The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-05-23
MIR. Stewards POLITICAL REsIDUUM

In every refining process there is certain resid-
uum and the curious observer of events within the
last ten years in this country will not fail to observe
that this law of chemistry is applicable also to poll
tics, Mr. Seward may be said to have commenced
his career-forgetting his anti-Masonry the estates
of which he closed up many years ago by formal
devise to his children--as an abolitionist We will
do Mr.. Seward the justice to say that we have no
belief that his opposition to slavery in technical
intended to interfere with that institution
He simply foresaw thatit in his power to use the
public opinion of the northern States as means of
personal advancement In other words, he simply took
the work Of arraying the North against the South
and he found material at hand to effect this end in
the required legislation Of the country in reference
to the affairs of the Territories. He ad led the
policy of the Legislation of 1920 whio made
North and South, and sought, by the Wilmot Pro-
viso and other means of creating allegiance to the
two sections, to maintain distinctive system of gov
eminent for the two regions Of the country. He was
told, and the country widely and wisely inform
ed, that the people of the new States would, of ne
cessy and of right establish their own institutions
that in spite of Congress- they would carry out their
own opinions and that it unpatriotic and wick
ed to bring into the of national politics sub
ject which could effect nothing but mischief
We fancy, at length, Mr.. Seward himself came to
see that the game he had been playing was likely
to be exposed and that its authors would be con-
victed of fomentng deliberate treason against all the
high interests Of the Union for within few months
we have heard him utter sentiments indicating an
approach to reason, and naturally enough gave him
credit for more Hberality and justice than he was
entitled to. The close of the Kansas mbroglio, by
which his hobby was wholly demolished, made us
think it possible that he about to turn his back
upon the work of mschefhe had so long prosecuted
Again Mr.. Seward comes before the country and
emits remuneration of every patriotic sentiment he
has uttered and plants himself upon broader and
more reasonable platform of anti-slavery than he
has ever before occupied. Anti-slavery is indeed
the residuum of all his politics We do not regret
this, but rejoice at it, We want the issue settled
We care not how thoroughly and how readily the
work of abolitionsm is carried on We want no
more Kansas cheats and swndles; we woula ssat
again meet such false issue We knew that poll
tics had nothing to do with Kansas. We knew that
every speech made by the republicans on the sub
ject, in and out Of Congress, was pure Buncombe
But it not easy to convince the people that such
was really the case 1t was only by events that this
fact could be made manifest to all and they are now
proven before the country.
Well then, we take the residuum of Mr. Seward.
We accept it as the issue of the day. We promise
not word about the length of time we shall be able
to hold the opposition to this issue They are tray
ellerswhat road they will next take we cannot say
but we are convinced they going down hill 10
'the valley of the shadow of DEATH