Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1864-01-29
hey shall lay down theirarms, submit to the

Constitution, to our Republican Government,
to liberty and humonity, having but single
constitutional right left, that of being dealt
with according to the laws Of the land for
the atrocious crime they have committed. -
No other people or nation, upon the face Of
the earth, could have committed so high n
crime against this Government, and its flag
And now, while standing as the fragrant.
deadly enemies Of the Constitutioy with their
hands upliited at the nations throat, we arc
told that their Constitutional rights are un-
impaired, and as substantial es WREN they
were law abiding and peaceful subjects OF
The Government. Thus we are asked to give
immunity to crime, by cyculpating the crim-
inal.
AS enemies and belligerents, towhat rights
are the insurgent States entitled? The Con
stitution being entirely silent upon this sub
.ject, we must resort for information, to the
laws of war, rs established and recognized
among the Eatons of the world Tho emi.
nent writers upon this subject agree in say.
ing that in war we may do any act not for
hidden by humanity or the laws Of nature,
which may harrass or weaken our enemy
We may con.iscatc his property Of every
kind, and appropriate it to our own use, for
the double purpose of diminishing his strength
and augmenting our own. We may capture
and dctain his soldiers, and take their lives il
we can, in legitimate combat. All this we
are allowed to de-, because il is right which
belongs to every nation at war, is derived
from and attaches 10 state Of war; These
well established and fundamental principles,
have been recognized by our Government in
its intercourse with other nations, sustained
by repeated decisions Of the Federal Courts,
aud never denied or doubted except during
the present war, by certain northern polti.
clans, who have throughout, manifested more
interest in the rebellion than love for the
Union Of these States. And it is proper here
to remark that the character of belligercnts,
has been given to the insurgent States by
the Legislative and executive departments of
the Government; that we have so treated
them during the entire war, and that this
action has been sustained by q late well CON
sidered opinion Of the Supreme Court of the
United States, in case fully and fairly pre-
sented. This question may, therefore, be
regarded as settled, so far as the action of
this Government and people, can settle any
question.
Daring The first months Of this war, in
common with what believe to have been a
decided majority of the people, both in and
out Of the army, indulged the hope, and
expressed the belief that it could be success
fully terminated without direct attack upon
the local institutions of the South The
Government itself seems to have entertained
the same view, for remarkable tenderness
characterized its dealings with traitors. and
the war was prosecuted during the first year
with eminent success, upon the theory Of
doing the rebellion as little damage MS p0ssi.
blc. Bitter experience and observation, how
ever, finally convinced me as il did others,
that slavery was not only the "corncr stone
OF the Conlederacy," but was the po,ce,'
which sustained, and the motive which i'm.
PEELED the rebellion. Every negro that work.
cd with hoe, or drove a mule on n southern
plantation, was as much enlisted against tho
Union as the soldier who served with his
gun in the ranks of the rebel army: and
more effectively SO because the grain uDon
which our enemy sub'i5ts, renders him more
formidable than his shells or his bullets.
Slavery stood like mountain before the
advance of our armies, md could neither be
avoided or deded. 1t enabled the insurgents
to place their entire militia force in the field
against US, and added more than one half TO
their available strength. While slavery ex-
listed, treason had power and object, and SO
long would the rebellion continue, and the
war be piOtraCtcd.
AZ the commencement Of this rebellion,
the four millions of slaves inhabitine the
Southern States, were peaceful and loyal
subjects OF this Government; owing a!lcgi.
ance to it, and amcnable 10 its laws. And
although they became the unwilling instru.
ments OF treason, yet their allegiance has no.
been aud could not DC dissolved Upon this
people, therefore, as its legitimate subjects,
the Government had as high claims as It had
upon the white population of the South. .--
By State laws, only, they were held as slaves,
but this was in subordinat:on TO their status
rs subjects; for, at any time the Govern.
ment could have taken them from their mas.
tiers, and punished them, like other men, for
violation Of its laws, and the fact thai they
were slaves would have been no defcncc.-
BY no act, or deed has the Federal Govern.
mcnt ever relinqnished its sovereign claim
upon this class Of its people; and il could
not have done so, with due regard To tho
peace and safety Of the Union. No wise GOV.
ernJncnt would pcrinit large and perIna.
nent population to reside within its limits,
who are beyond its ultimate control. What.
ever may be tho character given them by
mere local reguIations il cannot cf!'ct the a,l
thority Of the sovereign power over them
Incsc people are not only denominated as
P0'sonS by the Constitution, bu. they have
been so treated by tho Government, for an
purposes, during its entire history. In all
these respects, nj least, the slaves were the
equals OF their masters; they could perpc.
sr2tc the samo crimes, be tried therefor bv
the same tribunals, incarccrated in the same
prisons, and hung upon the same scaffolds. -
And while their masters commit atrocious
treason against the Government Which shalt.
ers all, have not these oppressed subjects n
right to fight for it, and shed their blood in
defense Of its flag,
IL by the oilcr Of freedom we could induce
these bond subjects to leave their treasona.
ble masters, and return to their legitimate
sovereign, whom they have never willingly
offended, what principle Of law or right v6i,d
DC thereby contrayened Has not any cs.
tablished Government an absolute right Ia
exercise this sovereign authority over ils own
subjects? If it be alleged that this va,,ld
be violation Of our faith with the Soulhcrn
States, the conclusive answer is, that they
had already violated theirs with MS by at.
tempting to dissolve the Union We could
as .rrIShtluIly do this, as We could induce the
soldiers in the rebel armies to leave their
ranks and return. to their allegiance, by
the offer OF q general pardon And to deny
that we can rightfully do either, is to hold
that the individual claims Of traitors. the
rights and local regulations of ipsurpen,
states. hre paramount. TO the sovereignty OF
the General Government.
The period at length arrived when, 10 in.
sure success to our arms, and make the oyer.
throw OF the rebellion speedy and certain
event, an eifectual blow at this forr,ida,,,a
element Of rebel power was impera,yely do.
manded. Our authority over the s,,biac,
was broad aud ample, and the necessity f,r
he stcn no lon c.,r llaul.. e. ~. -.