Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-11-18
Position and Relation of the Democraticant
Republican Parties.
VIM. Fl. SEWARD'S SPEECH,
AT SYRACUSE, N. Y, OCT. 25, 1855.

AT SYRACUSE, N. Y, OCT rs, 1855.
FELLow-CITIzENs The unmistakable out
breaks of zeal which occur all around me show
that you are earnest men-and such u man ain
l. Let us, therefore, at least for time, pass
by all secondary and collateral questions wheth-
er OF personal or of general nature, and
consider the main subject of the present can
vass. The Democratic party-or, to speak
more accurarety, 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 Dem
ocratic party deserves to retain the confidence
of the American people. In attempting to
prove it unworthy, think that am not ac-
tuated by prejudices against that party or by
prepossessions in favor of its adversary for
have learned by some experience, that virtue
and patriotism, vice and sefshness, are found
in all parties, and that they differ less in their
motives than in the policies they pursue. Our
country is n theatre which exhibits, in full op
Grafton, two radically different political sys-
tems-the one resting on the basis of servile
or slave labor the other on the basis of volun-
tary labor of freemen. The laborers who are
enslaved are all negroes, or persons more or
less purely Of African derivation. But this is
only accidental The principal of the system is
that labor, in every society, by whomsoever
performed, is necessarily unintellectual, grove
ling and base, and that the laborer, equally for
his own good and for the welfare Of the State,
ought to be enslaved. The white laboring man,
whether native or foreigner, is not enslaved
only because he cannot, as yet be reduced to
bondage. You need not be told now that the
slave system is the older of the two, and that
once it was universal. The emancipation of our
own ancestors, Caucasians and Europeans, as
they were, hardly ds tes beyond a period of five
hundred years. The great meioration OF hui
man society which modern times exhibit is
mainly due to the substitution of the old sys-
tenn of voluntary labor for the old one of SER
vile labor, which has already taken place.
This African slave system is one which has
already taken place This African slave system
is one which, in its origin and its growth, has
been altogether foreign from the habits of the
races which colonized these States, and estab-
llshed cizllization here. 1t was introduced on
this new continent as an engine of conquest,
and for the establishment of monarchial power
By the Portuguese and the Spaniards, and was
rapidly extended by them over all South Amer
lea, Central America, louisiana and Mexico
Its Legitimate fruits are seen in the poverty, i'm
becility and anarchy which now pervade all
Portuguese and Spanish America. The free
labor system is of German extraction, and it
was established in our country by emigrants
from Sweden, Holland, Germany, Great Brit
ian and Ireland.
We justly ascrIbe to its influence the
wealth greatness, intelligence and freedom
strength which the whole American people now
enjoy. Ono of tho chiel aanaants of the valua al
human life is freedom in the pursuit of hap
piness. The slave system is not only intoler-
ant, unjust and inhuman towards the laborer
whom only because he is laborer, it loads
down with chains and converts into merchan
disc, but scarcely less so to the freeman to
whom, only because he is laborer from ne
cessity, it denies facilities for employment, and
whom it expels from the community because ii
cannot enslave and convert him into merchan
disc also. It'is necessarily improvident anc
ruinous, because, as general truth, commu
mites prosper and flourish, or droop and decline
in just the degree that they practice or neg
lect to practice the primary duties of Justice
and humanity. The free labor system conform;
to the divine law of equality, which is written
, fore is always and everywhere benefcent
The slave system is one of constant danger
distrust, suspicion and watchfulness 1t de-
bases those whose toll alone can produce
wealth and resources for defence, to the low.
est degree of which human nature is capable
to guard against any mutiny and insurrection
and thus wastes energies which otherwise
might be employed in national development anC
aggrandizement. The free labor system ed.
ucates all alike, and, by opening all the fed
of Industrial employment and all the depart
ments of authority to the unchecked and equa
rivalry of all classes of men, at once secures
universal contentment and brings into th
highest possible activity all the physical, mora
: and social energies of the whole State Ii
States where the slave system prevails, the mas
tiers directly or indirectly, secure all poltica
power, and constitute ruling arstocracy. Il
the States where the free labor system prevail
, universal suffrage necessarily obtains, and tn
State inevitably becomes, sooner or later, Re
, public or Democracy.
Russia yet maintains slavery, and is despot
, ism. Most of the other European States hav
d abolished slavery and adopted system of fire.
labor. 1t was the antagonistic political ten
r denotes of the two systems which the first Ma
poleon was contemplating when he predcte
that Europe would ultimately be either a.
: Cossack or all Republican. Never did huma
sagacity utter a more pregnant truth. Th
two systems are at once perceived to be incor
gruous, they are incompatible. They nevC
y have permanently existed together in one cour
try, and they neper can. 1t would be easy I
demonstrate this impossibiity, from the irrecol
niln h1n hotxuanu tbo,r iNl,
and characteristics, But the experience
mankind han conclusively established i
Slavery, as [ have already intimated, existe
l. in every State in Europe. Free labor has SUI
planted it everywhere except in Russia ar
Turkey. State necessities, developed in model
IS times, are now obliging even those two natiol
'f to encourage and employ free labor, and a
II ready, despotic as they are, we find them e.
a gagged in abolishing slavery. In the Unit
States slavery came into collision with free Il
s. Dor at the close of the last century. and ft
y before it in New England, New York, Ne
x Jersey and Pennsylvania, but triumphcd ovt
os it efectually, and excluded it for a period y
V undetermined, from Virginia, the Carolin
x and Georgia. Indeed 50 incompatible are Il
ID two systems that every new State which is o
or ganized within our ever-extending donna
h makes its first political act n choice Of the OF
~ and an exclusion of the other, even at the Gu
n Oh civil war, if necessary. The slave State
f. without law, at the last national election, 70
o. babe, within their own limits, even the castil
- of votes for candidate for President of Il
:; United States supposed to be favorable to Il
l. establishment of the free labor system in ne
I'd States.
N Hitherto the two systems have existed
!. different States, but side by side, within Il
:, 10 American Union. This has happened becau
tn the Union is confederation Of States. B
ne in another aspect, the United States constitu
ID only one nation. Increase of population, wh
i is filling the States, out to their very border
'" together with a new and extended network
8. rn ilronds and nfhnr nunnnns aud nr intnr,,,