New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-12-20
TIE PROSPECTS OF DEMOCRACY.

II il an opinion too much in accordance with
our wishes, and toe attering to our pride, not to
be very commonly received among us, that the eI-
perence of three quarters Of century or more
stree our Declaration of Independence is quite
sufficient to Iefute all the gloomy prOgnostica
tions Of European politicians, and to establish be-
You'd dispute the feasibility and selfperpetuating
capscity Of our democratic system of government
II certainly is most dissgreesble thing to admi!
any sugge tons OF doubt as to this favOrite point
of our national political faith and yet rejecting
observer car not but notice certain social changes
going Oh In the Northern as well as in the Southern
States which cannot but react powerfully upon
our political institutions, aud the necessary opera
ton Of which must be to put demOcrasical princi-
pies ard democracy, as practical system, to new
and very searching trials.
A very obvious charge in the Southern States is
the open and acknowledged predOminancy, both 10
theory and practice, which, within few years
past, the slaveholdipg syftem has been rapidly at
tanning Instead Of being regarded as a temporary
calamity, of which, by some means or other, the
Slave States would get rid, the perpetual servi
tude Of the IsboriDg portion of the community
is now insisted upon by the political theorists OF
the Southern States as the only solid and sure
foundation for Trustworthy and permanent politi-
cal institutions and in accordance with tlis idea,
the legislation of all the Southern States has BEEN
and still is, undergoing marked and radical
change. In many of the more northerly Slave
States something had been done by way of restric-
ton upon the increase of TIE slave population and
in favor of emancipation Statutes lad been enacted
prohibiting the introduction of slaves for sale; IA
cties, greater or less, had been afforded TO eman-
cipati N, while claims to liberty were counte-
napced By the laws and favored by the Courts.
All this has since been changed, or is rapidly
changing. AL restraints upon the internal slave
trade. or the introduction Of saves from one State
into another, are being removed; as, indeed, IL
would be incoDgruous for the Slave States to re
fnse admission to each others slaves at the same
time that they deny any power in Congress to keep
slaves out Of the Territories Fresh obstacles are
put in the way of emancipation, and various pro-
iects are on foot for reducing again to Slavery or
or least for e1pAtria!ing and driving into exile the
existing free colored population Attic same time
to put astop if possible to the voluntary withdraw
al If cus aved lsb0rers into communities where me
rights of labor are ackno wledged, the most barbs
rous penalties, even death ITSELF are enacted
against those who assist the fugitves in their es
cane; and even measures Of retaliation against
those who give them refuge are under considers
ton by more than ono Southern Legislature
Now, there is no instance in history Of democrat
10 institutions, either on q large scale or small
one, permanently sustained on q bsss Of domestic
Slavery. The attempt, We know, was made by the
Greeks. but al their democracies were very short