, 1860-07-16

rIt lnt Satlpnal ioFeFH1AEut ouce again II
| pure hspde. To all such, weaco1nrt
While this consumuation ueccb.nri1y enter,
into the present purposes Of the nepublica1
party, while W. naturally begin by irsstins e
upon purity in the Government, aud make hi,
ore Of our Urgent dennsnde, it is obvious thal
the quickcning iurulse Of party i. to b. fonn1
in other purposes which canr Of mass uxay n :
single election. Tho Republiesn pxTty scsls r. :
overthrow the slave ol!carchy In The Sationa
GoFeron:ent, and especially at thu moment tr
s'aF 'tS a;.Rfessions in tLo Territories. whirh
through corfupt interpseta alton Of The Cons.;
1enon; u tl'reatcua to barbarfne with *!uyary
l'at NJ who seek purity in the Na,i,ua. Govern.
1nsos ahss unite in this purpose, for only by The
overthrow q this corrupt oigarchy. " hirb. he.
ginning in the denial Of I'll human r;.lts ntccs
A<ny shows itself in barbarian and cofruotiou
.. ~ 9lnds. can better order Of thiucs pre
sa II IL out Of slarcry that all our .,,ie,s bro.
ceeo; nor can the corruptiona OF the presea,
administration be fully comprcheuded withou,
considering the nature Of this eyil and its chro.
o,e .nnaence over our Government, reaching
1e'e BY subtle agencies or mpre subtle
!Af. .renchiug example, but still in itselfthe ong
maj and ail>sutficient activity. AZ well attempt
70 explain the Gulf Stream without the Gulf o.
s8A1.eo. OF ,be origin Of er,l without the human
he&t, as attempt to explain the present dc.
sra character Of our National Government
wHa1at sarery. 4, well attempt to enact the
p!ay Of "0lLelio" without the Moor. And ner,
NIT nj. to aay that on warfare with these cor.
rul,tionx will be fetl1s uuleaa wa attack them in
their origin.
The subject is 50 vast that can undertake to
expose it By glimpses ouly.
rRoGarss or sHk s1AvrRF AGITATION.
At the beginning Of our history, slavery wis
universally admitted to be an evil. Nobody
thcn 30 harsty - 10 vindicate it. In the Con.
Eenton which framed the Constitution, it was
branded 1s "nefarious institution" OF more
mildly chilled simply "wroog," and these gene.
rous yoices came from the South AZ well as from
tue North. Out Of tho Convention there was
similar accord. I shall not quote the wards
OF Washington, Jefferson. or Franklin, or jay.
for they are familiar 10 ALL But as they epoke
Others spokc. and mi ht occupy this whole
eseninG, simply In Ieciting this testimony. Nor
were these decin. utions confined 10 men il pub-
lie life. The colleges oil, by special action, ar
rxyed themselves asainst slavery, especially the
University OF William and Mary. iu Vircinia.
which conferred upon Granville Sharpe. thc
acknowledged chiet Of British Aboli,ionists, tbe
f'onorary degree Of Doctor Of Laws. The lite
1he colleges. Tue Church, too, added its pow
erlut voice; and here, amid the dircrsiues Of
Religious faith, We hail that unitT Of spirit which
animated NIL. Quakert, Me:ht tdists, l'rcsbyt.-
rians, and CoDgu:inpalists seem almost 10 hayc
vied with caeh o1her in This olcus Testimony.
The Constitution was adopted, but t., vord
slave" WIS not allowed to pollpt- ae !:
and this was IN declared Difference AAy&
saiiing opinion, which regarded SIN ~ ,SSsAR
poeary, destined soon TO pass away. All ,u. h.
I'd forward to this glad day, which seemed to be
almost at hand. Ii harmony with this existing
expectation, Slavery waz prohibited in all the
existing Territories Of the Union, 70 that when
Washington, rs first President Of The Cnitcd
:statcs, ut his Inauguration here IN New York,
took his first oash to euppor. the Constitution,
the Tag OF the Republic, ppwhere in the land
within the jurisdiction Of Congress, covered u
singscslaye. Little then did tue Fathers dream
tha. the cvil which thsJ regarded with shas,,s,
and which they exerted thenlselycs 10 prohibit,
would e'csate its obscene crest, as it now docs,
Little did they dream that the Constitution.
from " hich they l,xd carefully excluded the
rery uosd, would, in defiance Of reason and
Common sense. bc held to protect the thing, SO
exceptionally that it could nos BE- re chcd by
Congressional prohibition, eren wi,hin Con-
Eressional jurisdiction. Little did they irean,
1aa. the text, which they left 30 pure and
heal.btul, would, through corrupt interpreta.
t:oo, BE- swola into such hideous EIepAaafi-
G3is.
Two circumstances, ciyi1izing in themselves,
haxe exercised IN unexpected inGuerce for
slavery: first, the abolition of the slave trade,
which, by taking away the supply, has increas.
cd The valuc ct slaves; aud secondly, tue ill.,
creased cultivation Of cotton stimulated by the
invention Of new machinery. The last has been
of especial Influence. Indeed, it is hardly too
much IL say, that ont OF this slender cotton
fibre buve been formed tho mauacles Of The
Stare. This, through sinister influences and
the wickedness OF men, is good made the mipis-
Ter Of wrong. Next after Christopher Colum-
pathway 10 The New World. Eli Whitney, who
discovered the cotton gin, bsen indirectly and
unconaclous1y chirf ageut in the bondage Of
:hc African rsce On the North American Cont
uent; n1d surely proper gratitude for The ad-
rantn..es which We enjoy in such large store
from these two discoveries, must proulpt us to
increased activity for the welfare Of those v ho,
alas! have been such losers where we hare
been such gamers.
THIS change Of opinion, so disastrous in its
results, was GraduGl Though easily detected,
in its Successive stages, by the careful in
luirer, it did not become manifest to The
whole country till 1890, whea it burnt forth in
tue Missouri question: Then, for the first time,
slavery openly showed itself riolcnt, insolent,
belligeEeat. Freedom was checked, but saved
something BY compromise-calied,a ut the
moment of its adoption, by Charles Piuckney
Of S .,th Cnroiita, "a triumph Of the South, -
where, in consideration Of the admission oil
Missouri xs slave :'tate-thus securing I'M al-
di.ional preponderance 10 the SLAVE power-it
in certain outlying territory. at the time trodden
only by savages. Then came a luil, during
which the change was still ut work, until, co.
tein1oraneous with the abolition Of s1a1ery in
the British Vest 1ndies, the discussion was
lighted anew. Mcanwhile slayes had augmented
in price, and slave.mnsterB had become more
decided ia opinion. At first, in timid difference
10 the world, they vcntured on no defense Of
slavery in the abstract; but at last, bolder
grown under the lead Of Ar. Calhoun, they
tlrew aside nl1 reserve, openly aaaailed the
opinions Of the Fathers. audnciouslv denied the
setferiaeut truths Of the Declaration Of indie
pendence, and By formal resolution asserted the
1ncw doema Of sinEery in the territories. This
WIS in lS47. i letter from mr. Calhoun Of that
duy, addressed to a member Of tho Alshau,u
Legislature, shows that there was IN element ol
poi1cy in the exaggeration. His desire was ito
force the alascry issue" On the North, bel ewing
that delay was dangerous, rs the siave-mas:ers
were relatively stronger, both morally and po-
liiicallr, than they would eFer be ag4in.
At Inst the end has COME. Slavery il openly
pronounced at one timc 't the bfack .nafbte key.
stone Of our Na:ionai Arch )" a. another tine
"the CORNERSTONE Of our Republican eGi6ce !
then it is yaunted as "the highest type Of civ IL
izat:on !" then Us q blessing to the master u:
well US to the slave r. and then again t'as emo
bling to the master If not to the slave." 1t il
only the firs. step which costs, md therefore
moral seuse, do not hesitate at other opinion'
equn.ly shocking to the reason, which pretend
10 find Impossible sanctions for slavery in th,
Constitution. Listening TO these extrayagances
who would exclain With Ben johnson, in th'
play,
.Gfaye fa'hss, ls,s 1 + pesses: a. akaln say,
And cbsesssti,. lie kAlh both.
TRUE CHARACTER OF THE INSTITUTION.
a. .txs =.
This is no queation merely Of curiosity or phi
1anthropy; for when the National Government
| whicl, you and ut the North help to constitut
ia degraded to be its instrument, and all tn
National Territories are proclaimed open to it
bardarism, and The Constitution itself is per
| verted to sanction ita pretcnsions, the Who'll
subject logically and necessarily enters iato GU
| discussion. 1t cannot be uvoided-it cannot b.
blinkcd out Of sight. Nay, You mu,t pass upol
| It by your votes n the coming election. Futi
! ia the plea that We at the North have noihin,
to do With slavery Granted that we hare moth
ing to do with it in the Statcs. We hare nuc!
| to do with all its irrational prctensions uode
the Constitution. and just 30 Tong az those IRA
| tionat presensions are urged, slavery must b
precisely as though it we're proposed to plant
| here ia New York. Nor can such wrong
foul In itself and fouler still in ita pretersions-
| be dealt with t.nnely. Tamencss il surrender
and charity, TOT, ,may be misappiied, Forsirin|
those who ttcspass against us, / lnow rot If VI
arc called TO forgive those who trespasa agains
others; - forgive thohe who trespass against
race; to forgive those who trespasa against .h
Republic; to forgive those who trcspass aguins
| civilization; 10 forgive those who trespssl
against whole race; 10 forgive those who tres
lass against the universal human family; final
| II, 10 forgive those VINO tccsrass against God
Such trespasbers now exist ainong as-posses
/ siag the organization Of parsy-posseaslng th'
| control Fthe National Goverumeut-constitut
| ipg ut this moment : colossal power-ans