The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1860-05-08

blashing alacrity they responded TO the infa'
nous sentiment Of Douglas, who "did no
care whether slavery Was voted up or voted
down." They treated il simply as a question
Of self-interest and dollars and cents, having
no moral side TO it. Iu fact they did not seem
to comprehend that any public question had
a moral side. On the contrary, they seemed
quite sure "that all goes by self-interest and
the checking and balancing Of greedy knave-
ries, and that, in short, there ia nothing d.
vine whatever in the association of meno-
They were, therefore, seemingly oblivious OF
the everlasting fact that "there is Divine
Right or else Diabolio Wrong at the heart
of every claim that one man makes upon an
other"
Thus, by their moral obtuseness, they fail
ed to comprehend the logic OF current
events" They expected to obfuscate the
public consciencs, If, perchanoe, there might
be such thing. Under the broad @gis of
a sham nationality and the prestige OF extra
ordinary party success, they started out bold
ly to reconcile their antagonisms. They Sc.
to work with right hearty good will. With
much toll and great skill they constructed
an ingenious, equivooating, Janus faced,
double back-action platform at Cincinnati,
which Southern delegate recently charac-
terised as an egregious swindle. They called
upon the people, as a greater one than they
had vainly called before, to "conquer their
prejudices." They filled their papers and
the mouths Of their little Captains with plau.
sihle sophisms and popular catch words
wherewith to gull the crowd. They stirred
up the prejudice against Stree niggers."-
They ingeniously frightened the timid and
the weakened by the hobgoblin of dis
Union. When necessary, they bought up the
| reluctant with fat Offices. To stubborn New
England, Douglas sent the insolent threat
"We will subdue you" And in Kansas il
was thought that antagonisms might be re-
| conciled by free use of bullets, bowie.
knives and stuffed ballot boxes.
Thus, by the long continued and diligent
use of all these and various other refined arts
and appliances, the combined cohorts of a
relentless Power really expected to work out
solution of their problem. And, in fact,
| they had wonderful success in bewildering
and demoralizing the public conscience, and
it has seemed, at times, as the grand contest
has gone forward, that Victory would perch
upon their banners, and the battle be lost to
Freedom forever.
But, thank God, the great popular heart
| has proved true to the cause OF humanity
| The progress of events has demonstrated
that If the "rank and file" of Democracy
had less intelligence than the leaders, yet
they bad, on the whole, keener moral percep-
tions. If they despised the free negro, they
had also deeper hatred Of the evils Of ne
gro slavery. Ii they were pleased with popu-
lar sovereignty, they we're not tickled with
the tyranny which sought with bullets and
bayonets to coerce that sovereignty. If they
feared the dissolution OF the Union, they
dreaded still more the prostitution of all the
vast powers of that Union TO the extension
of human slavery and the re-opening of the
African Slave. trade. Thus the popular in
strnct for freedom triumphed over the cum
ningly devised combinations of selfish poll
ticians, and the grand national party, which
boosted so loudly that it knew no North and
no South, found at last that there uas q
North, as VOL as South.
This discovery was made painfully mani.
fest at Charleston. The Unveraoities OF men,
and OF whatever combinations OF men based
upon Falsehood, must come to an end. The
antagonisms of the Democratic party met
face to face 10 the Charleston Convention.
Dextrous, plausible tacticans were there,
aching and sweating with anxiety to reconcile
the antagonisms, or, at least, get them clev-
erly covered up again with plausible shams.
But the day of Shams had passed, and the
Convention exploded. The nationality Of the
party was found to be dead. The process OF
dsintegration began six years ago, and has
gone on to inevitable dissolution, until now
there is barely enough life leftfor few more
spasmodic kicks before it gives up the ghost
forever.
Events are thickening. The ''irrepress.
BILE conflict" Is going right onward. The
Democrats of the North, finding that they
can no longer affiliate with the South, are in
position to ask, "Where shall we go?" II
their hostility to the extension of slavery has
produced their disruption as party, where-
IN do they differ 10 principle from the Re-
publican party? They must fall into the
ranks Of the great Republican army, or be
thrown of to one side like drift-wood on
sand bar. No third party can,now be organ
lied on vitalizing principle. The grand
contest between Freedom and Slavery is
drawing to close. The South may array
| itself in solid phalanx on the side OF Slavery.