The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1860-08-07

an article headed " The Moral Aspects
Of Republicanism," in his last weeks
paper, makes some queer assumptions,
and perpetrates an argument whose very
righteousness ought at once To convince
him that it is both false and absurd He
starts out with the assertion that he knows
that it is the boast Of the Republican par
ty that it contains all the morality Of So
cietv. Now we venture to assert that he
knows no such thing--that no such boast
is made by the Republican party. 1t does
contend that it has tie moral side of the
slavery question, and We certainly think
that Mr.. HEDGES has not made the con
trary apparent, even to himself He lus-
/ lily denies this assumption of the Repub.
licans, however, and asserts that notwith-
standing we have the clergy and The
church very generally with rs, our whole
aim is morally wrong. That is an ex-
traordinary assertion for our pious neigh
Dor to make--that the clergy and church
are pretty unanimously UNFOLDING NOR
al wrong. He says, too, that the logic
which, from the assumption that slavery
IS wrong, deduces the conclusion that
we ought to do all in our power 10 right
/ that wrong, is very shallow Then we
presume that in our neighbours opinion
deeper logic requires that, seeing a
wrong, we are not TO use our best efforts
to right it. We don't think it advisable
for him TO copyright this exposition Of
logic, for we hardly believe any one will
be anxious TO steal the credit Of it from
him. The same keennoss of perception,
we suppose, leads him to conclude that
because Northern men are not slavehold-
ers, they should not trouble themselves
whether the system isextended or not.
lie says that the purpose of the Repub-
licans Is to stop slavery where it is, and
never let it go an inch further. Very
true. But this, the aim of the party, he
declares TO be morally wrong. In an
other part Of his article he acknowledges
slavery 20 be a wrong, and yet he says
an endeayor to limit that wrong is itself
a moral wrong" That logic beats
WHATELr's all to pieces. 1t isn't the |
same kind, however, that he applied to
Mrs. BRowN's case What he deemed
wrong in her, he thought it incumbent
upon him to oppose. To be sure it did
not affect him. He didn't waste but one
evening in listening to her. and was not
compelled to go and hear her then, and
her doctrines could not reach or affect
him. But yet he made it enough of his
business to cowteously call her an orang
outang and crazy vagabond. The BIZ
bic, he assures US, teaches men to mind
their own business. That means, he ex-
plains, not 10 trouble ourselves about sins
which we do not ourselves commit. Re
publicans don't commit the sin of slave
holding, therefore have no business TO
trouble themselves over it. Eyqo Mr.. !
HEDGES don't commit the sin of free love.
therefore had no right TO call Mrs BRowN
hard names. Teetotalers don't commit
the injury of dram drinking, therefore
have no business to trouble themselves
about intemperance. Christians don't
commit the sin Of unbelief therefore
SHOULD not endeayor to contract the boun-
daries Of heathenism. That's queer
argument, Mr.. HEDaEs But it is in
yolyed in your Bible doctrine Of "mind
your own business"
Republican logic is different from this.
They contend that Slavery is a wrong,
and that it is the duty of every man, as
tar as he can, TO root out that wrong.
They believe, with the founders Of the
Republic, that they have the right to
prevent the extension Of that wrong into
the territories, and they are therefore de-
termined to keep it out They want to
restrict by constitutional means, by all
the means in their power, this acknow-
lodged wrong. That is the moral as
pect Of Republicansm." There is mo-
rality in it. But if any one can find