The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-11-11
WASHINGTON, d. C.
THE TRUE ISSUE.
SPEECH OF WILLIAM n. SEWARD.
D-Goaea at Roote,.]r, Monday, Oh. Is, 1sse
From the Albany Journal, Oct. &c.

From the Albany Journal, Oct &C.
There was an immense meeting at Roches-
ter last night, to listen to a speech from Gov.
ernor Seward. He was greeted with over
wheining enthusiasm, and spoke for an hour
aud a half. His speech was subst, ptially as
follows:
FElLow-CITIzENs: The unmistakable out
breaks Of zeal which occur all around me, show
that yoa are earnest men-and such man am
|. Let us therefore, at least for a time, pass
10y all secondary and collateral questions,
whether Of a personal or of a general nature,
and consider the main subject of the present
canvass. The Democratic party-or, to speak
more accurately-the party which wears that
attractive name, is IN possession OF the Federal
Government. The Republicans propose to dis
lodge that party, and dismiss it from its high
trust.
The main subject. then, is, whether the Demo
cratic party deserves to retain the confidence
OF the American People. In attempting to
prove il unworthy, L think that am not actu-
:ited by preludices against that party, or by pre-
possessions in favor OF It's adversary; for have
learned, by some experience, that virtue and
t..tqiotism vice and seliishness, are found in all
parties. and that they differ less in their mo-
n,es llrln in the policies they pursue.
Oar country is theatre, which exhibits, III
full operation, two radically different political
systems; the one resting on the basis OF servile
or slave labor, the other on the basis Of vol
Nniary labor of freemen.
The abOrers who are enslaved are all ne
groes. or persons more or less purely of Afr
can derivation. But this is only accidental.
The principle of the system is, that labor III
every society, by whonSoever performed, is
necessarily unintellectual, grovelling, and base
and that the laborer, equally for his own good
and for the welfare of the State, ought to be en-
shaved. The white laboring man, whether ma
tive ar foreigner, is not enslaved, only because
IA cannot, As vet, be reduced to bondage.
lOu need not be told now that the slave sys-
TEN is the older Of the two, and that once 1T was
universal -
The emancipation Of our own ancestors, eau
casians and Europcansas they were. hardly dates
beyond a period of 800 years. The great me
Iteration of human society which modern times
exhibit, is mainly due to the substitution of
the system OF voluntary labor for the old one OF
seryiie labor which has already taken place.
This African slave system is one which, in ITS
origin and in its growth, has been altogether
f,reign frIn the habits OF the races which colo
nized thess. States and established civilization
here. Ii was introduced ON this new continent
as AN engine of conquest, and for the establish
and the Spaniards, and rapidly extend
ed by them all over South America, Central
America. Louisiana, and Mexico. Its legiti-
mate fruits seen in the poverty, imbecility,
and anarchy, which now pervade all Portu-
guese and Spanish America. The free-labor
system Is of German extraction, and it was
established in country by emigrants from
Sweden, Holland, Germany, Great Britain, and
Ireland.
We Justly ascribe to its influences the strength,
wealth. greatness, Intelligence, and freedom,
which the whole American people now enjoy.
One of the chief elements of the value of human
life is freedom in the pursuit of happiness. The
slave system is not only intoerant, unjust, and
inhuman, toward the laborer, whom, only be-
cause he is laborer il loads down with chains
and converts into merchandise, but scarcely less
to the freeman. to whom, only because he is a
lahon-r from necessity, 1t denies facilities for
employment, and whom 1t eNpels from the com
munity because 1t cannot enslave and convert
him iuto merchandise also. Ii is necessarily
improyident and ruinous, because, as general
truth, communities prosper and flourish or droop
and decline IN ust the degree that they practice
or ncglect to practice the primary duties of JUS
tice and humanity. The free-abor system con
forms la the divine law Of equality, which is
written ia the hearts and conscenccs of mon,
and therefore is always and everywhere bcnei-
iceni.
The slave system is one OF constant danger.
'listrnst, suspicion, and watchtulneSs. 1t de
bases those whose toll alone can produce wealth
and resources for defence To the lowest degree
of which human nature is capable, to guard
against nlJtiny and instruction, and thus wastes
energies which otherwise might be- employed in
national development and ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
The free-abor system educates all alike, and
A. II Al. IL
mcni, and all the departments of authority, to
the unchecked and equal rivalry of all classes
of men, AT once secures universal contentment
and brings into fhe highest possible activity all
the physical moral, and social energies of the
whole State. La States where the slave system
prevails, the masters, directly indirectly, Sc
all political power. and constitute a ruling
aristocracy. In the States where the frec-labor
system prevails, universal suffrage necessarily
obtains, and the State inevitably becomes, soon
er Tor later, republic or democracy.
Russia vet maintains slavery, aud is a despot
ism. Most of the other European States hav,
abolished slavery, and adopted the system o
free labor. Ii was the antagonistic political ten
denotes fthe two systems which the first Napo
leon was contemplating when he predicted that
Europe would ultimately be- either all Cossack
or all Republican. Never did human sacacity
utter more pregnant truth. The two systems
are AT once perceived TO be incongriious But
they are more than incongruous, they are incom
patble. They never have permanently existed
together in one country, and they never can
1t would Ice easy 10 demonstrate this imposs
iitv, from the irreconcilable contrast between
their great principles and characteristics. But
the experience OF mankind has conclusively cs
tabsbcd it. Slavery, as ] have already init
mated, 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 oblging even thos,
two nations to encourage and employ free labor
and already, despotic rs they are we find then
engaged nm abollshing slavery. In the United
States, Slavery came into collision With free la
bor AT the close of the last century, and fell be
fore it in New England, New York, New Jersey
and Pennsylvania, but triumphed over it effect
naly, and excluded 1t, for a period vet undeter
mined, from Virginia, the Carolinas and Geor
gia. Indeed, so incompatible are the two sys
TENS, that every new State which is organize,
within our overwhelming domain makes il,
first political act choice of the one and an ok
clusion OF the other at the cost of civil war
if necessary. The slave States, without law. n
the last national election, successfully forbade
within their own limits even the casting of yote
for "A candidate for President of the Unite,
States supposed To be favorable to the establish
ment of the free labor system in new States.
Hitherto, the two systems have existed in diff
ferent States, but side by side within the Amer
lean Union. This has happened because tn,
Union Is a confederation of States. But in an
other aspect the United States constitute oul,
one nation. Increase of population, which i
filling the States out to their verylborlers. to
gether with n new and extended network q
railroads and other avenues, and an interna
uhl Nv hoo