The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-04-02

nation. 1t lathe safety valve of the Con.
stitution, % construceod and guarded a. to
prevent hasty and inconsiderate action,
and utterly destructive Of every pretense
justify resort to folce a. q remedy for
wrongs imaginary or real, while this re-
cOgnition of the great doctrine that ''Gov-
ernments derive their just powers from the
consent of the governed" remains part Of
our organic law; and 1t would be equally
difficult to justify the existence of any
thing in the Government destructive Of the
inalienable rights Of s'life, liberty, and the
pursuit Of happiness, without, at least, an
earnest and determined effort to remove it.
When the people established the Constitu-
ton, embracing the section which have
quoted, they agreed upon the means where
BY the consent Of the governed should be
determined, and by the same act placed
upon themselves and upon US the respon-
| terfere with the inalienable rights of man,
or which tend to tho destruction of free
government. Amendments proposed by
Congress-, or by Convention called for
that purpose, and adopted or rejected by
the Legislatures of the several States, are
the mediums through which the consent Of
the governed is to be determined concern
ing all things not now provided for in the
Constitution. It was a fair agreement,
placing upon each and every citizen, and
upon the several States, all OF, the risks
aud responsibilities incident thereto, for
1--WE, the people of the United States,"
made it. It was expected that the nation
would develop into grander proportions,
| its interests become more varied, its wants
and necessities increase, and that it might
be beset by dangers not occurring to the
minds which nodded the form of the or
ganlc law. It was agreed and expressly
provided that the Constitution should grow
to meet all of these new demands, keeping
within the bounds Of its ordination ITO
form q more perfect Union, establish JUS
tice. insure domestic tranquility, provide
for the common defense, promote the gen.
erai welfare, and secure the blessings Of
liberty to ourselves and our posterity.'
This section of the Constitution is my au-
thority for introducing the joint resolution
which have read; and. it also imposes
upon this House the responsibility Of meet
ing the question fairly and with view to
the promotion Of the best interests Of the
nation, by releasing it from the thralldoms
OF q hostile power which has entwined it.
self around the heart and lifaof the Repub.
lie. The proposition introduces no intri-
cate question OF constitutional law for dis
cusslon. It simply submits question Of
fact for our determination, upon which the
past and present throw such food Of light
that not even wilifulness can lead US
astray. Is slavery incompatible with y
free Government? This is the true question
involved; and no artful summonings Of
cunnlngly-devised side issues, or of the
ghosts OF dead expediences, can release
any member of this body from passing
upon this single issue. 1t is all there is in
the case. The contest is squarely between
slavery and free government, and in this
light it is to be conducted to the end. Let
US follow it, aud sec how it will end.
Slavery is defined to be 1.-THE state OF en-.
tire SUGGESTION OF one person to the will Of
another" This 10 despotism, pure and
simple. 1t - true that this definition con-
Germs more the relations existing between
master and slavethan it does those bet ween
the system OF slavery and the Government.
But We need not hope to lind . system pure
~ despotic acting in harmony with Gov.
eminent wholly, or even partially, repub.
lican. An antagonism exists between the
two which can never he reconciled. This
our experiences with the principles involv-
ed have taught US 10 q trueism from which
indifference will not enable us to escape,
nor dissimulation release Us. But when
we connect With the despotism of the slave
system OF this country the immense land
and money power embraced in it, and re-
fleet how thoroughly it had become inter.
woven with the entire social fabric of near.
~ one half of the States, we can more read
lily understand and fully comprehend how
aud why this an;agonisin took upon Itself
the form Of political organization through
which for many years it controlled the ma
ton, and through which it insisted on the
death Of the Republic when it could control
no longer. We can also understand whv
the system Of which this antagonism is
the active life took possession Of every de.
rartment Of the local governments OF the
States where it existed, and hedged itself
about with laws which were not Oulv yiO-
lafi nf f;Na nj osv1@
National Constitution, but disgracefuI to
civilization and destructive of free Govern
ment. No man, whose conscience has vi
tally sufficient to make him honest. can
read the slave codes Of the Southern states
without admitting that they are utterly re
pugnant to the. genius Of our free institu.
ti0ns and irrecOnCilably opposed to the
theory Of our Governments. And vet everv
one knows that these tyrannicaf, hostile,
and barbarous codes were absolutely neces-
sa1y for the preservation of the slave svs-
tenn, even In those dark days of siaverv's
rule which existed before the present war
awakened to its true and real life the moral
sense Of tho nation, and forced its ever-en.
during light into the beclouded minds of
the bondmen Of this land, Quickonine their
perception into that. keen appreciation OF
every mans right to ''life, liberty, and the
pursuit Of ha ppineoe," which bids defiance
to slave codes, and effectively asserts and
maintains the right Of every man to own
himself The system, being . pure despo-
tism, was forced to resort to despotic laws
for support, defense, and perpetuation.
It was perfectly natural for the colnpara-
lively few men who held four million hu-
man beings II, . bondage which puts to
shame all other kindred systems which
ever cursed man for their ini.dness, not
only to resort to cruel and despotic laws
for aid in their diabollcal oct, But also to