, 1857-05-22
OUUOsitiOu Principles and Purposes.

one portion of the Union against another,
and to elect President without reference
to his political antecedents, says the Wash
ington Union, the opposition leaders have
been somewhat reserved in the publication
of their principles and purposes They are
opposed to the Democracy, and their efforts
to promote the welfare of eur citizens +; but
the grounds of their opposition, and the
measures they would recommend, are not
openly and clearly developed. They as
sumo that democratic principles are wrong
and will lead to fatal results, but how, they
do not inform us and that their political
theories will cure all the evils which they
assume to exist but they utterly fail in
showing how these things are to be accom-
plished If we may be permitted to sug-
gest the reason, it is because they do not
know themselves how to produce the results
they promise. But their repeal principles
and purposes cannot be wholly concealed.
Their principles are subverSive of the theory
of sclf-government, and their purposes, to
rule or ruin-to control the Union, or dcs-
troy it. They deny that the people in the
Territories are capable Of selfgovernment,
and insist that they should be restrained,
or their powers to act should be limited to
those who agree with them in opinion and
views. They insist that the hardy pioneer
should not act upon his own judgment, or
regard interests which he deems dear and
important to him, but should be restrained
and guided by those who are more familiar
with the artificial wants of q city than the
real and natural ones of the frontier. They
insist that no future State shall become u
member Of our glorious Union unless it shall
have moulded its views and objects to fur
ther their schemes of power. They insist
that no State shall be admitted which does
not raise the sectional banner and offer to
fight against the equality of the States.
II they cannot thus secure political power,
then their purposes are to destroy the
Union, hoping, in that event, to control one
portion Of it at least, as European pOten-
tates do conquered countries. They expect
to enlist and control the passions of the
people at the North, and direct them
against those of the South, and also to
lead them on to the fatal step Of attempt
ing to defy the authority Of the Union,
and to establish new government, which
the leaders may control and bend to their
uses. This is apparent from known facts.
Those who control the opposition move
I ments are continually making assaults upon
the constitution and laws. They assume
that everything is wrong, and leads to fatal
consequences They complain of the basis
upon which the election Of President rests
They insist that the Senate is unjustly con-
stituted, and that the House is an unjust
representation. They claim that the cleo
ton Of President rests upon theory that
leads to injustice, and that the judiciary is
not properly constituted, but its very
organization leads to wrong. Not one
feature of the constitution is satisfactory to
them. While their leaders are publicly
assuming such grounds, their subordinate
co-operators are preparing and circulating
more frank and open views in the same
direction. One discusses the value of the
Union another assumes that new elements
must be introduced into it before it can
conform to justice while others boldly
assume that actual dissolution is the only
remedy" for the pretended evils. In New
York and Boston, if not elsewhere, there
are Offices for the publication Of tracts I"
on this subject. Some of these are anony-
nous, and others contain the names of the
authors, including those who prefix Rev."
to their names. These tracts are gra-
tuitously circulated broadcast over the
land wherever it is supposed that the prin-
ciples they enforce and maintain can obtain
IougementI OF secure active supporters.
These black-republican missives form por-
tion Of the irresponsible circulation which
the shady" party constantly distribute.
The whole operations of the opponents of
the present administration tend to one
point indicating beyond controversy their
purposes-to wit to control Or dissolve
the Union. They seek power and if they
cannot acquire it under the constitution,
their purposes are to destroy the Union,
and erect upon its ruins at the North an
other government, which they hope to con-
troll and shape to their purposes of personal
and political aggrandzement, leaving the
resided of it to form separate orgauiza,
tions. They seek to separate, under differ