The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1864-02-23

or liberty, let the contest end rs II nigh
In the minds Of precipitators fanciet
greatness would attend nationality tha
would expand until il encircled within it,
control and power whole continent
They were in error. The track Of th,
precipitalors is TO be marked by the bloot
which has flowed, from the Potomac t
Il the Gulf, and along the Mississippi, from
the mouth Of the Ohio to the Balise.--
And what has been accomplished In.
stead of expanding in power, the slave
States have been contracting ever since
the contest began. Ruined cities, do
molished towns. deserted villages, desc
lated farms are to be seen all over the
South. At the beginning Of the contest
the Southern States had over one million
Of fighting men, and have had in the
field near five hundred thousand but
now are reduced below two hundred and
fifty thousand At the CONNIE ice ment
of hoslilties the Southern States had an
organized system of labor. That system
is nearly destroyed, and the laborers are
rapidly deserving the fields that are not
already desolated.
Is il not time to pause in this mad ca
reer? Shall those who led the country
| from power to weakness, from wealth to
poverty, from happiness to misery. from
absolute luxury to absolute want, be Ion.
ger listened 10. or shall other counsels be
followed? Or, can we look to those to
exlricato US. whose policy thus led the
country into ruin?
Had the people been consulted delib.
erately, upon the change sought to be
made, We would not now behold pros
trate country. One half the population
of the South have looked upon the new
government as usurpation, and still
view il in that light.
| The condition Of the country is a mel.
apcholy evidence of the instability of
power. gained by violating principle. e.
Usurped power may reign for period ;
but j, is all the while in doubt: more
especially whore the rights Of the great
mass are set at naught. If any section
Of the United States shall ever succeed
in setting up an independent power, the
movement must be based upon the will
Of the masses. Let ambition be hereaf-
ter warned not to rush madly upon
changes. Let the past be reviewed. and
the error is evident. But the present
needs no philosophising. The condition
OF the country is open to the view of all.
and TO the comprehension Of any. What
is to be done? or what can be done? are
the interrogatories propounded by all
We know what is needed, but we do no.,
sec the way TO arrive at the desired end.
The result we seek is civil authority,
restored constitutional liberty and or
ganized security. Did this country ev-
er possess the blessings Of good govern
nent? Let us see. We had power to
resist invasion from without; we had
protection at home. The Southern
States produced in great abundance rice,
sugar. cotton, tobacco. hemp. The
Northern States produce in like abund
ance wheat. corn, oats, barley, clover.
timothy. and the live stock sufficient to
supply the demands of the whole. The
whole country had its commerce. The
Southern States exported cotton. rice,
sugar. tobacco. The whole abounded
in mines OF the richest character. The
whole had grown rich together. Blu,
what was the condition Of the South?
She was rich. Together with the North
she not only had the necessaries. but
she possessed the luxuries and conven-
fences of life. There was no port but
our vessels entered. Our staples were
exchanged for the manufactured goods
OF England. for the silks and wines ol
the French. for the furs Of Russia. and
for the spices OF India. So abundan,
were our crops. and so great were the
facilities of transportation, that all we
had to concern ourselves about was to
produce the raw material, and all other
things were brought to our doors. AT
Norfolk. Wilmington. Charleston. Sa-
vannah, Pensacola, Mobile, New Orleans.
Galveston, the wharves wero crowded
with the vessels OF all nations. bringing
the products Of other chimes to be de-
posted at those ports and thence dis.
tributed all over and through the coun
try. Mechanical industry was not with
out it's reward in the South. A few
years OF government would have opened
up in the South mines Of iron ore, beds
Of coal, to have increased her weali.
and prosperity. Nor was this all We
had law, order. systematised govern.
nent, security for person. reputation
and property.
Schools and colleges fourished. Sci
ence was lending its aid to physical pow.
er to improve the condition Of the coun
try. II the advantages and blessing.
and privileges and securities enumerated
constitute good government, then W.
once had IT, 1t will not do to reply &c
all that has been specified. that there
Was danger to the government. or ths
many persons feared tha, imag ginary evil,
J would result, from continuing the polit
ical connection with the free States. Oui
strength WAS in Union. Ever since tn,
! projected dissolution. the administration
Of affairs in the Southern States has beer
seeking and staiving to form union,
, close alliance with England aud France
because separate and alone The States
} that were really joined together in th
: South were toe feeble to stand agains
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