The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-07-02
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.upIrN0ToN WEEKLY HAWK EYE
"a PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY MORNING,
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one copy one year IS O. O.
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The Democracy for Slavery ne
cent Votes.
nv Democracy, we mean neither tne ne
nublican party Of Jefferson. nor tnal .,
Jackson: nor even that which supporter
Van Buren, nor in fact any OF those nOhesl
and patriotic men who supported ihe Dell
ocratic party in times past, because ivy
really believed it a party OF iloesdl .ae"s'
n2friotic sentiments and humane ins'inels.
Marv nlain and upright men have follow
ed the Democratic party because 'ney
thonrht il held their views, sentiments anu
instincts. although much cOnlOunoeu Dy
tho reneated contradictions ana lnccnslS-
,ancias If their leaders. The time has come,
however. in which it is Impossible lor az
honest man to follow the Democratic 1.Gne,
jn opposition to all when consusu,eo tne
spirit and vitality OF tue parry. heneo
AZ NOT mean. by that name, that great and
honest body OF Democrats who are Low
raljvinr for their country and for human
l;hortv But we do mean those whom the
,.onnis call .sCopperheads," and who call
themselves the Union Conservative De-
mocracy, How much they are for Union
NAV be known by the fact, that they NOM
inated and supported Nalianulsnam IN
1s63. who thought it q nice thing to divide
the country into four parts. What Con
seryative" means may be known, by their
nresent votes on Slavery, in which they
rorserve all that is evil in the country or
;ts institutions. In all the party conflicts
nf the past, the Democratic party with all
errors of conduct and policy, never did
place itself fairly and squarely on the ground
Of Slavery. That was reserved Tor the Con-
- nn~ x<~rf fkan AnU
II ia not very surprising they should do
this in Kentucky, where they have personal
interests to serve; but that they should do
II in Ohio, or Illinois, or New York must
he regarded as most extraordinary moral
and political phenomenon. They must be
acquitted of mere selfishness; no act could
serve their party interests less. The South
has no resurrection Of slavery for them; no
more political rewards for those who clean
boots and lick platters. The North has
taken it's irreversible resolution, DeIendd
est Ccythago 10 written on the shield of eve
~ soldier who marches to the South. We
search in vain, therefore, for any motive Of
interest TO explain the phenomenon. In
want of any conceivable motive, we can
only place it theologically to the account of
total depravity. Let the facts illustrate II !:
ton BY prohibiting slavery, the entire con-
servative Democracy voted No. In other
words, they voted positively to maintain
Slavery. Some of the more shrewd men,
bers Of New York and Pennsylvania saw
that it was very doubtful step and at
tempted apologies. Some thought it a
very inauspicious time. Others thought
the Constitution ought not to be amended
except by necessity. This is certainly a
curious reason, when We reflect that the
Constitution has received twelve amend
ments, and one Of them (the 10th,) the
chief ground for nullifcation. If the peo-
pie of the United States are not as capable
of Judging in 1854 as they were in 1877, OF
what their constitution ought to be. they
have gone backwar and If they are not
to change their constitution when new
ideas, new events and new circumstances
arise, they might as well live under the
Code Napoleon, or adopt the bed OF Pro-
curtes. The Constitution provided the
most ample means of amending itself, for
the very reason that it might be adapted 10
the changing condition of the country
Among the persons who figured in this III
diculous apology was Mr.. George Pendle-
ton, representative of the first district Of
Ohio. He is reported thus:
'Mr. Pendleton Of Ohio said that he
approached this subject with diffidence,
and that he believed in the constant pro-
gress of political science, and was anxious
to answer it's Just demands but that be
was profoundly convinced that we should
touch lightly the organic law of Govern
ment which had, by the sparing exercise
of very limited powers, maintained civil
order, and yet attained an unparalleled de-
velopment of national prosperity amids'
the enjoyment Of permanent liberty to a
degree hitherto unknown"
What has the progress of political SCI
euce' to do with the destruction of Slave.
~? And why should he be anrioaes to an
swer its demands, when he was unwilling
to do anything of the sort. The fact was
his anxiety was of a very different nature
He was 0nrtONs to know what would be-
come of hin. when he could not meet the
demands of political science without meet
ing the armies of his friends in the South.
But this was not all, by any MEANS
Messrs. PendletOn Il CO.-including near
~ all the Copperhead Representatives OF
Ohio-voted against the repeal OF the fugl-
tive slave law. Why? What is the use OF
the fugitive slave law? 1t is very question
able whether one Of these men knew the
precise bearing of that law, in the present
state of the country, or the meaning Of his
vote against it. They thought the law
meant something, and was in fnll effect
Well, IL 1t is, let us see what is its eftOct.-
On the lst Of October, 1858, we had 40, ,O0C
negro soldiers, most of whom had been
slaves; and on the lst OF June, 1864, we had
IV,UVV negro SOlulerS. 80 we are now Gu
listing negro soldiers in Kentucky. At the
same time, there are numbers of pretend
ed Union men tmany OF them secession.
lists with the Union oath in their mouths
who o,0ss, rs they think, some of those
soldiers. Now, if the fugitive slave law is
valid, and in effect, is it not at the service
Of these masters, against these soldiers, il
they should happen to come to Ohio. l.
not Ohio made slave hunting ground, by
the fugitive law, and been disgraced time
and again by its operationsf Will you say
it cannot be enforced? Thanks to the peo-
PIE, not to those who, like Messrs. Pendlle.
ton. Chiffon, White 4 Co., vote to keep i,
with all its black and staring iniquities.
But let us proceed little further with
this business. Why have we got a fugitive
slave law? And what was ever the need
OF it? 1t is well known that the present
fugitive slave law was one of the so-called
compromise measures of 1850; and, &C.
cording to our recollection, 1t did not re.
ceive majority of votes from the free
states. 1t was cruel, inhuman and uncon.
sututional. The Constitution never re-
CURED a fugitive slave law. This is palpa.
Ole from the only clause on the subject, the
Vfyn soh