The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1864-01-27
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due TO exalted patriotism, and unrivaled

HOW, 10 secure LOT tueF dCtas Inc a1mlra
ton Of history. Tkeir unselfsh devotlo,
to the cause Of the country; their paten
endurance Of the untold hardstips irci
dent to service in distant and strane,
climate; and the sturdy hereisin the,
illustrated on SO many acids, have giver
to our young State a record OF valor a.
imperishable as the bloody annals of thu
war, and aided IN accruing to our common
country, fame cocxtensivc with the
civilized world. On every battle ground
from Wilson's Greek, where, amid the
deadly hail Of an unequal contest, they
rallied round the heroic Lyon, and freely
mingled their blood with his. to the CORY
mountain heights in front Of Chattanooga,
and the noac glorious field of Chickamau.
ga, the Flag of Iowa has been borne by
brave hands to triumphant victory. When
oil have done so well, to particularize
would be invidious; and | could not name
all who are entitled to honorable mention
for noble and valorous deeds, without call
ing the entire muster. rolls Of regiments,
iSattallions and batteries. Impartial histo.
~ will attest the significant fact, that no
great battle has yet been lost, in which Iowa
troops were engaged and none gained, on
western fields, in which they have not
borne conspicuous part. Among the
first in the field, and ever to the front, their
numberless graves are scattered from the
plains of Texas to the banks of the Cum
berland, and from the shores Of Lake
Michigan to the waters Of the Gulf--sad,
yet truthful witness of how bravely they
fought and nobly died.
Fathers and sons, husbands, brothers
nd L. T. IN
.nents, far from their beloved iowa; but
enshrined in the hearts Of grateful PEG
pie, their memories, like the unfading lau.
rel, will survive the dreary winter of com
ing years.
Contemplating the condition and affairs
Of our own State, let us not he unmindful
that our common country is still involved
in cruel and relentless war. The god of
ambition is yet unappeased, and the demon
Of civil strife is making sad havoc in the
land. The great struggle for the integrity
OF the Union and the preservation Of the
National Government, is yet to be decided.
After trial of nearly eighty years, en-
bracing the most comprehensive experience
and affording ample proofs OF its power,
utility and benefcencc, the existence OF
this unrivalled Government is committed
to bloody conflict between its own citi
gems.
The constitutional right Of a State, or
any number OF States, to withdraw from
the Union is no longer practical question
for discussion. If that right be conceded,
the action Of the Federal Government, in
compelling obedience to its laws, its defen-
sible, and the war on our part clearly
wrong. The determination Of that ques-
ton was preliminary to war, and TO any
effort by the government to reduce the Sc.
ccding States to submission.
In the absence of constitutional right
to dismenaber the Union by secession, the
which the President Of the United States,
under the solemn obligations of his oath,
was as much bound to suppress, as he
would have been to repel an invasion Of
our soil by a foreign enemy. Existing
laws, adopted in the early years of the
Republic, clothed him with ample authority
over the subject and made his duty i'm
perative. In promptly meeting the aggres-
sion of treason, and placing the Govern
,nent in state Of defense against this long
projected, and wicked rebellion, he fulfilled
the just demands Of the nation and entitled
himself to the lasting gratitude Of man.
kind.
For nearly three years, this deplorable
war, inaugurated by the mad ambition, and
treason Of southern men, has progressed
with its varied results Though disasters
have sometimes 5sksa 2 4a avg dpsws ned
their heroic efforts in the glorious cause Of
the country, have far outweighed all the
reverses they have sustained. We have
penetrated the insurgent country from al
most every point by land and sea, and
rescued from their grasp the most preduc.
tive and populous States Of the South
To-day the ancient flag Of the Union floats
triumphantly over the soil Of every rebel
State, and waves from the battered walls of
Sumter, back as far as the serpent of re.
bellion can be traced.
The rebel armies, defeated and demon.
allied, are being rapidly driven to com
mon centre; their currency worthless, and
their credit gone; their pretended jursdic-
ton reduced to nearly onc-t third of its origi.
nallimits, and surplus population crowded
within them to subs:st upon their mcagre
haryests; impending death, or exile, to
the leaders, ruined fortunes and desolated
homes to the unwilling measures this is
the end Of treason, and the doom of trail
tors?
Supported, and elected by the loyal and
patriotic people of Iowa, in a contest pre-.
senting the grave questions which here, as
elsewhere through the loyal States, alone
pervadcd the public mind and determined
the result Of the recent elections, | but
discharge plain duty to them, when
express the convictions of my own mind,
upon the portentous issues yet to be de-
cided by the valor of our arms. While
entertaining profound respect for the
opinions Of all loyal men, in whatever To-
cality they may be found. am aware OF
no rule requiring Difference to the opinions
Of their enemies, or Of any obligation am
under 10 consult their views, or wishes, in
the discharge of my official duties.
During the last month of the war, in
common with what believe to have been
decided majority Of the people, both il
and out Of the army, INDUCED the hope
and expressed the belief that it could be
successfully terminated without direct
attack upon the local institution of thu
South. The Government itself seems t.
have entertained the same view, for a re-
markable tenderness characterized its deal
ings with traitors and the war was prose
cuted during the first year, with eminent
success, upon the theory of doing the re-
belllon as little damage as possible. Bit
ter experience and observation, however
finally convinced me, as it did others, thai
slavery was not only "the corner stone
the Confederacy," but was the power which
sustained and the motive which impellet
the rebellion. Every neg,o that worked
with hoe, or drove mule on southern
plantation, was as much enlisted agains
the Union as the soldier who served will