Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-10-29


thor shows as to the ground work of our po
litical institutions. His breadth of view i.
remarkable, as is the clearness with which
he points out our danger and our remedy.
SPEECH OF HON. CARLsCHURZ.
OF WISCONSIN.
Before the Republican Ratf~at,on Meeting a,
Chicago, Sept. 2Sth, 1858.
GENTLEMEN Tho remarks nm rnino IN
offr will not be Of the exciting and enthusi-
nstic kind. l will make no constitutional
arguments, nor will | quote authorities. nor
thall indulge in personal invcrtvcs against
Buchanan, Douglas or any other man. 7
will speak to your understanding, and call
your attention to some of the simple and
broad PRINCIPLES which rule the developement
Of human affairs.
The drstinins of nations and countries are
indeed not governed bv IN iorities and gov
crnmental authority alone. You will s,me-
times see nations struggle with almost surnr-
human efforts against certain innendinr
dangers hut an overruling fatality seems to
irustrate all their exertons. This overruling
fatality, which stands above the power of
maiorities and governments will call with n
simple term "he logic of things and ercnS.n
1t is the close connection between cause and
effect, between principle and fact. and Il con-
nectiOn which cannot be severed, and the
clear knowledge of which is the only safe
foundation ot political wisdom
have been taught by history, that dem
ocratc system of government, although it
may overcome local and temporary inconven-
iences cannot bear direct contradiction be-
tween political principles on one and social
institutions on the other side. Such incon-
sistcncics will and must bring forth questions
and conflicts involving the very foundations
OF popular liberty. They may appear in diff
tercnt shapes, but when they have once taken
possession Of the political arena they will
ovcrshadow all other issues. Everything else
will be subordinate to them. they will form
the only legitimate line Of distinction between
parties and all attempts to divert public at
tention from them or to pallate them with
compromises or secondary issues. will prove
futile and abortive. Their final decision one
way or the other will decide the political ex-
istence Of people.
Such contradiction is that between Liber-
ty, founded upon the natural rights of man,
and Slavery, founded upon usurpaton be-
| tween Democracy which is the life element OF
our federal Constitution and Privilege which
| is the life element of the save-holding svs-
tenn and of Southern Society.
do not intend to make an anti-slaverv
speech, in the common understanding of the
term, dwelling at length upon the suftrings
of tho bondman and the cruelty of the master
and the sinfnlness of sin in general Nv mr.
pose is to investigate from political stand
point, the conflicts which, as n natural
! consequence, must sprinp from the mixture
| of the contradictory principles of Slavery and
| Democracy.
When in Democratic community there is
a powerful individual or an association. or
class of men, whose claims and pretensons
are in conflict with the natural rights Of man
in general or with the legitimate Claims Of
other individuals and who deem their own
particular interests above all other consider,-
| tons we NAV well saw that the Gharties of
the people are in danger. When such an
| individual or class of men find that their
claims and rretensions cannot stand before a
free criticism, they will spare no cffnrt to i'm
pose silence upon tie organs Of rublc opin-
| ion thev will use force. If arpument is fno
avail. They will endeavor to concentrate all
political power in their hands, and to use it
as machinery for the promotion Of their
selfish ends. and ms a safeguard of their
particular interests. Ttev will resort to
usurpation, when by constitutional means
they can exercise no abs lutte control.
In States which are ruled by abs llutc mon
archs, the public press is manacled. f,r no
|
crescences cannot stand before the free criti
csm of public opinion, and that if press and
speech were let free to-day, there would be
death-struggle between public opinion and
the absolute power Tomorrow. which would
result either in the completc overthrow of
the latter or complete reinstatement of the
former.-But it is not essential that this
powerful and dangerous interest should have
Inonarchical aspirations if it be an arsto-
cracv. or an association of great merchants
or planters. or in general a class of persons
who have common interests which are in
consistent with the natural rights Of man,
considerations and are determined to defend
thcm-thc tendency and the ultimate result
will be the same. To such an interest the
people will have to submit. or against such
an interest the people will have TO frht
There will be Il struggle and there will be n
victory, final and conclusive. [Applause
Is this applicable to slavery and the slave
holders? 4 rapid glance at the political de-
velopement of this country will answer that
question.
In the slaveholding States all political life
is SHAPED bv the ruling interest While the
people of the South profess the princinle of
eaunlitv. one class of citizens are pccnstnmed
to govern and the other to obey, land maIk
well, am speaking of the whites, not of the
slaves.) and the whole machinery of govern
,, ment, even down to the smallest functions, is
in the hands of the slaveholding aristocracy.
While they profess the principles Of political
) liberty, you dare neither speak nor write q
; word against the peculiar institution. -
, While they claim to be freemen, they have
! fettered the hands of the people with the
: most odious police regulations, dictated by
: the instructive fears common to all tyrants.
/. While they claim to be an enlightened peo-
pie, they do not suffer thegrcat leading ideas
, of the age to enter their schools and colleges,
for fear they might engender thought against