The Van Buren press., 1860-02-24

Custom and habit attaches people to any |
thing. The Mahommedau feels that it is |
very unreasonable that any people should
not allow man to have more than one
wife If he is able to support more. We
think it is monstrous for man to have
more than one If he can support hundred.
In fact we have in our own domain "ncw
State" whose people, ''by virtue of the
non-intervention principle of the Constitu-
tion " do tolerate and are attached to polyg
amy. Suppose this principle was to spread
and become the cherished institution of sew
eral Of the States and that there were ter
ritories yet left out of which new States
might be raised. A majority of the peo-
pie of some of hose Territories would be
opposed to the many wife institution they
would look upon it as being destructive to
good morals, as utterly abominable. and
would accordingly legislatc with all their
might against it's introduction among them.
But the people of the Polyganaaic 6tatcs,.
standing upon the new doctrine, would be
full of indignation, they would be excl,h-
ed from tue common territory" They
would excaim that the United States Gov
ernment had no power to control the mar
riage institution, therefore the Territorial
government could have none, DC, dc.
One mole of deciding what shall prevail
as the law of the land, is by adopting the
will of the majority, whatever refining pro-
cess it may under any circumstances go
through, that is the consummation at last
We see in every State in the Union, almost
every year, the most important subjects de-
cded upon by this common democratic prin
,,1n Z to no infS nf
imperfcction about it, it is. nevertheless,
the most perfect rule we can have, and is.
probably, much more perfect than we think
it is. There is more truth in the apothegm
d" "Vox populi. vox Del" than appears at
first sight. 1t is certain that in this age
d" The voice of the people " is one of the
main instruments by which mundane affairs
are carried on and upward and if the Deity
continues (who doubts it p to have a hand
in this on and upward work it must be
one of the Divine instruments.
Do the practical operation of these dem
ocratic principles interposc a barrier to
slavery beyond that which nature interpos-
cs ? North America is a large portion Of
the globe including many varieties of eli
mate, and, SO far as internal politics are
concerned, many Independent sovereignties.
Can Il citizen of one section consider him
self erciuded from another section, because
from the necessity of the case, arising from
natural causes, he cannot carry with him
everywhere all his sectional utilitarian APP
pliances? We cannot require the General
Government to adapt a country to negro
slavery that is naturally unsuitable for it.
With regard to all subjects of this nature,
the democratic appeal to the General Gov
| ernment has ever been i" Leave us alone" "
| Ultra Southern men admit that those nor
thern countries are not adapted TO slave la
Dor, but they hold that the legislature has
no right to legislatc upon the subject. The
truth is many of those men with whom
democratic principles are entirely of secon-
Diary consideration, thought that something
better could be done for the interests Of sla-
very than could be obtained by the applica-
ton of democratic principles, and so took
| bold ground against them. After a thor
ough investigation of the subject it is found
| that old Democracy is get the best basis for
the south to rest upon, but they do not
| like to acknowledge their error. There are
others, mere politicians, who went into it
as many democrats went into lnownothing-
ism, to be on the strong side as they thought
who would now sacrifice the democratic
party, and everything else to put down
/ Judge Douglas because he has SO clearly
exposed the unso Indness of their doctrines.
! There is very singular paradoxical fact
with regard to the history of slavery in this
country 1t is indebted for its preserva-
ton and consolidation infinitely more to
the policy of its enemies than to the
policy of its friends. If northern men
had let slavery alone, if there had been no
famous ordinance" no Missouri compro-
mise, no sectional abolitionists, by this
time so much slavery would have cvaporat-
ed that it would be confined almost entire
| ly to the extreme Southern States. Mary
land and Kentucky would have been free
States beyond a doubt, while Virginia Ten
nessee and Missouri would have been il
the same condition. The hand of Provi-
dence must have been in it, Cor what an aw
| full condition would society have been re-
! duced to "to be infested with such multi.
tude of free negroes. Beyond doubt free
negroes among white people is the great
evil and that the best remedy for it is slave
ry, and as sure as the rains come the north
ern people will yet confess it. While the
natural results OF abolition policy has been
to preserve slavery, much of the suuthern
policy has been calculated to dissipate it
For former instances l refer the reader te
Mr. Calhoun. To come down to the present
time What have ultra Southern men fol
the last few years been struggling to &C
complish ? To send negro-slaves among
anti-slavery populations, where if they dc
not escape from slavery they must come
back thoroughly imbued with anti-slavery
notions to spread discomfort among Tho
slaves of the South. NAYLEN.
Ey At prayer Getting Ill Connecticut
/ one of the brothers paayed with great unc