The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1860-01-31

ODeu anu eXpdtildtcu, iOr tIe must uhouefase
expression of their disapproval Ct one Of the
most monstrous evils the world ever saw? Yet
20 il il. A poor Irishman, striving to earn bis
daily bread b. his daily toll, seeing and feeling
in bis nmost soul the crushing effects of the
system Of slavery upon free labor, ventures the
opinion that slavery is degrading to the free la
borer, and what is the RESULT coat Of tar
and feathers, another Of tar and cotton, both
well rubbed in with the lash, ride on q rail
accompanied with most outrageous insult and
abuse, Imprisonment, and expulsion from the
State of South Carolina But this is only one
of Thousands Of such cases. So much for free
speech.
In one.half Of the States OF this confederacy, a
system of espionage is carried on under the
sanction of the Postmaster General, by which all
matter passing through the Post Office is liable
to be opened and inspected, and all portions
deemed in the least offensive committed to the
flames, and even the individuals to whom they
are addressed become liable To arrest and I'M
prisOnmentl
Thus censorship of the press ID established
as odious and oppressive as ever existed under
for the freedom Of the press.
But these outrages are no, sought to be con-
fined simply TO the slaye-holding States. The
STAKEHOLDER, standing with one foot upon the
neck Of the slave, and the other upon that OF
the poor white man Of the South, cracks HE
whip over the heads OF the freemen of great
nation and demands an unconditional surrender
of their God-siven rights. And by what means
do they propose to bring this about? Simply
by threats Of the dissolution Of the Union.
If free people dare to express their homes,
convictions of the evils o! slavery, the Union
must be dissolved.
L. they attempt to carry out the spirit of a
compact, soemnly made ard ruthessly violated
by southern men, by which slavery shall be pro-
hbi,ed from cursing free territory, they are Sec
tional agitators, and-the Union of these States
shall be dissolved
But, above all, If a majority of the electors of
the United States shall select a man for the
Office of Chief Magistrate who shall interpret the
constitution according to its plain and obvious
meaning meaning given to il by its trainers
and sanctioned by their successors down to
within a very few years--il he shall dare to
assert that freedom is not lie, that the Declare
ii N is not merely rhetorical flourish, and that
slavery is not the cornerstone of our govern
ment, then the Union shall be dissolved any how !.
But who are the men who are constantly max
ing these threats and plotting these schemes of
treason against the Union? They are the lead
ing men, the rulers of the democratic party. 1t
10 true that these leaders mostly of the South
ern wing of that party, but it ia a fact which
cannot be denied that their threats are openly
applauded by the leaders of the Northern wing
Of the democratic party, and We begin to think
that, for party purposes, their reasonable
schemes are secretly aided and abetted BY these
same Northern leaders.
1t is only necessary for any candid man to
open his ewes to recent events to become satisfi.
ed that the democratic party is fostering with
disunion and rotten with treason from the crown
of its head to the soles of ts feet. Witness the
from Northern democrats upon the floor of Con-
gress.
Not disunon sentiment is uttered or threat
made, but these miserable doughfaces come down
in rounds of applause.
Look at the appointment of Charles j. Faulk-
ner as Minister to France. His competitor was
John A. Dix, of New York, a man far better
qualified for the post, yet Mr.. Faulkner received
the appointment; and Why Simply because he
was a dsunionist, and stepped in treason to his
very lips.
Do our readers want any more proof to satisfy
Them that the democratic party is a disunion
party! If so, it shall be forthcoming.
Everybody knows that Gov. Wise is one of
The great lights of that party-a leader of it, and
,ne of its candidates for the Presidency, and if
dominated will receive the support of the De-
North and South. 1t is we'll known,
100, that during the last Presidential campaign
he publicly declared if Fremont was elected he
would seize the arsenal at Harper's Ferry and
march on Washington to take possession of the
archives and treasures of the government, and
thus, by these overt acts, commence the horrors
Of civil war. Late developments have shown
hat his threat was not merely an idle boast, and
prove that, if justice had been done him, he
would have swung by the neck long before John
Brown did.
Hear what Democratic witness saws. Alta
'ecent Union meeting in Knoxville, Tenn, Judge
Bailey, Of Georgia, one of the speakers, said, as
reported by the Wig, of Knoxville:
"The Judge made one startling disclosure.
which was new 20 US al. He said that during
he Presidential contest Gov. Wise had addressed
etters TO all the Southern Governors-and that
he one TO the Governor of Florida had been
,hown HMM which Wise said that HE HAD
AN ARMY IN READINESS To PREVENT
FREMONT FROM TAKING HIS SEAT, If
ELECTED, and asking the cooperation of those
10 whom he wrote
Thus We see Southern Democratic leaders not
,nly openly and secretly plotting treason, but
actually prepared to carry ont their damna5ls
'ehemes, yet who ever heard Northern Demo- |
ratio press condemn them, or even ask, in the |
mild language of one of old, "why do We these |
hings:" No. They are too busily engaged in |
loscing after treason where il does not exist-to
'earct for it at home-preferring, Ike the dog
Noble, to bark st an empty hole. We might |
peak Of the brazsn-faced hypocricy of the dis
union Democracy in attempting to fasten treason
,pon the Republicans, when they are rotten |
With it themselves, but will leave our readers to
heir own reflections.