Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1857-10-01

for the fight, and OF giving to the Benton
men in the country fair excuse and safe
opportunity for going over and amolgamat-
ing with the antics, they passed, in the
Legislature last winter, the famous anti-e-
Emancipation resolutions. That step, as it
was evidently designed to be, precipitated
the contest. There was no way TO avoid
it; men were compelled, prematurely and
unprepared, to take sides in controversy
which was forced upon them. The result
was not exactly such as the authors of the
scheme had hoped for. They indeed a.
chieved partial success in the evolution
and fusion of good many of COL Benton's
former friends in the country, glad
haps, of chance to@get once more into a
majority,) and in securing the equivocal aid
of some half-breed Whigs-so called. But
the movement, as a whole, (resulting as
it has done, in the election Of Mr.. Stewart
by only a few hundred, instead of many
thousand majority,) was eminently disas-
trous to its contrivers, for it has made man
ifest what before was only suspected, the
intrinsic weakness ofths pfosslayery 9Des
mocracy Of Missouri. Its prestige Is gone
its charm is broken-and its power must
diminish from day TO day until it is wholly
lost.
The first great consequence Of this wan
ton renewal of the question, in this new
form and with this local character, was
seen in the st. Louis city election last
spring. The Freesoil men, being forced
to fight or surrender at discretion, chose
the first alternative, and boldly raised their
flag and won perfect victory, in the cleo
tion Of Mayor Winner, as an avowed eman-
oipator. This the pro-savery men affec-
ted to consider local and transient effort
Of despair, which would have no effect in
restraining the Benton men of the country
from going over, all of whom they still
hoped 10 secure at the Governors election
They had nominated their most available
man, Mr.. Stewart, and confidently counted
upon uniting in his support all these ele-
ments Of power-l, the anti Benton Demo-
Gratis, Of course. 2, the bulk of the Benton
Democrats out of St. Louis; 8, all Wings
and Americans who were more committed
to the negro question than the principles of
their own respective parties. And having
staked themselves upon the negro question,
and believing as they do, that that question
does and ought to supercede all other ques
tions, they loudly proclaimed their victory
beforehand, and boldly predicted the sue
cess of their candidate, by from ten TO TWEEN
ty thousand majority. Now, look at the
actual figures. Their candidate, with all
the aid he could get from the Benton Demo-
Gratis, Wings and Know Nothings, is saved
only by the skin of his teeth. Instead of
twenty thousand majority, he has only
three hundred and thirty-two, out of an ag-
gregate vote of nearly one hundred thou
sand. One more such victory will ruin
the party.
And yet it is worse than doubtful wheth-
er even one more such victory is in store for
them. 1t is fully as probable that the next
trial will result in an open and manifest de-
feat. During the whole of the late canvass,
their presses and stump speakers denounced
ROLLINS as the abolition candidate, and vet
ne was barely not elected. That cry of de-
nunciation, once as fatal to aspiring politi-
clans in this latitude, as the cry OF madness
to timid dog, has now lost its terrors.-
Men are no longer frightened from their
opinions and purposes, by such senseess
cry, for they see that although ROLLINS was
branded by the pro slavery Democrats,
throughout the canvass, as the emancipation
candidate, still he was almost elected Cover
nor. | cannot tell whether this increasing
holiness of the people arises from the belief
that such denunciations are democratic false
hoods made only to eleciioneer with, or from
the belief that the Freesoil party in Missou-
ri has grown so strong, and is still growing,
that It is not SO dangerous thing as it used
to be, to be found voting with them, now
and then, in order to put good man into
office. But so is the fact-the fear is zone;
and those who, for their party ends, revived
the slavery question, and forced it upon us,
as local State question, may repent of their
rash folly at their leisure, but even if they
desire it they will find it impossible to ex-
tinguish the fire which they have SO wan
tonly kindled And hereafter it will be
hard for them to frighten Wings into the
shameful dilemma Of joining them or their
adversaries; for they will no longer be able
to stamp upon prudent and conservative
men the brand Of abolition, merely because
they refuse to adopt their pro-slavery ex-
travagancies.
tha.a IL