The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-06-11

threw the genius Of Mark Tapley into thu
shade. This man was terribly wounded
utterly helpless, yet the face which show.
ed above the coverlet, was as radiant as il
never convulsed with q pang. could only
say, has the world ever seen anything sc
morally grand as the manhood which this
war has developed in American men,
Peace Proportions.
Mr.. Leach's pacific resolutions, offered in
the Rebel Conclave, came to the grief of q
lean and ridiculous minority. We cannot,
much as we dislike war, say that we are
sorry for this; because we think both sides
well arrived at that grim condition in
which it will be found best to indulge in az
little lying as may be found convenient
Now Mr.. Leach, especially if he have a
good appetite, which his name would seem
TO indicate, may not only be exceedingly
sick OF this war, but, for prudent reasons,
desirous Of keeping upon to!erable terms
with those who are not 50 sick as he is; but,
for all this, he has no right to falsify his
tory, while he gracefully waves his olive
branches. There is great deal Of gam
mon in his "Whereas'-more, in tact,
than is usually foun' in such pothering
preliminarles, which We should have
thought quite unnecessary. According to
the Leach whereas" this bloody Rebel
lion was occasioned by the .unconstitu-
OF the United States.'' This is another
specimen Of the loose way in which the Sc
cession logicians talk. The assertion can
be refuted in q great variety of ways, if
though worth refuting at all. Suppose
some oath could be invented which this
Mr.. Leach, however hungry, would feel
bound to respect. Suppose that oath to be
under the pressure Of its sanction, solemn
ly INTERCEPTED, and requested to repeat by
their titles those laws, the passage Of
which reduced whole States to condition
Of epidemic felony! Weare glad to getany
reason for this lnsurrectiOn, which has
heretofOrestrucku us as about the most will
fully wicked since Lucifer made similar
disturbance In Heaven-but, for the credit
OF human nature, we are sorry to get so bad
q reason after all. OF legislation since the
Rebellion's outbreak We say nothing
it is Of the legislation which caused
it that this Mr.. Leach is talking
What was it? What did the Slave
holders ask for which they did not get?-
We let them into the territories upon terms
fugitive property for them when we could.
They had President than whom no hu-
man being could have been more devoted
in licking their feet. They had unlimited
credit upon our commercial books, and
carried of great quantities Of goods which
they have never paid us for. But why
elaborately set forth particulars? What
was grievance when South Carolina led
oil in this death-dance, was a grievance
long before, when she did not stir so much
as q single stump. Mr.. Leach knows,
quite as well as we do, that the only possi-
ble excuse for this tempOri1ed COnfederacy
was fright tdiscreditable to Southern cour-
age. He knows that the bullies Of Slavery
were afraid to give the Lincoln Admins
tratiOn chance to show that it meant to
be true to all its constitutional obligations.
He knows that the ungrateful Democrats
of the plantations repaid the servile friend
ship OF Mr.. Buchanan by forcing the stain
of Secession upon the closing annals Of his
own unfortunate administration. He
knows, and all the world knows, that the
wrongs Of the Slave States, as they them
selves considered them, were too trivial to
be sOlemnly put upon official record, and
never haye been put there, down to the day
when the Confederate Congress tabled even
Mr.. Leach's meager summary. He knows
that if the shareholders could have gone
before the world mounted upon one real,
substantial, tangible, and concrete injury,
they would long ago have obtained in some
sort, that recognition for which their hum
cry souls have pined, and have pined in
vain. It is not for nothing that this titular
nations remain Pariah and an Outcast.
with no civilized. State so poor as to call it
by its assumed name.
We cannot help thinking that it was not
without certain cOmmendable consisten.
cy that this mock Legislature gave the 90
by to Mr.. Leach's patent plaster. Why
should this little knot Of cOnspirators, who
have thus far succeeded in dragging their
States tolerably near to perdi-
ton, abandon that audacity which has thus
far served their selfish purposes? Over
lures Of peace have ut least the name of
peace in them. A discussion of prelimina-
ries, by demonstrating how little there re-
ally IS to discuss, would call the attention
OF deluded people to the facts Ofthis strug-
gle, and would set them to computing how
much they have lost and how much they
have gained by the folly of their leaders,
A passage of the resolutions might have
led to an investigation into the truth and
solidity Of Mr.. Leach's allegations.
No if Mr.. Leach is really desirous of
restoring the Union, and honestly regrets
The war which has been waged against il.
has no business in heConfederateC Congress.
and no business in Richmond at all, except
as q prisoner. We have distrust. of Un-
ionists who take such exceedingly uues-
lionable methods Of proving their loyalty.
We have had altogether too many Of them. |
and too much of them.
Speaking generally, it is safe to say that |
han the unconditional surrender Of the
'Confederacy," upon which to build it, we |
should have had peace long ago. But the |
quarrel il . mortal one. It IL contest be- |
ween Truth and Error, between absolute |
light and absolute wrong, between a sick |
y, lingering Feudality and the struggling |
hank God every night and every morning
or the sharp and certain lines which di-
7ide men in this war. We ought to see |
With joy how almost impossible q compro-
Mise has become. Who wants to 20 back |
o the old dreariness and emptiness and
'ndlessness Of Websterian compromises,
md Seventh Of March schemes? Who
eft to vex the peace Of our children. and
. be forever threatening the Republic with
uin? There can be no peace, the terms
4 which are not dictated and enforced by