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



When the Democratic party passed the
kansas-Ncbraska bin, 1t sounded its own
oeath-knell. As national party, its pitaii-
S'n9 principle, il il ever had any, was knock
cd IN the head and extinguished BY that felo-
NOUS act, and from that moment it has been
going through the various places Of painful
moriound existence. Some organisations,
animal as we'll as vegetable, social as well as
individual, political as we'll as religious, have
strange tenacty of life. They die hard,
and are apparently long in the death throes.
Their spasTnodic struggles counterfeit the
semolance OF life some time after the princi-
pie OF life has departed. Thus the moribund
condition OF the ''sick man" of Turkey was
long since recognised. So far as regards it's
original principle Of vitality, Turkey was
dead many years ago, and is held together
enIy by outside pressure. Remove that, and
1t will drop to pieoes--in utter disso solution
ike the devitalixed particles Of decay cd
log. To The meantime, the polite phraseology
OF diplomacy speaks OF her as 10 national
existence. The Sham passes current, modern
diplomacy having become nsnd to shams-~-
dealing, IN fact, principally in shams.
Quite recent history supplies another illus.
fation. The late glorious Wing party los, its
nationality when it was forced upon the Balti.
more platform of 1852. Its vitality as ma
fiondi organization ceased from the moment
that 1t seemed to recognize doctrine hostile
70 Freedom. Nopower of plausible shams and
hypocrisles could save it. IL was dead. az n
party, and wanted only decent borial, though
there are Fossils who still adhere 20 the name.
apparently ignorant that the life is gone
Yet even this party, notwithstanding the keen
moral sense and general intelligence OF lis
adherents, was good while in diving. Ii
preserved the semblance Of life for several
years after its death stroke.
In the light OF these examples, and especi.
ally OF the last, 10 il strange that the Demo
cratic party should also be long 10 dying? 1t
might have been anticipated that the process
would be heightened just in the proportion
that its leaders had less moral sense than the
Nhig leaders, and its "rank and fleo had
less intelligence than the great body of the
Wing party. And the anticipation, as ii now
appears would have been justified BY .11re-
suit. -
The Democratic party committed suicide
when it passed the Kansas Nebraska act
Prior to that act its fundamental and yitali-
z'ng principle il II had any - had been
freedom TO man, without Limitation and
without qualification. BY that act, it recog-
niEed and sanctioned the enforced slavery OF
man. Thereby ii proved recreant to human.
ity. 1t betrayed it's mission. it asserted an
enormous Falsehocd, and from that m ment
Its history ID characterized by succession OF
shgms, Of hypocrisies, OF frauds and false.
hoods such ne blacken the annals Of no other
party or nation on this earth.
BY the passage Of that nefarious act, til,
Democratic leaders voluntarily assumed
position which required them to harmonic
antagonlsms. They blndly undertook th,
solution OF an impossible problem. Giver
an inexsinguishable love of Freedom ant
hostility TO The extension Of Slavery. in th,
North, and an iron wiled determination n
ssnctify and extend Slavery, in the South
from these two irrseoncilable terms 1t VA
required to educe q third, to wit: harmon,
Of party action and broad nationality.
Could this be done? And how? The Slave
holders and Fire eaters said il could an
should be done. Their allies, the norther
Leaders OF Democracy were timid but will
NJ. Personally they had no objection /