Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1855-08-11
SOUTHERN VIEW OF THE A~BoLITIoNIsT
LEADERS.

We do mo-, speak If the subordinate Generals,
whose sphere IS the newspaper Office lilo Gree
legs, Weeds Dauns md Bivelows--nor Of the gu
erillas who have done ycoman's work in the con
test, such as the Tappans, Garrisons and Smiths
bat OF the recognised commanders who have taken
their seats among tbs rulers Of the land, and aetu'
ally planted their banner staff on the floor Of Con-
gress itself.
In the FIRST rank stands WIN. II. Seward, of New
York. We dare say that the time has gone by,
when his talents or has perseverance can be denied
either in tho North or in the South. lie is the
most skilliul and unrelenting enemy of the slave
interest, and, whether sincere, or insiucere, must
be regarded as a formidable antagonist. For our.
selves, we regard him as a fanatic, whose sineeri-
~ is as deep rs the roots Of hit life, and who be-
lieycs that, in advancing his political ambition, he
IS asserting the cause af humanity also. lie Is q
man of fine and extensive attainments--a subtle
and Machiavcllian organizer, an orator whose full,
Ciceronian, aud somewhat ford style must al
ways attract popular attention in a nation which
loves eloqueuce as dearly as the United States
To those qualifications he adds n deep political
prescience which nothing can disturb, adaptabili
ty which, i'll these times of change and inconsis-
tency, 10 the most valuable gift Of the thorough pol
itician.
Tho rise anil progress of Seward, from his first
beginning as nm obscure lawyer, to his present re-
markable exaltation, is one of the most curious
phenomena Of modern political history. 1t does
not require much insight to perceive that he Is no
casual waif, borne to au elevated place by the tide
Of party, but the arti6cer of his own fortune, IN
the construction of which he has displayed the
most plant subtlety, the most reckless daring, and
an amount of genuine ability which cannot be
mistaken for a moment. We are not writing o
puff of Mr.. Seward, but simply describing the
foremost enemy of the South ~ he really is, and
not the vulgar agitator which too many mistake
him for. Is this a man to be despisod or disre-
Il. 7 "a = l. L. - - 1uaA-A zF So
ter security, while such an engineer is mining I'M
der our out posts with the determination Of spring
ing the mine ut his convenience?
Then, nest in rank stands Sumner, of Massa-
chusetts. No person, even the most prcjudicedi
v i'll mistake him for a common man. He was dis
tinguished as Il juris-consult Of u high order be-
fove he became noted as an incendiary. Ills stand
ing among the scholars of his State, prolific in fl
natical men of letters, has been confessedly higl
for many years, and to considerable scholastic at
%tainments he unites many popular Nccomp lishment
which are equivalent to success in an era OF agita
ton and revolutionary designs. Without the eau
ton and long foresight of Seward, he possesses al
F equally hardy position, as his bearing in Congress
F proves, and acknowledges no law so binding q
those Of his own stern will. 1t is true that Sum
ner is n poor and fallacious logiciun, but few will
deny tho charms Of his brilliant rhetoric.
As Seward is the Robert Peel of Abolition Sum
ner is the Macaulay. His want of direct logic i
compensated for, by an excellent imitation of tru,
dialectism, and the minds Of the people are sway
ed oftener by the glittering APPEARANCES of argumen
than by argument itself. The poorest fallaciei
become facts among excited masses as we learI
from the records OF '49, when the splendid para
doxes of Lamartine were mistaken for the pro
found utterances of an oracle of statesmanship.-
There are days when the populacc willingly &C
cepts phrases fof politics.
Passing by Wilson, 'the false Achitophel'of til,
movement, we come to Hale of New Hampshire
In him we find a remarkable combination of pop
ular qualities with an nexhaustable fund Of fana
icism. The granite hills of his native State ar
not more stern and unyielding than his nature
and yet he possesses as playful and trenchant
W.T. as Richard Brinsley Sheridan. He can al
ways relieve a solemn subject by a good humorec
joke, and compel even his opponents to join in tn,
responsive ~laugh-thinks in syllogisms and speak
in epigrams. Very few men in the Senate Of til,
f United States can match him in debate, for he i
always ready, caustic and wellinformed.
p, If his facts are sometimes metaphors, his meta
phors are as often facts. 1t is true, that he ha
been in a minority of one before now, but ~intel!ec
Q tually, at least, it was zone with two oughts afte
5 all" If Seward is the Robert Peel, as we hav
said, and Sumner the Macaulay of Abolition, Hal
may be fairly ranked as the D1sraeli. Recon
events show that his influence is anything but de
creasing in New Hampshire.
And such are the leaders whom the South ha
henccforward to meet, foot to foot, and from whom
she can expect no quarter, and to whom she SHOULD
give none.-New Orleans Delta.