The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-07-31

The Overwhelming Moral Issue OF This
Presidential Contest-The Slavery Cues
ton.
The political elements of the country op-
posed to the republican party are in state of
chaos. In the North they are divided upon
men and secondary distractions into clashing
factions as hostile against each other az against
the common enemy; in the South, where the
exigency demands a united people, acting under
a common impulse, that of selfpreservation,
the same factious discords prevail. Nor is this
all. The South, like strong man struck sense
less by a heavy blow, seems to have lost the
consciousness of its position with the disrup.
ton of the democratic party. There Is gene
raj apathy existing in the South, confusion of
ideas, relaxation Of the moral energies of her
people, an imbecility Of purpose, which may
be likened to the despairing condition of a
ships crew adrift upon the fragments of their
broken vessel, with neither land nor sail in
sight
AT this moment the anti-slavery republican
party of the North, representing hardly one.third
Of the popular vote of the country, is morally
certain of electing its candidates for President
and Vice President, by majority Of the cleo
toral vote Of the Union. The only party in the
field limited to one section, in being rigidly ex-
cluded from the other, it is the only existing
party which exhibits any thing of positive
strength, unity, efficiency and confidence in its
movements. This is a very extraordinary state
Of things, and is utterly beyond satisfactory
solution upon the ephemeral party organiza-
tons and party platforms Of the day. We can
reach an explanation only upon the basis Of
that great overwhelming moral issue of slavery.
as an institution of good or evil of right or
wrong.
And this is the exact issue, which, though uu-
recognized or evaded by Que parties. factions
and politicians, has produced this formidable
anti-slavery coalition in the North and this i'm
potent division of the political elements of both
sections opposed TO IT, This underlying funda-
mental Northern idea. that the institution of
Southern slavery is a sin; that it is founded in
error and against right that its fruits are poi
sonous: that it, pre- ensions are false and ncom.
patble with our free Institutions. and that il
must be hunted out Of the country will account
for this solid front Of the republican party: So
too the conflicting opinions Of democrats and
Union party men. North and South upon this
broad question Of good or evil, of right or a
mere usurpation of right, in reference to slave
~. will account for the incurable divisions Of
the forces opposed to the republican party
Before the invention of the cotton gin, slavery
North and South was almost universally con-
sidered an evil. Its advocates rested their de-
fence upon the plea that il was q necessary
evil under the circumstances which surrounded
them, but that time would provide remedy.
Soon after the invention of the cotton gin
slavery began to assume, not only the features
Of a permanent establishment, but the form of
a controlling agency in our political affairs.
This was strikingly made manifest in the Mis-
souri, agitation of lsl9-2O. Some eight OF ten
years later the first Of our Northern abolition
societies were set In notion including news
paper organ in Boston. and another in this city.
a daily paper, called the Journal Of Commerce,
started under the auspices Of Arthur Tappan,
David Hale and Gerard IIallock that paper.
with all its variations of thirty years. has stood
fast TO that primary idea to which it owes its
origin, that slavery is an evil, aad that enamel
patton is duty.
II was not, however, until 1914. tia, these
Northern anti slavery movements catered &C.