The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-11-26

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BURLINGTON, SATUR
ecutive, expressed in terms not sufficient
~ courtly for the ear Of majesty. But it
was not done; there was no law for the
deed. Lincoln would have acted different.
prison and knocked the type into s.pi''
without waiting for any law. Our more
considerate ruler thinks it best to have a
law by means of which he can effect the
same thing. Give him hook in every ed
TORS mouth, and ring in his nose, and
he will have no occasion to send him to
Jail. Give him the power whenever an ed
,tor may express views not oongenial with
his own, or sentiments with regard to him
personally or officially which do not ac-
cord with his own high appreciation of
his merits, to break mp his paper by trund.
ling him and his printers Of to the tren-
ches, and you enable him to accomplish
under color Of law, all that Lincoln has
been able to effect by his most fragrant vio-
latt0n. And such power the President
now asks Congress to bestow upon him.
Will the Congress of the Confederate
States consent to prostitute the entire Press
OF the COnfederacy to the pleasure of the
Executivef Will they pass q law limiting
the exercise Ofthe most Important function
Of editor, to his tools and dependents?-
Will they render il impossible for the peo-
ple-their own people-their constituents
their benefactors-to hear the truth II it
be unpalatable to President Davis, or his
friends, or his tools, or his minions? Shall
1t, through their agency, become impossi-
BILE hereafter to hear one word against OFF,
cial corruption, no matter how gigantic
against Presidential mismanagement, how
ever notorious-against oppression pecula-
of which free Press is the only possible
corrective, because II is the only instru-
ment by which they can he exposed. II
so, then adopt the scheme of the message
detail editors and printers make them de-
pendent for their daily bread upon Presi-
dene Davis. The object will have been
completely accomplished. You will have
no editor who dare whisper complaint of
those high in ofhce-no printer will venture
TO set up line or sentence which does
not celebrate the virtues and glory of the
Executive.
To put printers and editors in the same
class with farmers, shoemakers, tanners
and other necessary trades and occupa-
tions, is simply ridiculous. There is no
analogy between the cases: There is no
temptation for the Executive to oppress
any Of these classes. He can gain nothing
by restricting the exercise OF their trades
aud professions to his own tools and parti-
zans. It is dangerous to give him COM
mand of the Press, because il enables him
to corrupt the fountain OF intelligence; be-
cause it enables him to blind the people as
to his own acts; because it places him in q
cloud which the people can not penetrate.
Wo vri1 mt Sov ovsw fhsuu ~ hovt fho i'm.
portance of free Press, Every member
Of Congress understands IL and feels it,
We hope this monstrous proposition will
receive such blow AS will convince its au-
thor that there is no use in prolonging its
existence or experimenting with it any fur
ther upon the docility of Congress.-Rsch-
mond Whig.
JEFF. DAVIS OPINION OF SLAVERY.
There never has been public question
Of the enrolment of negro soldiers. Al
though some unwise individuals have
broached /: in the press, the question Is
not at this time before the country.
The proposal made in the Presidents
message, in so far as it is practical and in.
telligible, is to double the number OF slaves
already authorized by law to be impressed
for teamsters, laborers, de-, and to employ
them in the additional work Of pioneers
and engineer laborers." 1t the message
consideration to the propriety OF u radical
modification in the the theory Of the law
there would have been but little to be said.
The practical business of the employ men,
Of additional slave labor aboQ. the army
would have been treated on its own merits
and neither Congress nor the country
would have been ut all agitated on the sub.
/ ject.
AS it is, Mr.. Davis has chosen to open
up questions both deep and dangerous
which, if Congress do not close them UP
peremptOrilv, may gravely disquiet our
people and compromise our cause. 1t IL
truly astonishing and almost incredible
that now, in the fourth year Of our indie
pendence, and Of terrible war waged tc
vindicate that ndependence-after break.
intNp the old Federal Union because we
woifld not suffer the Washington Congress
to interfere with our State institution--the
| President of the Confederate States should
''invite'' the Richmond Congress to consid-
er q project for enancipating slaves by the
Confederate authorities. and should at the
same time speak of this emancipation as
and blessing. as something which would
| place these negroes in better position than
before. Mr.. Davis thus intimates hisOpin.
| ion, first, that laws Of Congress. or the acts
| of the Confederate Executive, can liberate
slaves; and second, that slavery is SO dire
and hideous an evil as to make escape
from its horrors q reward and boon even
to an old worn-out negro at the end of a
term Of faithful service"
Many worthy Virginians have long been
of opinion. it IL true, that it were better for
the State If slavery were abolished, and the
slaves sold of to the cotton States. It is
certain that, but for the stupid insolence
of abolition philanthropy, such a change
| would actually have been made in the in
dustrial system of Virginia. Possibly, al
80, hereafter, when the war shall he over.
and all pretense Of coercion and pressure
shall be removed, the citizensj of this State
may, if they think right-for their own
benefit, and not as boon to negroes
make arrangements for the gradual reno
val of their slaves further South. This
may one day come to he practical ques-
ton but it is no question for Mr.. Davis,
either row or in the future. Wewarn him
and the Confederate authorities to mind
their own business we "invite their con-
sideration" to their own business; and
their most pressing business now is to exc
cute and enforce the military laws they
already have, to use the powers wherewith