The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-11-26
Reasons for Thanksgiving.
by HORACE GREELEY.

Reasons tor Thanksgiving.
BY HORACE GREELEY.
The Presidential election OF last week
fifty preludes the National Thanksgiving
OF next week. Let me briefly present some
of the peculiar reasons tor gratitude which
that election brings home to the under
standing and heart Of every patriotic lover
Of Universal Freedom.
L. The American people have shown that
they love Justice and Liberty more than
self-more than money. Never before was
impulses of human nature in political
contest as by the supporters Of Mcclellan
and Seymour in the struggle just ended
The vast annual expenditures and fOrmid-
able debt Of our Government were para
ded, and emphasized, and exaggerated, the
items re-combined and exhibited under ev-
cry possible permutation, with intent to
Chicago ticket-frOm dread Of Imminent
financial ruin. They were told that their
lands and houses were already mortgaged
to the National creditors for full quarter
Of their value; that this proportion would
be rapidly swelled to half, to -fourths
and ultimately to tie whole, leaving no al
Tentative to general insolvency but repu-
diation. Gov. Seymour told the people OF
this State in many addresses that already
the credit of our Government in Europe
has sunk below that of the rebel C0nfeder.
acy, basing this falsehood on the fact that
the petty loan of &, O00, 900, negotiated by
the rebels in Europe, through En- anger, OF
Paris, and payable in cotton on demand. (as
good part. ithas already been paid,)i
held and sold in Europe 1t = rate based on
the chance of safely exporting the cotton
safely run paying for the loss Of TWO that
are intercepted by our cruisers. Apart
from these bonds, which are not properly
loans at all, no Confederate promise to pay
can be disposed of in Europe for ten cents
on the dollar. Our Governor further told
his fellow citizens that the rebel strength
was unbroken-that their armies were as
effective as overland that two new drafts,
he officially knew, would be made directly
after the election. These appeals to their
ignorance, their cowardice, their basehess,
were received by the yeOmanry of New
York in spirit that does honor to their
Revolutionary blood. At least three-fourths
of all those who have either farms or hou-
ses to tax voted in open defiance OF them.
erty being taxed out ofexistence to pay the
cost Of the War but those who had no prop.
erty to lose. The gains for Mcclellan and
Seymour are made up Of the newly natu
rallied or unnaturalized Irish Roman Cath
olics who throng our cities and villages
our native farmers withstood the onsets of
Seymour & Co. as firmly, undauntedly, as
and his Hessians at Bennington and Sara
toga.
II. The result Of the Election sets the
National heel bard down upon the insidi-
GUS efforts of masked treason to ALLEVIATE
and sever the West from the East. For
years, jealousy Of the East, hatred Of the
East, anxiety to be separated from the
ISoc hox ~ hn 4nY, sN6
strings played upon by the Western tools
OF the Slave Power. Vallandigham in '6l
sought to have the Union divided into sew
eral sub Confederacies, to be known as the
East, Middle, South, Southwest, North
west, and Pacific respectively-eachto have
a veto on the acts Of the Federal Govern
ment. The Northwest has teemed for
years with secret conspiracies more or less
palpably traitorous, based on jealousy and
hatred Of the East. Gov. Letcher in 81
thought the South might be recOnciled to
the Union by suitable concessions, provid-
ed New England were excluded therefrom.
The West has ruDg with changes on the
that New England had melted
and was insisting on the perpetnation Of
lures. To separate by convulsiOn the
Northwest from the East, with a view To
its incorporation into the Shareholders
has been the aim Of innumer-
able conspiracies, eliminating in that Of
1.-THE Sons of Liberty" And now cUery
Western State declares for Lincoln. the
Union, aud the War, by majorities utterly
Iowa and California alike
out-do themselves. Kansas seems not to
have known that there was Chicago tick
st; Oregon vies with Minnesota in devo.
ion 10 the National cause: and Nevada
,as.s her maiden vote for the Union ticket.
Even rava2ed, desolated Missouri. though
still weltering under the curse Of Slavery,
and sweating blood at every pore, pro-
Claims Enthusiastically her devotion TO the
National cause. New Jersey, Delaware,
md Kentucky are all the States that have
given majorities against Lincoln aud John
son.
III. Tie progress Of emancipation is
greatly accelerated by this result. Mary.
and is henceforth free beyond peradven-
lure; and Delaware must follow in her foot |
steps. West Virginia can never more be |
reduced to thralldom by the Slave Power.
.ardy, deceptive gradual emancipation de-.
vised BY her pro-slavery wire-workers as
4 stop-gap by fresh ordinance, decapita- |
ing the traitOrOus monster at one blow.-I
Governor johnson will be encouraged to |
30 forward and efface the last Yeetige Of
slavery from the soil Of TENNESSEE Hence
Iorth the great end is plainly in sight.
~
yress in the Old World will have probably |
received fresh impulse from this triumph. |
by the people has been tri. |
lmphantly vindicated from the reprI ach Of |
evity, caprice and devotion to present ease |
It the expense OF honcr, duty and ultimate
'afe:y. It is demonstrated that the people |
an look ahead ~ well as q Court or Cabi-
they eau brave sacrifices and pri-
7ati0ns when these are essential to their |
National we'll being-that they can defy
,eril and welcome suffering in the interest
# their yet unborn Posterity. The cause
# popular government in Europe will /
rave been immensely advanced and
by this result; and the Carl
'aldis, Kossuths, Mazzinis, Victor Huges,
md John Brights will thank God and take
courage. ~
So let us welcome our National Thanks
living with smiling even though fearful
aces, with grateful though stricken hearts,.
a steadfast faith that HE doth not afflict
and that the trials and bereave-
nentS Of tho present shall. he more than