Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1858-12-03


, one knows that it is the Retublican party,
or none, that shall dispiace the Dem crl,ic
party But answer further, that the
character apd tilcIity OF any party are de
tcrniinei, necessarily, not by IL pledges,
Programmes, aud platforms, bu, by the
public exigeucies, and the temper of the
people when they call it into activity
Subseryiency to Slavery, Is i law written,
not only on the forehead Of the Dcmocr
tic party, bU; also in its very suul-so re-
sistance to Slavery, and devotion to free
dom, the popular elements nov actively
working for the Republican party among
the people, must and will be the res ourees
for It's ever renewing strength, and constant
inauguration.
Others can not support the Republican
party, because it has not sufficiently ex-
posed its platform and determined what it
will do and what it will not DO, when tri.
umphant. 1t may prove too progressive
for some, and too conservative for Others
As If any party ever foresaw 50 clearly the
course Of future events as to plan uuiver-
sal scheme for future action, adapted to all
possible emergencies Who would ever
have joined even the Whis party of the
Revolution, if it had been Obliged to an
swer, in 17l5, whether it would declare
for Independence in l116, and for this
noble Federal Constitution of ours, in
1877, and not year earlier or later?
The people of the United States will bo
as wise next year, and the year afterwari,
and even ten years hence, as we are now.
They will ob!ige the Republican party to
act as the public welfare and the interests
of justice and humanity shall require,
through all the stages of its career, wLe-
ther Of trial or triumph.
Others will not venture an efIrt be-
cause they fear that the Union would not
endure the change. viii such 0sleetors
a strain directly along the fbres Of which
it is composed? ? This is Constitution
of Freedom. 1t is being converted into
Constitution Of Slavery. 1t Is a Republi-
can Constitution. 1t is being made an
Aristocratic one. Others may wish to
wait until some collateral questions cou-
cerning Temperance or the eXeacise Of the
Elective Franchise are properly settled.
Let me ask all such persons, whether time
enough has not been wasted on these
points already, without gaining any other
than this single advantage, namely, the
discovery that only one thing can be efec-
tually done at one time, aud that the one
thing which must and Will be tone at any
one time is just that thing which Is most
urgeot and will no longer admit of post
ponement or delay. Finally, VIC are told
1uerable, aud the dominion of Slavery is
inevitable reply to them,
that the complete aud universal dominion
Of Slavery would be iutOlerable enough
when it should have come after the last
possible effort to escape should have been
made. There would IN that case be left
to Us the consoliug reflection of fidelity to
!uty.
But reply further that know-fcw
think know better than the resources
lnd the energies of the Democratic party,
which is identical with the Slave Power.
DO ample prestige to its traditional pop
Ilarity. | know furthcr-few | think
inOw better than 1.-The difficulties and
Disadvantages of organizing a new political
orce ike the Republican party, and the
Obstacles it must encounter in laboriug
without prestige aud without patronage.
But, notwithstanding ali this, know that
be Democratic party must 60 down, and
he Republican party must rise IN its
lace. The Democratic party derived its
treng'h originally from its adoption of the
rinciples of equal and exact justice to all
len. So long as it praciiced this princi-
lie faithfully, it was invulnerable. 1t be-
ame vulnerable when it renouneed il,
nd since that time it has maintained it.
Elf, not by virtue Of its own strength, or
ven of its traditional merits, but because
lero as yet had appeared in the political
ED no other party tha, bad the conscience
nd the courage to take up and avow and
ractice the life-insplring principle which
ne Democratic party had surrendered.
It last the Republican party bad appear.
j. 1t avows now, as the Republican
arty Of 1900 did, in one word, its faith
nd its works, "Equnl and exact justice to
! men," Even when it first entered the
I'd, only half organized, it struck blow
hich only just failed to secure complete
I'd triumphant victory. In this, its
cond campaign, it has already won al
lutages which render that triumph now
9TH easy and certain.
The secret of its assured success lies in
at very characteristic, which in the
outh of scoifers constitutes its great and
sting imbecility and reproach. 1t lies
the fact that it is party of one idea;
It that idea Is noble one-an idea that
Is and expands all generous souls; the
ea of equality-the equality Of all men
fore human tribunals and human laws,
they all are equal before the Divine tri-
nal and Divine law.
| know, and you know, tha, revolution
; begun. know, and all the world
ows, that revolutions never 90 backward
renty Senators and hundred Represent
ives proclaim boldly in Congress to-day
ailments and opinions and principles of
eeiom which hardly So mauy men even
this free State dared to utter in their
n homes twenty years age. While the
vcrnment Of the United States, under
, conduct of the Democratic party, has
n