The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-10-19

agent In st. Domingo, to advance its peculiar
interests in that quarter-thst it holds in sub
lection the public Press in this District-that
it has installed Slavery Propagandist in the
chair of the Senate Slaveholding Speaker in
the House, and secured the ascendency on all
the important committees of both Houses-thst
it has prescribed and still proscribes from equal
political fellowship, members of either House,
known to be adverse to its views of policy
and that it makes fidelity to its peculiar inter-
ests and pretensions a test of fitness for any
Office in the gift of the Executive. And vet this
caste numbers according to the Census, about
$50 900 shareholders, or, including their fam
lilies and dependents, not more than 800, 900
persons; while the white population which it
claims an indefeasible right to rule, is only
about twenty millions of souls!
The free People of the free States have
come to tho conclusion that government by
the People is better more constitutional, more
republican, than government by class-that
the voice of twenty millions should have more
weight than that of less than two milliops-
that twenty millions have deeper interest in
the destinies of their country than three hun
dred and fifty thousand shareholders with their
dependents can have-that they are quite as
capable of governing as the latter and quite
as much disposed to do justice, maintain the
Constitution, and legislate for the best interests
of all. And their purpose is-we hope they
will stick 10 ito act upon this conclusion. If
true to themselves and their country, they viii
not rest till they have filed Congress with
faithful representatives of their interests and
obtained the control of the Administration.
OF course, this will be very offensive to the
caste which has so long monopolized the pow
or and patronage of the Government It is
quite likely that our policy would cease to be
sectional, and become national in the true
sense of the word-quitc likely that no counte-
nance would be given to Slavery
or propsgandists-quite likely that there would
be repeal of all extra-constitutional legsla-
ton in behalf Of Slavery-quite likely that
devotion to the cause of Freedom would not
be made disqualification for ofice - quite
likely that Slavery would be remanded to the
States in which it exists to be limited to their
jurisdiction, taken care of and disposed Of by
their own laws. All this would, we dare say,
be revolving to the Slave Interest, for when
has ever Power surrendered willingly or grace
fully its usurped dominion But, the People
of the free States know, and the Slsveholding
caste knows, that oil this might take place,
without trespass upon q single constitutional
right of the Slavsholding States. No suoh
trespass is meditated. We claim no right to
abolish Slavery in the States, or to interfere
through the Federal Government with the do
nestle affairs of any of the States but We do
assert right and our fixed purpose to e1-
ercise it, to redeem the Federal Government
from bondage to the Class Interest of Slavery,
and make it reflect, within its constitutional
bounds, the opinion and will of the American
People.
Now, we should like to see any particular
Caste or Class, in this country, attempting to
dissolve the Union, in other words, to destroy
the Government, because the People had signi-
fed at the ballot box their determination to
take the reins of power into their own hands