The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1858-11-24
SPEECH OF SENATOR SEWARD.
Delivered at Political Meeting held in
hochssfer, n. r., Oct. 25ih, 1858.

FELLow-CirizEss: The unmistak able out
breaks OF zeal which occur oil around me
snow that yon are earnest men and such a
man am l. Let us, therefore, at least for a
time, pass by oil secondary and collateral
questions, whether Of personal or OF a gen.
eral nature, and consider the main subject
OF this canvass. The Democratic party, or.
to speak more accurately, the party which
wears that attractive name, is in possession of
the Federal Government The Republicans
propose to dislodge that party and dismiss
il from its high trust.
The main subject then is, whether the
Democratic party deserves to retain the con-
hdence Of the American people. In at
tempting to prove 1t unworthy think that /
am not actuated by prejudices against that
party, or by preposessions in favor OF its
adversary; for have learned by some ex.
perience that virtue and patriotism and vice
and selhshness are found in all parties, and
that they differ less in their motives than in
the policies they pursue.
Our country is a theatre which exhibits in
full operation two radically different politi-
cal systems the one resting on the basis OF
seryiie slave labor, the other on the basis OF
voluntary labor OF freemen.
The laborers who are enslaved are All me-
groeS, or persons more or less purely of Al
rican derivation. But this 10 only accidental.
The principle OF the system is, that labor, in
every society, BY vhomsoeyer performed. l.
necessarily unintellectual, groyelling. and
base; and that the laborer, equally Tor his
own good and for the welfare OF the State
ought TO be enslayed. The white laborinp
man, whether native or foreigner, is not en-
shaved, only because be cannot, as vet. be
reduced to bondage
You need not be told now that the slave
system is the older Of the two, and that once
it was universal.
The emancipation Of lour ancestors. Can.
casains and Europeans, as they were. hardly
dates beyond period Of FIVE hundred wears
The great moderation Of human soeie,,
which modern times exhibit, is mainly due te
the substitution of the system or yoluntaf,
labor for the old one Of seryile labor. xhicI
has already taken place. This African slav,
system is one which, in its origin and it,
growth, has been altogether foreign from
the habits OF the races which colonixed thes,
States aud established civilization here. 1
I. ..s .i.;;s ..a1sa "a ta.s continent N an ON
CINE Of conquest and for the establishment
OF monarchal power by the Portuguese an,
Spaniards, and was rap.dy extended b,
them over al! South America, Central mo,
ica, Louisiana and Mexico. LIS lepitimat
fruits are seen in the poverty, ilnbecsl,ty an,
anarchy which new prevail In Portuguese m,
Spanish America. The free labor system !;
OF German extraction, and IL was estab
lished in our country by emigrants frot
Sweden, Holland, Germany, Great Britai
and Ireland.
We justly aseribe TO it's influence Ii
strength, wealth, greatness, intelligence, an
freedom which the whole American neon
now enjoy. One Of the chief elements I
tha value OF human life is freedom ia the m,
suit Of happiness. The slave system il u,
only intoisrant, unjust, and inhaman towar
tho lAborsr, whom, only because be is IL