The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1865-06-17


were some time In danger, but fortunately
escaped. The total loss Ia 81 900, partially
insured. The fire is attributed to incendia-
rtsm.
GeRrit Smith's speech % Cooper
Institute.
The pith Of the speech Of Gerritt Smith,
delivered at the Cooper Institute, in New
York, on Monday evening last, is contain
ed in the following-the opening passage:
The South, in plunging the nation into
this horrld war, committed tho greatest
crime OF the age. The North, under the
persistent ciamOrs OF the press and the
pulpit, to punish the South tor treason, is
In danger Of committing the mean crime
Of the age. .tCheers.l Lips and pens no
more influential than mine can do but lit.
tie to avert this danger, but what little
they can do shall be done; for il this mean
crime shall be committed, shall want the
consolation Of knowing At least that have
no responsibility. [Cheers.l All over the
North there Is q clamor for the blood of the
leading rebels whom We have captured,
and these whom We yet hope to capture
1 have no sympathy withth!s clamor. The
South fully surrendered. let bloodshed
cease, aud all punishment. (Applause.l
Of course, have no reference here to the
assassination of our beloved President,
nor to the starving and numbering Of the
prisoners; let all merited punishment fall
on those who are guilty OF these Infamous
and internal crimes. lCheers.] NY posi-
ton Ia simply that the south shall not be
punished for the rebellion. Now i do not
say this because she has suffered, In my
Judgment, enough already; because her
property or her people are wasted that she
q reduced to ono desolation. do not say
It because the asfety Of the North requires
any more suffering than the South, be-
cause there il not one valuable interest ct
the North that could be made more secure
by any more suffering Ut the South. do
not say IL because the South has not been
guilty Of treason: she has been guilty Of
treason. But I say 1t that she shall not be
punished for treason because We have said
she shall not be. (Cheers.]
We came into the agreement very re.
luctantly, Iadmit. to conduct this war by
the rules of war, by the rules Of interna-
into the agreement was waiver, and en-.
tire surrender Of our right to punish the
South for treason. [Applause.1 That We
came into the agreement to conduct the
war according to the rules OF war is mani.
feat and indisputable. We followed other
nations and accorded to the South bellig-
erent rights. The Supreme court of our
nation unanimously acknowledged these
rights at the South. Then We have acted
upon this agreement, and instead Of pun.
isatn9 the prisoners, or couvicting them
for treason, we have treated them as pris.
oners OF war, as enemies In war, and thus,
from time to time, We have exchanged
them for those the enemy has taken from
us, and there have been innumerable tru-
ces between the enemy and ourselves for
burials and other purposes, aud formal al
well az Informal negotiations for peace be-
tween the North aud South. Here, on
one occasion, We recognized their dc facto
nation and all it's rights, by choosing for
the commission of peace the President
himself, and the Secretary of State him
self, and those gentlemen did not wait to
have the Southern Commissioners come
to them sueingly, but they honored those
Commissioners by going more than half
way to meet them. [Applause.l Now. all
this, and much more than this, including
especially our blockading the Southern
ports, goes 10 chow, beyond controversy,
that We agreed with the enemy TO conduct
this war according to the law Of war. But
such an agreement IS virtually an agree
nent to treat prisoners as merely enemies
In war. A8f
Mr.. Smith argued that North and South
alike had sinned, saying:
4 We punish the South We would be
Of Solomon's adultrsss, who wiped her
mouth and said, II have done no wicked
ness." (Applause.l My friends, the first
duty Of the North, of all the duties she
has to perform, il to humble herself by the
side Of the South, in common repentance
for common sins. prolonged applause.]
And, my friends, II we 60 to punish the
South, we shall lose all inclination toward
their moral greatness, for there is no man.
ner 80 efectual by which to attain the very
height Of self-complxcency, as the adoption
OF the principle of falling on others for sins
OF which we ourselves are guilty. Permit
me to make one point more; let me speak
OF the assassinati0n-of which the South is
not guilty. At the very time of the assas-
sinatiOn, the wish OF the SOutherners was
we'll nigh unanimous to retain Abraham
Lincoln in the Presidential chair tor the
South we'll knew that she had not at the
North one friend who would deal with her
more Justly than that dear, great man,
whose heart was all tenderness. lap
plause.l
Concerning our Southern brethren, he
discoursed thus:
How perfect and beautiful is the religion
of Jesus Christ and vet l think that its
perfection aud beauty all lay in one point:
which the young and old, the weak and
wise. the simple and learned can alike un-
derstand; that source of all grandeur il in
the rule, do as you would be done "
prolonged applause.l Oh, it we only had
the magnanimisy now to apply this rule,
and to throw the arms Of pity. forgetfnl-
ness and love around our Southern .breth,
Ten, Prolonged: applause And then
z 2s33IaEti8t- aNaI .ssss tfass Las sisaig sasa