The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-11-04
THE WASHINGTON "UNIeH" UPON sRNA.
TOR SEWARD.

its climax in Northern politics.
THE WASHINGTON "UNIeE" UPON sRNA-
TOR SEWARD.
The Washington Union devotes column to
the recent Rochester speech of Senator Seward,
which is worthy of a passing notice. The edi-
tor charges Mr.. Seward with gross misrepre-
sentation of The position of the Democratic par
ty in several particulars, which we propose to
consider in their order:
"Our Southern communities" says the Union,
"hnd themselves surrounded by several millions
of African negroes, who were brought to their
shores long years ago by New England and
British slave-traders, who made large wealth by
the traffic, and whose trade was protested
against at every step of its progress by the
Southern colonies. The natural Incidence and
thriftlessness of the negro race renders it ne
cessary that the whites of the South ahould hold
them as slaves to compulsory labor, or else
abandon the Southern States altogether to tbe
black race, to become a new Africa, or second
Hayti, Jamaica, or San Domingo. The princi-
pie OF self preservation, the Democratic princi
pie of the greatest good to the greatest many,
is the one On which the whites Of the South hold
their slaves in bondage. Yet Mr.. Seward
roundly asserts that the principle of the
Southern system of labor is, that labor, in
every society, by whomsoever performed, is
necessarily unintellectual, groveling, and base,
and that the iaborer, everywhere, of whatever
race or complexion he may be, equally for his
own good and the welfare of the State, ought
to be ensaved.' That is the round and false
assertion with which Mr.. Seward commences
his address"
We are surprised at the GOODNESS displayed
by the Union in denying the statement. Every
leading organ of Democratic public opinion
in the Southern States has for the last three or
four years reiterated the proposition in thousand
forms The failure of Free Society,"" the
mistake made by modern Europe in abolishing
serfdom, the justification of Slavery, without
regard to race or complexion, have been the
favorite topics with the Richmond Enquirer,
the Examiner, the South, the Whsg, even, of
the same city, the Petersburg South side Demo
crat, the Charleston Mercury, the Standard Of
the same city, the New Orleans Delta, the
Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser, and host of
country papers, ever since the repeal of the
Missouri Compromise seemed to open the pros.
pect of making Slavery universal.
To these able and leading opponents OF
democratic " opinion we may add the New
York Day Book, the Southern Quarterly Re
rieU, De BOto's Re1iew; and if the Onion is
not satisfied with this cloud of witnesses to the
| truth of Mr.. Stewards sta ement, what will it
say to the authority of Messrs 1oombs and
Stephens, of the whole South Carolina delega.
ton, (perhaps with the exception Of Mr.. ORR
and of Senator Hammond, from the same
State? Has the editor of the Unitn forgotten
the very last speech made by that distinguished
gentleman in the Senate, in which he laid it
down as fundamental proposition that Slave.
~ is the natural and proper condition of the
very classical language as the "mud-sils " OF
society?
Can the editors of the Union be oblivious oil
facts so notorious as these Or will they
bubble by saying that the party have never in
their National Conventions endorse the preva
lent sentiment among the great ms. ority of itf
| members? True, the party, in consequence
of its reversee, has sbrunk from the RESPONSE
bility of endorsing in Convention the cherished
sar--;-. 'S -a;aA SL~.Ae.0sarss-es ~Ddt II. ED
aims are not the less clear. Common cando,
and decency should induce the Union to with.
draw its imputation upon Mr.. Seward, of ma.
king " false assertion in this particular.
The Unions next allegation is as follows:
| His next proposition is, that il is the object
OF the slave aristocracy to push this principle,
not only into the Territories, but into all the
free States though he does not compliment
the intellects of his hearers by particle of ey.
dence or of reason in support of his round as.
sertion."
The reader will find full vindication of this
assertion of Gov. Seward in another article in
this paper, the Union itself making promi.
nent figure in the witness box.
The Union proceeds
"Mr. Seward then goes on to say that the
great ameiorations in the condition of society
in modern times are due entirely to the aboli.
ton Of Slavery, and makes the preposterous as.
sertion that the superiority ?) of the social con.
dition of European States over that of our own
States is owing to the fact, that in every Euro.
pean State, save Russia and Turkey, Slavery
has been abolished. In asserting higher 90.
cial condition for Europe than for this Union,
he unconsciously falls into the reductio ad alb.
SuTuum.
This paragraph contains two charges. The
first is very easily disposed Of The exact Ian.
guage used BY Mr.. Seward, we quote from the
columns of the Union, as follows:
"The great melioration of human society
which modern times exhibit is mainly due to
the substitution Of the system of voluntary labor
for the old one of servile labor, which las al.
ready taken place."
The second charge, as to Mr.. Stewards dis
paraging comparison Of his own country with
Europe, We dispose of in the same way, by
quoting his own language. He said:
Russia yet maini aims Slavery snd is des-
poti, m. Most of the other European States
have abolished Slavery, and adopted the system
of free labor. 1t was the antagonistic political
tendencies of the two systsms which the FIRST
Napoleon was contemplating, when he predict
ed that Europe would ultimately be either all
Cossack or all Republican. Never did human
sagacity utter more pregnant truth. The two
fystems are at once perceived to be incopgru.
bus. But they are more than incongruons-
they are incompatible. They never have per.
msnently existed together in one country, and
they never can. 1t would be easy to demon.
strate this impossiblity, from the irreconcilable
contrast between their great principles and
characteristics. But the experience of man.
kind has conclusivey established it, Slavery.
as have already intimated, existed in every
State in Europe. Free labor has supplanted it
everywhere, except in Russia and Turkey.
State necessities, developed in modern times,
are now obliging even those two nations to en-.
courage and employ free labor, and already,
despotic as they are, we find them engaged in
abollshing Slavery. In the United States, Sla-