white lsborers to ill
the ground and il the fields are cult
waited by white laborers how is The army
TO be recruited? and il The army is no,
recruited what is TO prevent the enlir,
subjugatiou of the country This is The
degradation from which / would sav,
my country. But this reduction is in
evitable by the very process stated. i
hostilties continue. There is no way
of escape. IL may be true that strug
gle nigh, be prolonged through series
of years, amid privations and difficulties
and independence achieved. but ,her,
would be nothing left upon which TO en-
Joy that Independence.
know that it will be said that / An
desponding. am no more despondin,
now than | was in 1869 in anticipation o
disruption. nor than was in April
1861, after dissolution. when l made Al
appeal TO the country 10 reconstruct th
Union OF the States. have been disap
pointed in this : that l thought il woul,
| take at least ten or fifteen wears TO re