The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-01-29
POSITION DEFINED-No APOLOGIES.


POSITION DEFINED-NO APOLOGIES.
The President, in his Annual Message, &C.
cused the Republican Party of harboring the
purpose to interfere, by force or legislation, for
the abolition of Slavery in the States. The
accusation was repeated in the Senate and
House of Representatives, in every variety of
form, by members of the Buchanan Party,
from free and slave States, for the purpose of
justifying the extreme Southern men in the
position they had taken, of virtual resistance
to the Inauguration of Colonel Fremont, had
he been elected, and also to prejudice the Re-
publican Party in the free States, by alternating
from it the majority of their citizens, who be-
lieve that Slavery within the States is beyond
the jurisdiction or action of the Federal Gov
eminent. Convince them that the Republican
Party really harbors the purpose imputed to it,
and they will not only cease to regard with
indignation the defiant position Of Southern
extremists" but withhold their SURFACES from
men whom they will consider as mere Revolu
tionists. The leaders of the Buchanan Party
were pertinacious in the accusation, and, en-
tirely overlooking the Republican platform,
garbled loose reports of stump speeches, and
quoted, now, from the disciples of Gerrit
Smith, then, from the school of Mr.. Garrison,
holding the Republican Party responsible for
their utterances.
What was to be done? Did the Republican
Representatives and Senators in Congress enter
tain any such purpose or not? IF not, would it
have been right to ignore or evade the accuse
ton, and thereby not only virtually give cur
rency to Libel, but to a Libel intended and
calculated, as they believed, to do great mis-
chief? Did they believe that the Party they
represent entertained any such purpose? If
not, would they not have been recreant to their
highest obligations, to suffer it to be misrepre
sented and that, too, to its hurt?
But one answer can be given. Their duty
was, to tell the truth and confound the false
accuser. If they did not hold, with Gerrit
Smith, that the Federal Government, through
Congress or the Supreme Judiciary, has right
to abolish Slavery within the States or with
Mr.. Garrison, that the Constitution is cove
nant with death and an agreement with hell"
and ought to be abrogated, what should hinder
them from saying so? By what code of honor
or morality am bound to admit by my silence
that hold opinions which do not hold, that
/ favor policy which do not favor, but be-
lieve to be injurious? We respect the gentle
men named they are bold, manly, largeheart.
ed men; they have their own doctrines and
policy, and adhere to Them but, to prove our
independence and courage, is it necessary that
we should endorse their peculiar doctrines, or
lie under the imputation Of holding them, when
we not only disbeieve them, but believe that
any movement founded upon them must fail of
the great object-the final extinction of Sla-
very in peaceful and benefcent way?
Some of the Republican members of Con-
gress may have devoted too much atten-
ton to the charges preferred against them
some may have shown undue sensitiveness:
some, in their anxiety to vindicate themselves
against the charge of intending forcibIe inter
ference within the States, may have forgotten
to assert the right of man everywhere, to pro-
test, to exert his moral influence, against the
wrongs of mar. everywhere. But it is not true,
Aa.ws ,hsve.sssn IT, .sllsssdsi" sQma esPe.saes
with great profusion of explanations and
apologies to the Shareholders" They have de-
MED the imputations of their adversaries they
have defined their own position, they have bold
ly declared their adherence to the doctrines
and policy promulgated in the Republican
platform; not content with this defensive posi-
ton, they have turned upon their accusers,
exposed the double-dealing by which they
achieved many of their successes ut the North,
denounced the disloyalty to the Union, betrayed
by many of them at the South, and refuted
their odious doctrines Of Squatter Sovereignty,
Federal Slavery, and the superior blessedness
of slave labor and slave society. Call you this
apologizing to shareholders What! has it
come to this, that member must admit, by
silence or evasion, that he is an incendiary,"
a fanatic" or cut-throat," TO prove his title
clear to backbone ?" Must he proclaim
doctrines he does not like, rail, rant, hurl upon
his opponents a storm of fiery epithets, to dem
onstrate that he is a great-hearted reformer?
For one, we are not greatly disturbed by
false accusations very small space have we
ever occupied in defending ourselves; but
it is not worth while 10 permit our good to
be evil spoken of If we held the doctrine
of Mr.. Smith or Mr.. Garrison, we should say
so: as we do not, and never did, we say
that. Have We not right to our position,
and have we not right to define and
90,
more careful in this work of definition ? Alas
for the Republicans! Radical Abolitionists
and Disunion Abolitionists may severally de-
fine their positions, aud disclaim concurrence
with Republicans but if the Republicans ex-
ercise the same right, o, they are crnging,
they are apologizing to slaveholders.l
The true policy is, to make short work of
definitions and explanations. We do not
choose to stand upon the defensive; we do not
permit our adversaries to make the issues for
as; we do not allow ourselves to be arraigned
at their bar. So vulnerable and indefensble
are their principles and measures, that we can
occupy our time to better purpose in assailing
and exposing them, than in repeing their
senseless charges of disunionism," fanati-
cism," and incendarism."
CHINESE TRouBLEs.-It seems that the Amer
leans in Canton were not so deeply involved in
the late troubles there as was at Grst repre-.
scented. The United States frigate Portsmouth
had once returned FIRE from a Chinese fort.
but that was oil. The cause of the British
quarrel was, the rescue by the Chinese authori-
ties of a number of Chinese criminals, from
British vessel called the Arrow, in violation of