The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-04-09

their nOleS.
with Uncle Abe reelected, we'll crush this re-
bellion,
Won will try to crawl ont of our snake-skins
But never mind Coppers wei, trace you all ur.
yonr hack biting treason will all be remembered,
Errors can then be made right at the polls;
W. are fighting for tire Law and old Constitution
White cowardly Copperhesds howl from their
Low sneaking Correrheads, rum-sucking Cop
perheadS,
Reptiles and renegades crawl to your holes.
The late Ohio Peace Convention
History Of it's ideas.
To argue questions which have been sub
mitted to cannon and bayOnet il practical
" of no use; it is an exercise OF dietetics.-
Il may amuse those whose minds have not
vet arrived at maturity Of judgment. The
doctors Of the Torbonne are said TO have
once discussed the questiOn-"hOw many
angels can stand on the point of a needle
Il may have been good intellectual exer-
else, but posterity has never inquired what
the result was. 1t will inquire just as lit
tie about the theory of State rights and
State sovereignty. We have grown up
great nation. We have arrived at imperial
dimensions; aud we haye to strengthen our
Government to keep remote parts and diff
IeFeut llItSICSto kA ~ Tue w uOles
For sixty years this has been the history
of our political movement. The Govern
ment has strengthened according to its me-
cessities; and such has been the history of
every large nation on the earth. TO this
practical result there are many persons
opposed, from differentreasons. There are
. small class Of political theorists who re-
ally believe that a COnfederacy is better
than National Government. They think
A. w, h. r..
Diet, or the Dutch Republic, if not a per-
feet model, might be modified into some
thing that would he. They think it better
to be the citizen of some petty State than TO
be an American rejoicing in the glory and
grandeur of a great nation, extending free
dom and blessings to the uncounted mil
Ions Of magnificent continent. In fact,
they are not Americans. They are the fol-
lowers Of u narrow political school, which,
if it prevails, they care not whether it be in
America, Europe or Asia. This school,
however, is small and influential. The
largest part Of the States Rights DemOcra-
cy adopted this theory for the practicalpur-
pose OF maintaining Ssarery as q permanent
insttMtion. This was entirely reasonable
and consistent with their interests. Hence
it was, when the slaves increaeed from
eight hundred thousand to four millions,
the intensity Of this school Of politics in
creased propor,ionately, till in the South
it arrived ut rebellion, aud the question
was submitted to the sword. Neither the
theory or the slaves will survive that issue.
HE discussion of the theory is, therefore,
not important. But the perUersiOn Of his
tory by men pretending to the dignity Of
statesmen Is important, for it gives false
ideas 70 pOsterity as to the real facts OF pO-
Itical institutions, doctrines and men,
The student of political history should
therefore be properly informed and should
search the authentic documents of history
for information. The first resolution Of
the late Peace Convention at Columbus
contains some Of the most remarkable per-
yersions of history ever put on record
We have noticed two or three in . former
article, but brief historical reference to
the facts will make the points clear.
The resolution assumes that the Demo-
cratic party existed In l796; that it passed
or sustained the resolutions of SO; that it
sustained the Constitutions; that Jefferson,
Madison and jackson sustained the reso-
luti0ns Of SO, and stood upon the same
platform!
L The origin of the Democratic party
We have already said. that in point Of fact,
no Democratic party existed in 1873. 1t is
true the Federalists called them Demo-
Gratis as nickname, from the formation
Of Democratic clubs, in some places, in inn
itatiOu OF the French revOlutiOnists. But
the party itself would never acknowledge
any other name than Republican" by
which its caucuses were ali called. Mr..
Calhoun said that their party was never
called "Dem0cratic'' till 1882, and it was q
mistake to adopt the name then. Calhoun
vas right, both in the fact and the opinion;
for II this Government was a Democracy
only, it would soon crush Slavery aud
State sovereignty under its feet. as It real
~ has done. But, lest it be called merely
technical, to say it was not Democratic
party, we will suppose that the old Repub-
Iican party Is what is meant now by the
Democratic party.
plblican) party were the supporters Of the
Constii utiOn. Nothing is more notorious
than that the great body of the original
Republican, NOW called "Democratic''
party were the opponents of the Constitu-
ton. The supporters of the Constitution
we're called generally ''Federalists." 1t is
only necessary to compare the names OF the
leading men Of the time to know that in the
main, the Democratic party was composed
Why? Exactly on the ground that the Con-
stitution actually did what the States Rights
party nov say it did not. Pierrepont Ed
wards Of Connecticut, says the Constitution
lelt the States nothing, but the power to
11ake roads and fences. For this cause,
aates and Loring of New York, and Luz
.ner Martin, of Maryland, left the Conven-
ton. Luther Martin wanted just what the
secessionists wanted, and he saw clearly
mat the single clause providing for treason
against the United States was fatal to any
ecl OF interpretation, or resistance, on the
part OF States against the National Govern
M no. ne was very able man, but he was
nol, we venture TO affirm, like mod
s s nuiliters and secessionists, gifted with
second sight" He could not see State
0.sereignty through a milestone, for it was
sot mere. He saw that man who under
0ok to resist the United States under State
sulhority, would be hung under the trea-
on clause. So he introduced resolution
Mao the Convention, that no act done by q
1tizen Of the United States, under 1.-THE au-
Io,sty Of one or more States" shall be
seemed or punished as treason. This
would have killed the national government
once. South Carolina and the rebel Com
saeracy u ght have marched on, 30 far as