, 1854-08-26

! cAssIrs N. CLAY-wHAT SHALL THE FRIENDS
/ or REPuBIrANIsN DO ?
/ To the Editor offhe ". Y. 7rJpac:
SlR-When some years ago | had the
honor of replying to an invitation Of por.
tiOn of the members Of the New York Leg.
liSlature, to address them upon the slavery
question, was thought by many fanatic,
because | ayowed that it was not qustion
about the African, but "whcther we our
selves should be frecmen or slaves" Since
then, what is there sacred in the consti,u.
ton, in treaties, in laws, in guarantees Of
liberty which has not been desecrated
And now at last, those compromises =
by which so many Of us were humhugged
which were exalted above the "higher
law" Of revelation and conscience, are
themselves trampled under foot--and by
the repeal of the Missouri restriction-by
revolutionary means-a continent lies in
the dust at the feet Of the slaveocrais.
Thus far our republicanish is a Elilure.
Shall We "giye up the ship 2" Shall we
return as the dog to his Yomit, and clothe
ourselves once more in the cast-oif rags of
despotism, admitting ourselves incapable of
selEgovernment aud national existence
For my part, though sad-yery sad---I
am not despOndent. Let US use the reason
that God has given us to remedy the past,
and make secure the future. The violation
Of Gods laws is always wo ! We com
mittcd a national crime in joining hands
with the shareholders to commit deter
mined wrong against the rights of the AZ
rican, and now in due season the poisoned
chalce is returned to our own lips.
Fam not prepared to say with the Gar
risonians that we are to break away at
once by revolution from this criminal alli-
aucc but l do say that our only salvation,
because the only true repentance, is in ma
king the overthrow Of slavery our domi-
nant idea.
The one idea OF the shareholders which
overrides all principles and measures, is
the rule of slavery. So it mnst he met
not incidentally - not occasionally - not
cOmpromisingly, by the friends of liberty,
but with oneness Of purpose and yivaCity
and fanaticism of viii equal to theirs.
Does any man believe that in fair con-
test between liberty and slavery the wrong
will triumph I? do not.
What then shall be done |. In the
first place, punish the traitors, as an exam
pie for all future times. l honestly believe
that every man of the free States who vo-
ted for the repeal of the Missouai restric-
ton deserves death. But there is no legal
way of inhicting the ponalty-the halter,
then, they must escape But one thing
can he done-break them on the wheel Of
public opinion Let no man deal with them
in business--banish them from the social
circle, and disiranchise them practically
forever. This seems hard, but the race of
traitors must die before we can live
.. Let the elections, even for the most
inferior Offices, turn upon the repeal of the
Nebraska bill, or its amendment so that
the people Of the Territory shall have the
unqualified right to vote slavery ont To
do this, the free trader must give up his
free trade-the tariff man his tariff man
ufacturers, shipping internal improvement,
temperance, schools-all must, for the pres
ent, be held in allegiance TO the one great
question Shall America be free or slave !?
3. Although / think the free democracy
are best based to achieve the end, VIC must
tolerate and recognize all parties who will
aid as allies. In Congressional districts
where the free democrats have a supposed
larger force, let the wings and democrats
re-nominate the free democratic ticket
And where the wings or democrats have a
supposed larger force, let the free demo-
Gratis re-nominato the whig or democratic
ticket. so as to defeat the services of all
parties. In the Presidential Nominating
Convention, let delegate be seEt from
each Congressional district in the Union,
of that party which has the Congressman,
and let them vote q common candidate
Such candidate, thus nominated, can, in
my opinion, be elected triumphantly in
1856. Let that candidate whether Ben
ton, Seward or Hale, or any other good
citizen-be chosen without regard to his
locality in a free or slave State. For our
party is truly national-theirs sectional
A. Let us count the cost, All arc, ]
imagine, now convinced that the extreme
South is anticipating the dissolution Of the
American Union, and have been and are
now using the nation all the time for their
own ultimate aggrandizement, We must
therefore, calculate what is TO be the result
Of our success suppose, then, republ-
can elected President, on the issue above
stated and that the ultras Of the South,
in their madness, Oyer-awe the more
thoughtful citizens, and secede from Con
gress, and declare the Union dissolved
Then, either VIC must whip them in, or al
low peaccable separation, as circumstan-
ces shall warrant If we fight her, we
have the advantage of being the govern
ment de JactO, We have the organization
the treasury-the navy aud the army.
If victorious, VIC could compel emancipa-