The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-07-16
Lincoln's Reply to Dougias-The Massachu
sets Abolitionists-Tne Drift Of the North
ern Slavery Agitation.

A<ancoAhS ENeply 10 OOu81aS-Tno nAe9o00os
sets Abolitionists-Tne Drin Of the North
ern Slavery Agitation.
We published the other day the opening ILL.,
nois compaign speech of Mr.. Senator Douglas
at Chicago and upon the principle of fair play,
we give this morning, in full, the reply of Mr..
Lincoln, the republican competitor of Mr..
Douglas for the United States Senate. We also
transfer TO our news columns to-day, the official
report of the celebration of the Fourth Of July
by the Massachusetts, radical or Garrison aboli-
tionists and from these copious materials we
are admonished Of two things: First, that
hostility to Southern slavery and the "slave
power" constitutes at present the platform, the
life and substance of our Northern republican
party; and secondly, that however far they
may lag behind the radical abolitionists they
are following in the wake Of Garrison and his
disunion fanatics, and ore drifting to the same
direful extremities, and must in due season
change their course or be beaten from the field
There is q very wide distinction between the
speech of Mr.. Lincoln at Chicago, and the
speech and resolutions Of W. Lloyd Gar
rison at birmingham and yet, If we ad
by Mr.. Lincoln, we open wide the door to
all the political and social heresies Of Garrison
The Massachusetts, fanatic, however, so far from
pleading that equality in the Declaration Of
Independence which Is urged by Mr.. Lincoln,
says It "was only colonial independence, on q
selfish basis, in the spirit Of complexional
CASTE" and that it is through the recreancyf'
"the shocking inconsistency" transparent
hypocrisy &c, Of the founders Of the republic,
I" that the land lie now cursed by the sway Of the
slave power" Hence the cry Of Garrisoh is
down with HE constitution-down with the
Union-no union with Shareholders He would
abolish the constitution because it spro-slayery,
Of the world because 4 is anti-slayery, and be-
cause he believes that the founders Of the gov
eminent anticipated the final extinction of sla-
very under their constitution.
There is certainly no agreement here between
the Massachusetts, abolitionist and the Illinois
republican; but grant the premises of the latter
in reference to negro equality, and all the here
sizes of the former touching the ncgros wrong,
and the negro's rights must sooner or later form
o part OF the same platform. And here we are
drawn 10 the consideration Of the remark
able part played by these abolition fanatics,
and which they continue to play, as the pio-
neers Of all the great political anti-slsvery
movements of the North.
Although our oldest regular modern Northern
abolition societies may claim an existence Of a
quarter Of century, the anti. slavery element
Of this epoch was not distinctly developed in
our national politics till the year 1910. In the
Presidential election Of that year the first
feeble anti-slavery demonstration was made In
the general arena, and the result was the insig-
ni6cant sum total Of seven thousand votes for
Birney, the abolition candidate. In the inter-
val to the next Presidential election, the Texas
agitation gave the first impulse Of active life 10
the abolitionist, and increased their vote for
Birney TO $4,000 in 1874. But the Importance
of this vote was not in its remarkable increase
from 1910, but in the fact that mere fraction
Of it-some $4,000 in this State-diverted from
Clay to Birney, gave the electoral vote of the
State to Polk, and made him President.
From this point the wings, as a national
party, began actively the work of sympathy,
and Of bargaining and compromising with the
antislavery factionists; and conspicuous in the
task Of conciliating them were Seward, Fill
more and other wbig leaders and their organs
In this State Thus from bad 10 worse, the
wing leaders, organs and clques Of the North
became affiliated and contaminated with the
antl-slaVery game adopted by W. II. Seward,
until in 1862 1t sunk the whole party into the
dust, never TO rise again. AT the same time
the democracy as actively commenced and oar
ried on the game Of combating and infaminE