The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-08-20

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BURLINGTON WEI
known OF lashing the Admiral 70 the mast.
Farragut apparently has no la4e Of such :
thing as failure. That IL the cert Il men
who don't fail
| IN. There never was war, perhaps, to
which there was not some opposition
among the people engaged in it. To most
| wars It is probable an opposition was to
some extent just, for most vars originate
il wrong-doing. But to this war which
we are now waging there is no just basis
for opposition. We did not begin it. We
never did anything that furnished even
an apology or excuse for the rebels to be-
gin it. On the contrary, we did all that
men could do to avert it. We waited pa
tiently while outrage after outrage was
committed, from November 1850 to April
1851, in hopes that reason would. at last
assume control in the South, and its peo-
ple retrace their steps and return to duty.
Nothing we could say or do had the slight
est influence upon them. They went on
from bad to worse. Acts Of rebellion and
war almost innumerable were committed
before we could be kicked into the belief
that war was inevitable. The assault on
Sumter, at last carried conviction to the
hearts and minds Of the people and
aroused them to the peril. Before that
they had continued to hope for peace
They hoped no longer. They at last were
convinced that it was the deliberate pur-
pose Of those who controlled the South to
disintegrate the Nation, to destroy the
Union, and establish on our borders new
and gipimioA government They acted
thernpoc that conviction. There was and
could he no question about our right to
maintain, at all costs, our territorial integ-
rity and sovereignty. To doubt that is
simply to affirm that Nationality is i'm
possible-that government is impossible,
that Constitutions and law, and all the
Safeguards Of social existance, are a
''sham," delusion and Of no validity
whatever. aa
We had tried all other means and failed.
We might have waited much longer with
out realizing whittier We were drifting.
But the rebels would not permit. They
were determined that we should be pushed
into the war, and they did it. To be sure
they fattered themselves that we would
not make much tight. No doubt they i'm
agined we would all prove recreant to our
duty, and that they would succeed without
much effort They had associated with on
" such Northern dough-faces as now con-
stitute the Copperhead faction. They knew
their baseness and cowardice, and supposed
the rest Of Us were equally base and slav-
ish. They thought they would have an
easy time Of it, but they were terribly de-
'ceived. The mass Of men in the North
don't like war. Rnt for that very reason
they are the most dangerous people in the
world to war against. They would have
avoided this had it been possible. But be-
ing compelled to undertake it or submit
ignominiously to the overthrow OF the Un-
ion, their minds were at once made up to
sustain the government Of their fathers
through al perils and at every cost until'
the rebels were subdued to it's legitimate
control and once more obedient 10 its au-
thority.
how can there be one? IL not treason
wrong? Ought it not to be punished
Does it not deserve severer penalty than
any other possiblecrime? Jsitnot rightthat
men should support eheir government, and
particularly one that has conferred such
countless and infinite blessings as has ours
upon all Of usY should not nation as.
sert its integrity and maintain its author
ityf Can Nation exist if il fails TO do
this3 Can it assent to its own dissolution
at the bidding Of few ambitious and ty-
rannous villains, without causing an infin-
itude Of evils, more horrible than any war
of any length can possibly BET 1t is the
duty Of every nation to maintain itself. I'll
is more the duty Of this than Of any othepf
because upon its maintenance depends Tho
existence Of republican institutions. The
war would be holy one were our govern
ment different. AS it is, it is the most sa-
cred Of any yet waged for the perpetuation
of the rights of man.
It was.just in the beginning. 1t is just
and righteous stin. If 1t has lasted longer
than was hoped, il it has cost more sacri-
fees than were anticipated, if the resist
ance has been greater than many looked
for, will that excuse us for failure now?
Should We not rise up to the magnitude of
the crisis, and prove ourselves equal, nay,
superior to u Is not the good to be secu-
red infinitely above all computation and
worthy Of every sacrifice and our uttermost1
exertions? Is not failure now our ever
lasting ruin? We cannot fail If we do our
duty. All that is necessary is that we
work on and fight on, and sustain the Coy
eminent as Is simply our duty and the re-
bellion win be quelled, the country paci-
fed and the Republic established on al
foundation no future rebellion will disturb.
We must fight 1t through, or we die as the
dog dieth, and human liberties die with us.