The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-08-11

position which the Democracy had left unoccu-
pied. The consequences of this fuse Of the
Opposition threatened to be serious, and the
Democracy were brought to sense of their
error. They accordingly wheeled about immedi-
ately and put themselves in line with their OPP
ponents. By this timely change of tactics, they
have managed to preserve their ascendency in
the State In the other Southern States the
Democracy at once adopted the theory of pro-
lection to Slavery. The Opposition in the Gulf
States rarely permit the Democracy to show
more devotion to Slavery than they do; but in
Maryland, North Carolina, and Tennessee, we
have been pleased to see exhibited a more con-
sentative and manly spirit We, however, see
it stated, in the Richmond Enquirer, that the
Opposition in Tennessee followed the perni-
cious example set them by their Kentucky
brethren. We trust that this is q mistake ; but
the popularity in the South of everything which
favors Slavery is 80 great, and the unpopularity
of everything which falls short of the recog-
missed standard of soundness is so manifest,
that we have reason to fear that the statement
is true. The Opposition of the South have
strong inducements to take this step, and none
to allure them in an opposite direction.
The Administration, together with the Hun
ter faction section of the party, occupy the in
termediate ground between the Douglas and
Wise factions. The middle faction claim to be
Non-Interventionists but when pushed to the
wall by the South, they admit that Congress is in
duty bound to protect Slavery, but they avoid
direct collision with the Northern or Popular
Sovereignty wing, by saying that intervention
for the protection of Slavery is impracticable,
and that to urge it is worse than useless, since
it serves to bring the party into odium with the
Northern voters, and thus to secure the triumph
of the Republicans. But this middle party is
destined to fall between two stools. 1t disgusts
the North by its concessions of constitutional
obligations to Slavery, and it disgusts the South
by its cowardly plea of inability to execute
them.
There are other relations of Slavery to the
Federal Government which enter into and com
plicate the issues. The Naturalization ques
tion-or, rather, the question raised by recent
letters and official papers of the Secretary of
State, as to the extent of the obligations of the
Federal Government to its naturalized citizens
is one of these In the LIE Clerc letter, General
Cass distinctly states that the French Govern
ment requires military service from all natives
of that country, and that their naturalization in
this country will not, if they voluntarily return
to France, protect them against that claim. In
subsequent letters, he has modified and at
tempted to explain away this letter, but he still
leaves the impression on the minds of foreign
born citizens that he will, at most, only pro-
test against their enrolment in the military
service of the European monarchs. Mr.. Wise
leads off in the opposite direction, and is ready
to wade through seas of blood in defence of the
rights of foreign-born citizens. Mr. Douglas
keeps silent, while his Washington organ 1.-THE
States takes the most ultra ground in defence
of the lie Clerc letter, and insists that the for
eign-born citizen of this country is in a condi-
ton precisely similar to that of the fugitive
slave of Virginia who escapes to Prussia. He
is only free SO long as he keeps out of the reach
of the fugitive slave law.
Another subject, which begins to enter large
ly into the issues of the Presidential campaign,
is the question of repeating the laws which
prohibit the African slave trade. This propo-
sition is urged by the Democracy as well as
by the Opposition of the Gulf States 1t is
supported by all the leading men in that sec.
ton, such as Jefferson Davis, Brown, Yancey,
Stephens, and others. The three former affect
to be opposed 20 the revival of the trade, but
they insist on the repeal of the laws, as an act
of respect to the institution of Slavery. SO
long as these laws remain on the statute book,
say these Southern patriots, there rests a stigma
upon Slavery-an assumption that the institu.
ton is founded in wrong. We agree with them
on this point. They are correct in saying that
the laws which brand the origin of Slavery as
piracy, and punish it with death, are based on
the tacit assumption that Slavery is wrong,
and should not be increased in amount.
We have seen decided symptoms of dispo-
sition on the part of Governor Wise to favor
this proposition of repeal, and for the same
special reasons. One of the editors of his
organ, the Enquirer breaches it in an edito-
rial letter, and defends it as essential to South.
ern honor.
Douglas takes the opposite course. He will
not consent TO be the Charleston nominee, if
the slave trade is to be revived. But whether
his proverbial fondness for compromises may
not seduce him into acquiescence with the
scheme as modified, we cannot say. His South
ern friends will assure him that they have no
intention of reviving the trade, but only pro-
pose to restore the longlos State right of de-
Gliding the question. This view of the case
will be entirely analogous to that presented by
Mr.. Douglas in regard to the repeal of the Mis-
souri, Compromise. He disclaimed any desire
to extend Slavery. He only wished to leave it
to the people most concerned to say for them
selves whether they wanted Slavery. We can.
not therefore see how Mr.. Douglas can resist
this other Southern demand for the repeal of
Anti-Slavery laws.
The Administration profess to be decidedly
opposed to the revival of the trade; but whether
they will stick to it remains to be seen. All
we know is, that the laws are not put in force
for its suppression.
Such, in brief outline, is the present aspect
of Democracy. What it will be six months
hence, we are unable to guess; but, undoubt-
eddy, something quite different from what it
now is.
Hon. EDWARD BATEs.--A writer for the New
York Express, signing himself Hancock, has
been reviewing at some length the character
end pretensions of the various Opposition as
pirants to the Presidency. He comes to the