Year: 1861

| consent TO compromises o. the imposition oil


terms npon me or the people | represent


under threats of breaking up the government


| will ''not give reasons under compulsicn.'
No sursr or more eifsctual way could be


devised for converting this into revolution


ary goFesnment than the adoption of COM


promise expedient at this time.


Eight months ago the four political parties
o! this country, in their several conventions,
announced certain abstract propositions in
platforms which each believed to be true,


and which, ii acted upon, would in their
opinion, most conduce TO the prosperity of
the whole country. The issue upon these
propositions was submitted to the people
through the ballot boxes. One party was
successful as either might have been but for
the lack Of votes, and now one Of the van
pushed parties seeks to overthrow the gov
ernment because they we're not themselves
the vietors, and will only consent to s,ay their
work of demolition upon the condition that
We will agree to make their platform which
is abhor.ent to US, part of the Constitution
OF the country. After taking their chances
for success and being defeated in fa,r aad
manly contest, they now seek to overthrow
the government u1der which they live and
to which they owe their allegiance. How
rapidly are we following in tn footsteps of
the government of Mexico and South
America


do not believe .ha. the public mind Is now
IN condition to calmly consider the great
questions involved in the amendments pro-
posed. But suppose the people were willing
and anxious that such amendments TO the
Constitution should be submitted to them;
suppose they were in proper frame of mind
TO weigh them and decide upon their adop-
ion, suppose their adoption was not at.
empted TO be enforced by threats, can We


have any assurance that this is the last de.


mind TO be mude upon US? Can we be


celtain that success in this instance will not
whet the appetite for new concessions and
new demands, and that similar threats of
secession and revolution will not succeed
eyery future Presidential election? Will
the demand for new guarantees stop here |?


Shall we not be as liable to have our trade
paralyzeh, our finances derangd our national
flag insulted, the public property wrested


from Us and destroyed, and the government
itself overthrown four years hence. if we


amend the Constitution, as we should be If


we now stand firmly on our principles and


uphold the authority of the government


The question before the country, it seems


to me, has assumed gigantic proportions. l,


has become something more than an issue


on Tue Slavery question growing out OF the
construction of the Constitution. The issue


now before US is whether we have country,


whether or not this is a nation. Is this u
Government which Florida with $4,000 peo-
pie can destroy by resolving herself out Of


the Union and scizing the Forts and Arsenals
within her borders? Tha, is the question
presented for our decision. Can great and
| prosperols nation of 33.000,000 Of people


be destroyed by an act of secession of some
Of its members? Florida and her sister rev.
olufionary States answer in the affirmative.
We deny it. They undertake to act upon
| their professed belief. and secede. or. as
term it, rebel against the Government. While


they are in this attitude of rebellion com
promise is presented to US for adoption by


which it is proposed, no, to punish the re-
belious States but to entce them back into
the Union. Who does not see that by
adopting these compromise propositions we


tacitly recognise the right of these States to
| secede? I? Their adoption Mt this time would


completely demorallze the Government and
leave it in the power Of any State to destroy.
If Florida and Soutr Carolina can secede
because Of the Slavery question what shall
prevent Pennsylvania from seeding because
the Government declines to adequately pro
| tect her iron and coal interests, or New Eng.
land because her manufactures. or New York
because her commerce is not sufficiently pro-


tected? | could agree to no compromise Sc


unit! the right to secede was fully renounccd,
because it would be a recognition of the
right of one or more States to break UP the
Government at their will.


Iowa has peculiar interest in this question.
If this right of State revolution be conceded,
her geographical position is such as To place
her completely in the power Of revolutionary
States. Will she agree that one State can
sscede and takefrom her the mouth Of the
Mississippi river, that another can take from
her the mouth of the Missouri. and that
others shall be permitted to deprive her of
the right of passage TO the Atlantic ocean ?
II she will not agree to this it becomes her
people to insist that the Constitution of the
country shall be upheld, that the laws of the
land shall be enforced, and that this pretend
ed right Of State 10 destroy our national


existence shall be sternly and emphaticallv
rebuked. kuow the people Of Iowa we'll
enough to believe that appeals to their fears


will pass By as The idle wind. and that they


will risk all things and endure all things in


maintaining the honor of the national Gag


and in preserving the national Union.
One word more and close this letter. al
ready too long. At the commencement OF the


session. before revolution had assumed its


present gigantic proportions. before any
State had pretended to secede except South


Carolina. before the Forts and Arsenals Of


the United States had been captured the
flag of the country fred upon. and the Capt.


tol of the nation threatened, assented as n


member of the Senatorial Committee of


Thirteen. to three propositions which were


to the following effeet.viz:


First. That Congress should never be per-


m;tted to interfere with the domestic insti-


,u,ions of any State, or to abolish slavery
therein.


Second, Tha. the several States should be
advised to review their Legislation in regard
to persons of color and repeal or modify all
such laws as might conflict with the Consti.


tuition Of the United States or with any of
the laws of Congress made in pursuance
thereof.


Third. To admit Kansas into the Union
under the Wyandotte Constitution, and
then to admit the remaining territory be-
longing to the Upited States a. tvo States.
one North and one South Of the parallels Of
Sc deg. 80 min. with the provision that
these States might be subdividsd and new


ones erected sherefrom whenever there


should be sufficient population for one


Representative in Congress upon sixty
thousand square miles.


Those propositions, IL adopted. would


have quis'cd the apprehensions of the
Southern people as to the intention Of the
people of the Free States to interfere with


slavery 10 the States. and would have finally