Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1858-11-11

Overthrow me hallonAl Delocratlc party and Wfest
the government from its hands in the Presidential
contest Of 1860 So far as the North is concerned.
this union vas easily effected; but il must be man>
aged BY greater stratsgem at the South. Here the
purposes Of AbOlitiOnism must be disguised, and a
seeming truce declared in its warfare against our
local institutions Hence the folly and utter mad
ness, in their estimation, Of such open policy and
emphatic declarations as have been made BIZ Mr..
SEWARD Nothing but their full and entire repudia-
ton will enable the Opposition to hang on to its
present slender existence day longer, iii the Slave
holding States Of the Union.
Our country is a theatre which exhibits, in full
operation, two radically different poi zeal systems
the resting she basis Of seFge slave labor
the other the basis Of voluntary labor of free
men The laberers who are enslaved are all negroes,
or persons more or less purely Of African derivs-
ton. But this Is only accidental Il Wss che satag-
onistie political tendencies Of the two systems which
the first Napoleon WAS contemplating when he pre-
dicied that Europe would ultimately be either all
Cosssck or all Republican. Never did human sa
gacity utter more pregDant truth. The two sys-
tens are sc once perceived TO be homogeneous. But
they are more than ineOngruous, they incompRt.
ible They never have permanently existed together
in one country, and they It would be easy
to demonstrate this impossibiity, from the irrecon
clable contrast between their great principles and
characteristics. But the experience of mankind
has cOnolusively established it.
Shall tell you what his collision means? They
who think that it is accidental, unnecessary, the
work Of interested fanatical sgitatOrs and there
fore ephemeral, mistake the case altogether. II is
an irrepressible conflict between opposing and en-
during forces, and it that the United States
must and I sooner letter, bes0ms entirely siaUe-
holding nation, entirely tTes-G5oT nation Either
the cotton and rice fields Of South Carolina aud the
sugar lanati0ns Of Louisiana will ultimately be
titled by free labor, and Charleston and New Or
leans become marts for legitimate merchandise alone
or else the rye fields and wheat fields of Massachu-
sets and New York must again be surrendered by
their farmers slave culture and TO the production
Of slaves, and Boston and New York become once
more markets for trade in the bodies and souls of
men. 1t is the failure to apprehend this great truth
that induces 60 many unsuccessful attempts at final
compromise between the slave and free States, and
it Is the existence Of this great fact that renders all
such pretended compromise, when made, vain and
ephemeraL
The strife and contentious concerning slavery,
which gently disposed persons hsbitualy deprecRte,
is nothing more than the ripening of the conflict
which the Fathers themselves not only thus regard
ed with favor but which they may be sid TO have
Instituted. Candidates may, and generally do,
to act justly wisely, and periodically when they
shall be elected; but they become the ministers aud
servants not the dlo ator of the power which elects
them. The policy which party shall pursue at
future period is only gradually developed, depend
ing on the occurrence of events never fully fore
known. One class say that they cannot trust the
Republican party, that it has sv0wed its hostl
ity TO slavery boldly enough, its affection for free
dom earnestly enough.
ask, in reply, is there any other party which can
be safely trusted? Every one knows that il is
the Republican party, or none, that shall displace
the Democratic party. But l answer further, that
the character and fidelity Of any parry are determined,
necessarily moi by its pledges, programmes and plat
forms but By the Pu6Hc erigeRces, and the temper Of
the people sgtsH they call IL into activity.
Others cannot support the republican party, be-
cause it has not sufcien ly exposed its platform and
determined what it will do and what it will no do,
when triumphant. Il may prove too progressive for
some and too conservative for others As II any
party ever foresaW clearly the course of future
events as TO plan q universal scheme for future
ton, adap'ed to all possible emergencies Who
would have Joined even the Whig party Of the
voluiiOn, if it had been obliged TO answer, in l775,
whether il would declare for Independence in 1875,
and for this noble federal constitution Of ours, In
1857, and not a year earlier or later? The people
of the Unite ed States will be as wise next year. and
the year Afterwards and even ten years hence as We
are now. They will oblge the republican party to
act the pubic welfare and the interests Of justice
and humanity shall require, through al the stages Of
its career, whether of trial or triumph.
know that the democratic party must 60 down,
and the republican party must rise into It's place.
from its adoption Of the principles of equal and exact
justice TO all So long as praetioed this prin
ciple faith fully, it was invuneTable l. became vul-
nersble when il renowned 1t, and since that time 1t
has maintaineditse not by virtue OfitsOWn strength
or even Of its traditional merits but because Il
as vet had appeared in the political field no ether
parry that had the conscience and the courage to
take up and avOW and practice the life inspiring
pri' cip'e which the democratic party had surren-
dered At last the republican party has appeared.
g 4
one word its faith and its works. equal and exact
justice to al men" Even when it first entered the
field only hall organized, it struck blow which only
just failed TO secure a complete and Triumphant vic
tory In this, its second campaign, it has already
won advantages which render that triumph now both
easy and certain.
The secret Of its assured success lies in the very
characteristic, which in the mouth of soofeIs cons
stutes its great andasting imbecity and reproach.
II lies IN the fact that Is part Of idei; bat that
idea IS noble ORs-aH idea tat fIs and Expands all
generous SOULS the idea Of eguqliytbe equality Of all
men before human tribunals and human iaUs, they |
are al equal before The Divine Tribunal and DiUtas
LdW5.
kao11, and YOU hzoU, that a TsD0gution has begun
kEOlr and all The Uorld kn0Us that revolutions
90 backward TUenty Senator's and a hundred Repre- |
seHtatiDes DrocGim boldly IN Congress to dag, sentiments
and opinions and principles Of freedom uhlch hardly 50
many tbis free STATE dared utter IN their
0s1n homes flDeHtV gears ago While the Government
Of the United States under the conduct Of he demo
cratic party has been all that time surrenderiDg
plain anG castle after another slavery the people of
he United States have been less steadily and per-
severingly gathering together the forces with which
% recover back sgain all the fields and all the castles
which have been lost and 70 eoRfound and overthrow
y one decisive blow the bersyers Of the constitution
md Of freedom forever.
A few years ago, and at q time when Abolltionism
was less hopeful, it will be remembered that Mr..
SEwARD a7oWod himself the exponent Of g law 'high
er than the Constitution" Not so now. He is the /
advocate of more pacific policy. By getting the
control Of the Federal Government he looks to the
development Of means that will eventually accom- /
plish all this in a regular and constitutional way
He says:
alt remains to say on this point only one word to
guard against misappreheBsIon If these States |
are to again become universally slsveholding, l do
not pretend to say with what violations of the Con
stituton that end shall be accomplished. On the |
Cher hand, while do confidently believe and hope
that my country will yet become a land Of universal
freedom, do not expect that it will be made go
otherwise than through the action Of the several |
States cooperating with the Federal Government,
md acting in strict conformity with Their respeo-
i've Constitutions"
The means by which all this is to be accomplished is
vowed With equal holiness Inthefree States where
lnder Democratic rule, none but free white men
,ave been permitted to vote, the bsnn of disfrsn-
,hisement is to be stricken from the African cid
ems" and they elevated to equality al the bal
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