The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-06-19
POLITICS AND PARTIES-SIGNH

which are Matched of public extravaganza.
. POLITICS AND PARTIES SIGNS
Our venerable and muchrsspected contemporary,
the National Insiigener speaking of the recent pro-
tsctiye movement at Phladeiphia, which was able
to command the hearty cooperation Of several lead
ing republicans and Americans, including the Hon.
Humphrey Marshall. says:
1T may be deemed rather favorable augury to find
parties manhAlling themselves upon the principles and
policy which divided them in former times
= cit II matter of graduation that
there Is at present an absence of much Of the acmony
decorum of political controversy There s in truth,
happy truce and Reason seems more to be asserting
its empire over Passion. ea s4sls
We do not in the least question the sincerity Of
the Inieligeneer in the ntterance of these sugges
tions but not quite prepared to bslieve that
our contemporary has authority to enter discontinue
ance Of the old suit of antslavsry against the Union
and the democratic party. The Eteligencer will par
don us for saying this much when it is recollected
that upon the fugitive slave law, the Kansas bill Of
1854, and upon every other question which was
susceptible of distortion Misrepresentation, and low
sectional appeals, the republicans have sought
to array the North against the South, and to
shape the operations of parties upon tho dis
tnct basis of aboltonism against the obligations of
the constitution. We lost the elections of 1854 upon
this issue tho great masses of the northern people
having been made to believe that the principle of
selfgovernment, which the foundation upon
which the repeal of the Missouri Compromise was
justified and the Kansas law enacted, was intended
as an entering wedge to enable the South to force
slavery into that Territory We maintained that,
on the contrary, the act Of 1854 nothing more
nor less than the withdrawal of the whole subject Of
slavery from Congress- leaving it to the people to be
adopted or rejected by them they might wish
In 1885 we recovered to some extent the losses of
the previous year. having been able to convince the
people that we We're laboring party to enfran-
chise them and to defeat the effort Of Congress to
exercise unwarranted powers over subjects wholly
local in their character and ends. But, throughout
all tho free States though the Of the party
were of strictly popular nature, and the adj
vantages if we may the word as applicable to a
purely just and constitutional law, greatly on the
side of the northern people in the special Kansas
case, we suffered unmerted discredit, insomuch
that the election of our Presidential candidate in
1856 was put to an extreme hazard.
During all this time embracing the entire period
of the elimination Of what is called the republican
party, we have had nothing in the world to contend
against but the most anatcal and unreasonable anti
slavery So far this work permitted to progress,
that in the largest section of the Union-out of the
democratic party--every other question de-
graded and lost sight Of 1t anti-slavery all by
itself The conquest of the government was the OBJ
ject of their sole labors.
Under these circumstances and not seeing how pre-
JUDGES SO deep and so fearfuy prevalent be
moved in an hour, how reason can be clothed in q
moment with its divine attributes and power, we
must be permitted to question whether the gratua-
tons of our esteemed contemporary not premature
and unauthorized It would afford us, indeed, great
pleasure to be able to to the country the
restoration of Reason to the government of the
abolitionists. We should regasd it as another guar
antee Of the integrity of the constitution, another
pledge that the American people devoted to the
Union, a. the highest aim Of their political life.
But we have not read the history Of human pas
sions correctly if it is possible in moment, and by
the mere resolutions of leaders, to eradicate long
standing errors in the moral political world
has it been within our observation to witness re-
| yival OF conscience 80 sudden and complete as to
bring whole communities within the pale of the
sanctuary and to engraft upon them the vital princ
pie of Justice and truth We shall, then, await viii,
anxiety the coming of future events in the great
work Of reconstructing the opposition elements into
party.