The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1856-01-31


Gerrit Smith ana VIM. Lloyd Garrison may be
taken as the respective representatives, the
former aiming at the abolition Of Slavery
through the nstrumentality of the General
Government, By claiming that the CoDstitu-
ton is an anti-Slayery document, and the
other acknowledging that the Constitution
recognizes Slavery, seeking to abolish 1t by
edecting dissolution of the Union. The
dissolution of the Union involves so many
and SO much greater perils, and is thing
so contrary TO the pride and patriotism Of
our people, that this class Of Aboitionists is
the most hateful, and when the charge of
Abolitonism is made, the stigma Of all the
extreme sentiments entertained and extreme
measures proposed by these men is endeavor-
ed to be fixed upon the persons against whom
the charge is brought. This is why the term
is rendered susceptible Of popular effect by
demagogues and sophists. People love the
hate any body who proposes dissolution of
the Union as the remedy for the evils of
Slavery. So, the demagogue, and the jaun-
diced, bigoted partizan, with a reckless dis
regard for truth and honesty, lacking the
fact and argument necessary 10 sustain his
position, resorts to the expedient of endeay-
oring to fix upon his opponent the odlum Of
Abolitionism, and stigmatizing him as a sup
porter Of the most extreme ana oiious meas
ures Of the most ultra class of Abolltionists
knowing very we'll that the charge may be as
groundess as II 1t were made against him
who utters it.
! Now to charge man with being an Abo-
| litionist who only aims at the restriction Of
| Slavery TO its constitutional limits, to pre-
vent the extension Of Slavery over Federal
territory, and the admission Of any more
Slave States, or to charge even an ayow
ed Abolitionst Of the Gerrit Smith school,
with favoring dissolution Of the Union, is
both malicious and absurd, for it is not to be
inferred but that either of them hold the
perpetuity Of the Union as paramount to the
questioned Slavery n any form yet presented.
The Republican party aims at nothing more
than the Limitation of Slavery to the bounds
set up by the Constitution, TO the exclusion Of
the institution from territory under the con-
troll Of the Federal Government. and the non
admission Of any more slave States, leaving
tae question Of Slavery rs it exists within
the States Just where they find it. There
fore, in no strict or accepted sense of the
term, can member Of that party be called
an Abolitonist. lie may be an Abolitlonist,
or he may not; but the fact Of his being a
member of the Republican party does moth
ing to prove or disprore it and yet, well
knowing ah this, knowing the humbug
and utter shamelessness Of trying to heap
odium upon the Republican cause by stigma
tizing It's members as Abolitonists, and
therefore Diounionists. and all that sort Of
thing, there are those who employ no other
weapons, but seem to rely npon the ignorance
or fanaticism Of the public mind to render
such arguments successful, or else place 50
low an estimate upon the intelligence and un-
derstanding OF the masses that they think no
other argument can be successfully addressed
| to them.
| The Republican party does not seek tho
abolition of Slavery wherever the authority
Of the institution prevails, on the ground
Of Gerrit Smith it does not seek its ubol
| lion by dissolution Of the Union, as CARR
son seeks it it does not seek its abolition
at all, under the local governments where il
exists; he IS very poorly informed man
who don't know that. Consequently the cp-
tibet, whenever applied, Is applied with a
fraudulent intent it is cheat ana lie, and
he who employs il knows it very we'll, and the
man or the journal who 50 employs it, is eth
er to be pltied for his ignorance, o. descry Is
the finger Of scorn to be pointed at him by
all honorable men for his deceptive ana dis
honest dealing.
c3- Uzal Knapp, the last of Washington
Life Guard. died ut New Windsor, Conn, on
the llth instant, aged 95 years Within the
year past, then, have died the last officer of
the Revolution, Major Burnett, and the
last of the Life Guard.
Soon, there viii not be left us one of that
band Of patriots who took part in the stirring
scenes of the Revolution The soil of free
dom will soon cover them all, but the memory
81 their sutierings, their sacrifices, and their
( heroic deeds, viii be ever bright III tue
3 hearts Of their countrymen. There are few
Of as, grown to mans estate, who have not
grasped the hand, and listened TO the tales
OF some aged relative, some portion of whose
early years was spent in the service Of his
country under the old Continental Congress.
We fear that privilege, pleasant as it has
been to Us, has not been sufficiently esteemed.
Few Of the millions about us who are soon
I 70 succeed to oar nlaces. VII haxe eninHed