Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-06-05
From the Washington Union of Sunday
The Democratic Position ON the SLAYER
QueStfOm.

Question.
The abstract question of slavery has been the
subject OF earnest and oil, borate discussion IN the
different sections Of the confederacy for many
years, but we unable TO discover any evidence
of an advance towards an agreement betwxt the
disputants. Those who are opposed to slavery
because they regard IT as an immoral institution
have not been convinced by the reasoning of those
who maintain that il violates no moral obligation
or Christian duty. On the other hand, the advo-
Gates of slavery as legal and moral institution
have found nothing in the arguments of its on
ponents to weaken their original opinions. As
to whether the Institution is moral or immoral,
or whether 1t is social or political blessing or
evil, the question is as far from settlement as il
was when the discussion commenced Perhaps
it would be more strictly accurate to say that the
only effect of thediscussion has been to strengthen
the original COW ctions of the contesting parties
The northern man who was educated to regard
slavery as great moral and social wrong adheres
to the opinion with which he has grown up, and
which IS almost an instinct Of his nature. The
southern man who has been familiar with the
institution from his childhood, and has been
taught from his earliest recollection to regard il
as entirely consistent with morality and the teach
ings of the Bible, still cherishes the same senti-
ments. We think il may be safely assumed that
an agreement Of opinion on the subject between
northern and southern men is an impossbility;
and in looking at the dangers involved in the
question, and in seeking for the means Of avoiding
those dangers, it is ustifiable to act upon the as
sumption that all hope of ever effectinp such
agreement is impossible.
live are right in assuming that the North and
the South can never harmonic on the abstract
subject of slavery, ii follows that there can be no
such things as national parties except upon the
basis OF an entire exclusion of the subject from
their political creeds. No mathematical PROPOSE
ton is more true than that the only basis Of party
IL
enter into i upon the subjects which they recog-
Mise as belonging to its creed. They may differ
as widely as is possible as to all subjects not
embraced by their party creed, but to be harmoni-
Gus inside of their organization they must have
common sentiments, and stand together a COM
mon platform These truths will command ready
assent, and they demonstrate the proposition that
no party embracing members at the North and
the South can be national or harmonious'in its
organization which does not exclude the question
of slavery from its creed. If northern men insist
upon migrating upon their party creed the doc
trine that slavery is moral political evil, they
raise an masquerade barrier against a harmonious
association with southern men. In like manner
II southern men insist on making il part of their
party creed that slavery is morally and politically
right, they thereby cut off northern men from
political association with them. The necessary
result u.s. that, without federation of differences OF
opinion to the abstract question of slavery
parties are necessarily sectional, and cannot pos
sibly be national.
The same disagreement between the two Sec
tons as to slavery which exists now has existed
from the beginning of the Government, and, at
that time, constituted one Of the chief obstacles
to the formation Of constitutional union. II re-
suited in a compromise, which was intended TO be
permanent rule for avoiding future dissensions
between the different sections Of the confederacy
The Democratic party bases its claim to nation
atty upon the fact that, whilst it recognises the
validity and obligatory character of the compro-
misses of the Constitution, it denies to the Fed
eral Government any right to interfere with the
question of slavery beyond the instances so speci-
fed in the constitutional compromises. The ac-
ton Of the Democrats in the adoption of the
measures Of 1850 based upon the principle
that Congress could not rghtfully intervene as TO
slavery, except in the matters expressly enumer-
ated in the Constitution. The act for the organ
ization Of Kansas and Nebraska was based upon
the same principle of Congressional non-interven-
ton; and il is upon this principle alone that any
party can be national, that the Federal Union
can be perpetuated As IL may not be amiss at
this time to rccur to the authentic position Of the
Democratic party on the subject Of slavery, we
reproduce much of the Democratic platform
as embraces that position. We quote from the |
last Baltimore resolutions:
80. That Congress has no power under the |
Constitution to interfere with or control the do
nestle institutions Of the several States and that
such States are the sole and proper judges of |
everything appertaining TO their own affairs, not
prohibited by the Constitution; that all efforts Of