Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1855-09-06

and commit the result to Providence and tht
politicians! Such appeared to b9 the logic
Of hundreds and thousands Of Free Democ
rats; and the result is, the disruption and dis
person OF the party, at time when boil
principle and policy demand its continued
existence. beg here not to be misunder
stood. have never had any idolatrous at
tachment for this patty. have regarded i
only rs means; and if have boen devoted
to ii, IT was because Of my devotion TO th,
great end which | believed it fitted to accomp
lish. have never been SO silly az 10 Iool
upon the Free Democracy as ga great tree
! ON which all the birds of the air must com,
and sit," or "a great net, in which all tn,
fish Of the sea must be caught" When Free
dom shall have her final triumph, il will pro
baby not be under any single name, or il
honor of any exclusive leadership, bu, b,
such gradual diffusion Of Antl-Slavery trul
as shall at length pervade the minds and sway
the hearts of the people of these States.
The spread of our principles is the gran,
object; and this, insist, can best be done by
steadily and inaexibly prosecuting hgt
aim, and trusting in the power of an honest
example to bring the people ultimately to OUT
STANDARD. When we saw, as we thought, the
wing ana Democratic parties passing away
aud proudly felt that these great bulwarks oi
Slavery, manly through our agency, were a,
least about to be overthrown, we should have
remembered that their disintegration is one
thing, and the organization of their,fragments
n n ~ hrnaI nd coll I,6, ,l
issues, is quite different thing We should
have remembered, in the language of Whit
tier, that "the waster is the builder too;" and
that, if the people were not ready to lay hold
OF our fundamental doctrines, we could not
fuse with them, but must uphold our standard
as the only means of drawing them to us, or
towards us. We should have maintained ou.
ground, and beckoned the people to come up
and possess il, instead of meanly deserving it
ourselves for some narrow issue, and then
vainIy expecting them to advance bevoHd it.
Instead of diving as an independent crganiza-
ton, we should only have agreed to cease our
separate work, on condition of being transla-
ted into larger movement first committed
to the essential articles of our faith.
This, sir, has been the fatal error of Free
Democrats, especially here in the West
The truth is, our party has been tainted with
an unhealthy element from the beginning
Some rather suspicious characters oificisted
at its birth and baptism at Buffalo, IN lS43 -
We then took into our embrace many who
were as alien to eur principles as light is to
darkness, or as Native Americansm is to
Anti-Slavery. fear we were swayed then,
as We have sometimes been since, by meas
ure of that expediency which we had con-
demned in the old parties. We were animat-
ed as much, perhaps, by desire to have the
multitude go with Us, as by an overmastering
fidelity TO our cherished convictions. As a
party, there is some reason to apprehend that
we have never been soundy converted. We
are too much inclined to worship success and
we decidedly prefer that it should be immedi-
ate. We are not penariy inspired with
that earnest, all-trustng faith, that becomes
the genuine dsci Piles of the truth, and that
even gathers strength as the opposition to it
Increases. Our zeal too often blazes forth by
spasmodc fits, without any steadtast fervant
heat within to sustain it. We easily grow
disheartened at our numerical weakness and
the forces arrayed against US, .,rgetting that
the real power of party, justly considered
lies not in the numbers it can muster, but in
the truth it teaches, and the loyalty with
which it maintains it. In overlooking this
fact, we are led into perpetual temptations,
and blinded to the faith of duty. We are
induced to overrate the value of present sue
cess, and thus to achieve it, if we can, by
the INSCRIPTIONS acts Of the politician. The
martyr spirit dies out in our ranks; and as
We descend, step by step. to the level Of 9TH
er parties, and apparently enlist them on our
side, we lose our distinctive character as
Anti-Savery men, and with it our power to
s,rve the cause, and thus find our weakness
in that which we foolshy mistook Cor our
strength. By narrowing the issue we had
made with Slavery, and incorporating the
new principle of hostility to Catholics and
foreigners, our movement in the opinion OF
some, has grown immensely in numerical
power; by incorporating the kindred and
equally orthodox principle Of hatred towards
ncgroeO, still larger numbers might be enlist.
ed. But, in the mean time, what would be
the fate OF the Anti Slavery enterprise!-
Sir, with parties, as with individuals, it is
character that constitutes real siren ,th; and
this must often be obtained by the sacrifice
of popularity and present success Who has
not witnessed the power Of one bold, honest
man, in making an unpopular cause respect.
ed, and putting thousand enemies to flight!
Character is everything, 1t is priceless
and if man SO regards it, if he is willing to
sacrifice all temporal honors and advantages
even life itself, on The altar Of his fidelity, he
gives to the world testimony that is worth
more to the cause he espouses than any TEN.
poiary success coulu possibly be, achieved by
compromise of his integrity. He shows
forth an example that will be AN everything
fountain of inspiration and strength. The
real benefactors of our race have not been
worldly minded calculators, who prudently
adapted themselves to current opinions o.
practices, but bold and independent spirits
who braved every form of peril and suffering
in uphodng lofty ideal o: duty. The worl,
bears witness that they have succeeded, il
the highest sense Of the term, and that th'
! kind OF influence men exert in .dvor of