The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-10-08
BURLINGTON, SATURDAY. oCToBER,s 1864.

RDAY, OCTOBER, s 18e
speech Of Gov. Chase 1t Hamil.
T. ton. Ohio. ,".
Fell0a0 CIisens and friends have on
FORMER occasions hadfhe pleasure Of speak
ingsto oaudiences of Rutler county people,
but never On such an occasion as this
Whenlass j addrssed you we were engage
cd Tour years ago, in the er deayor TO de.
termsne, by the peaceful arbisrament Of the
EDal .o.-box, who should be the ruler of the
nation Tor the ensuing four years. lmpor-
tant Questions we're involved in that con-
troversy,A and the most important were
these: Shall slavery be extended in this
country beyond. the limits of the slave
SieteeY Shall the slave power, which has
ruled this country so long, rule it longer !?
,Ihere was no question about the right of
each State to dispose of its own interna-
t1onai concerns, relating to slavery or to
any other matter, according 70 the jndg-
ment OF the ma jOritY Of its people. The
questions referred to were national ques-
which might be legiti-
msteay referred to the decision of the. peo-
pie; and to the people tbeywere submitted
and by the people they were decided, as it
was the right OF the people to decide them.
+. Iaklng umOrage at your determination
that slavery should not be extended, and
that the people would themselves, through
their chosen President, rule the countrv.
without reference to the wishes Of any spe-
cial interest, either North or South, South
Carolina undertook to secede 1rumthe Un-
lon. Threats were inade "a sail squArters
that the President Of the United States
whom You had chosen SHOULD not he inau-
gnrateds unless he would consent TO some
stipulation Aatisfa ctorv to those who ex-
acted il At that time it seemed to me that
the plain path of duty wa, ,insuguration
first, carry into execution the will OF the
people, remarkably and solemnly announ-
ced at the baiiot-box, and then we will dis
cuss terms Of settlements. lf4+ ~f
PEACE CONFERENCE IN 1861. #af.
Virginia having summoned Conven-
ton Of her own, to sit at Richmond, invi-
ted the other States OF the Union to send
delegates to Washington TO a Peace Com
ference, for the purpose Of ascertaining If
some mode might there be devised to aver:
the coming calamity. That Conference
met, and il was NV business TO represent,
IN part, the State Of Ohio. Iwas regarded
as one OF the most radical members ON the
subject of Slavery; and ! am perfectly
willing to admit here, that if to be opposed
70 the existence of slavery beyond the
prescribed limits of the Slave States,
while absolutely and thoroughly loyal to
thu Constitution. and indisposed 10 inter-
fese with 1t within the States-if that may
be called radical, then was radical,
Cheers. We went TO that Conference. II
so happened that Kentucky had passed a
resolution calling for a National Conven-
tien. Illinois had passed similar resofn-
tien. Wemet ia conference, and after a
long discussion IL was found that the slave
holders in the con ference were determined
not TO accept anything ex xcept absolute su b.
mission on the part Of the North. ] did
moi then believe, aud I have never seen
any reason since to believe that the North
wa prepared to submit TO anything be-
yond what the Constitution warranted
Bun / felt how terrible was the evil Of civil
wae. and was willing to do anything short
of dishonor for the purpose or averting
wsts and Joined with those of similar
sentiments In that controversy in submit
ting to these gentlemen Of the South the
very proposition recommended by Ken
tucky and Illinois, and invited them to
submit the matter upon which we differed
| to the eReat tribunal OF the American peo-
| pie, s0onstitusiona Convention. But they
refused Il, and dsunder the lead ofa former
Vice President, occasioned by the death oi
our lemented HafrisoD,' a series Of resolu-
tions was carried, proposing amendments
| tOfhe Constitution, which one can hardly
| read to-day without shudder, but which,
| as soon az they reached Congress, passed
into endless oblivion. A I.s raV
/ speak of these things to show that
throughout this country, there was every
where most intense an xiety to avoid the
evils of civil war, and agree TO everything
which men and Americans could agree to
rather than encounter them.
| ToRBEARANcE or TEE EADMIN1srRATroN.
| Wr. lincoln was inaugurated. The
plans to prevent his inauguration by vio-
lence tailetL sHe took shis zee, end having
tAken it he was under the ,solemnities ol
90 oath to protect and defend the Constitu.
ton Of the Union, and to enforce the exc
cution Of the laws Of the nation throughout
lis whole territorial limits. Nothing could
fabsolve him from the obligations Of, that
oath. But while under thai obligation, be
did not feel himself constrained TO resort
to immediate measures Of violence. Fal
Otherwise. He waited and he reasoned
and fpally when it, became obvious thai
there was purpose to starve out q garri
son of the United States, in the harbor 81
Charleston, he sent-what? An armed
force to attack South Carolina and batter
down their city? Not at all. But he sent
boat, loaded with provisions. to relieve
the sixty or seventy men in that garrison
small gallant band that should have been
surrounded by fraternal hearts, but In.
stead were girdled by rebel batteries, siex.
| ing that occasion and incident to precipi.
tate the border States ia the gulf oi rebel.
lion, the rebels around Fort Sumter open.
ed their batteries ;upon the fortress, and
the small band was compelled to snrren
| der, and the American flag was obliged to
succumb to reasonable men. That wal
the signal gun, which went booming
through the country, and at once stirred
pp the fire of an insulted people. Their
began this war, and under circumstances
which made it impossible to sheathe thu
sword until the rebels who had fired upor
the American flag should submit to have
1t reared in the place where 1t fell. (Grea
applause.l .ss
THE CAUSE AND OBJECT OF THE WAR.
The cause Of this war is, and it is an
hounced in the platform of the Union par
| ty, slavery. Il was slavery " hich fired
that cannon upon the sacred emblem of oul
nationality. It was slavery which anima
| ted and united the Southern Aristocracy II
| the determination to rule the country, and
| If they could not rule it to ruin Il. Now VI
are told, and it is made the chief burden 8
complaint against the President, that hs
has changed the object Of this war. Thu
object was. as have shown you, to bring
| back the revolted States into loyal relationi
with other States but it was found as thu
war went on, IN spite Of every effort to car.
i -