The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1860-02-02
For the Palladium.
Waechman, What Of the Night.

| For the Palladium.
waschman, What Of the Night.
/ To one who calmly considers the present sspec
OF things 10 regard to American Slavery. glow
ing and discourazing prospect is ap. to presen
itself. He perceves that the Institution has bee,
: growing and gaining strength for the last hal
century; that ia order to the accomplishment O
this end its friends do not scrupIe to violate The
> barriers OF the cOnsttauon; that they are no \
boldly advocating the aeq iistion of foreign ter
ritoYy at the cost OF millions OF money, and az the
immicen, risk of with foreign Do yer be-
Slavery is tolerated in that territory; he
the States II which the institution exists in the
vilest state of excitement driving from their Dor
ders every one who dares open his mouth against
it, And when in addition to this, he is led to re.
hect on the immense power in the hands OF hose
who would thus strength hen and perpetua,e sys-
TEN az which religion and humanity alike revolt
by virtue IN part OF their control of The ar ay the
navy aud the treasury of the nation and b. wba
Is termed the executive patronage it is not stran
that We should have sad forebodpgs for the future
OF our country aud the slave. Bot 10 every ME-
ture there are lights well as shadows and We
must not dwell too much upon the latter There
Is altogether different view to be taken OF the
subject. And however glowing the prospect
may appear, when viewed 10 its darker aspect we
may res. assured that the days of American Sa-
very are numbered and Of this the calm, refec
beariogs, will scarcely fail to be convinced -
Again acd again, of latter years have called 10
mind, when mnsing upon this subject the fabu-
lous story OF Vivenzio. He was imnured by his
enemies for some real or pretended crime within
+ spacious prison. DaIs aud months passed awsv
without his perceiving that anything unusual was
taking place. lie ate and drank a1d slep; aud
whi.et away his time as best he could At length
he thought his prison had grown perceptibIv
smaller. Could he be mistake? It was almost
100 strange Cor belief. He bad seen no movement
Of the walls, head no noise that might indicate
sach thing Day by DAY he sat and watched.
IL was no dream of the imagination. His prison
grew smaller; the walls were closing IN around
him. They had been purpoS.ly 50 co ls;ructed
tha. they might crush him to death by inches -
AMI thus it is with American Slavery the
walls closing in around it aud mnst eventual
iy crush it to death. We may not perceive their
movement they are high and strong; we cannot
surmouut them 10 order to disp itch the seyea.
headed monster that lies coiled within; but let US
take courage, the very cause which ieies our e.
forts mag do the work itself 1t cannot be pos
sible that q system, SO at variance with religion
morality, naiIocai prosperity, in sho I, with all
that Is good, can perpetuate itself through all
time And it may. had almost said WILL We. be
found that The very efJrts of its friends to render
it secure, rrpete as they with madne and
freuzy, will be the cause of its destruction
Let US now take an i'm partial view of come of
Sl
have to re port that he exact GgarAs and dat.
are not before me. The present an.-Siayery or
Republican movement commenced about - wears
ago. Twelve young men, who were Gesgna.ed
by Southener Is having more blood thaa
brains, met in an obscure school room ia Boston
and formed A. S. Society They found very
little sympathy. but much decided oppostion-
In process of time similar associations sprunp 40
10 different parts Of New England, and no sooner
was It perceived that the Infection spreading
sh hon fat a1so
Mob law in its various forms was appealed to;
still it spread and extended to other States and
throughout the North, where an attempt was
made to discuss the subj ecs Of Slavery. the most
determined opposition to everything of the sort
manifested itself la Boston. in Utica in Phiia-
deiphia, in Cincinnati and scores of other places,
meetings were broken up. printing presses were
demolished men were lynched and subjected to
all manner OF ndiguites for daring - discuss the
evil Of Slavery Still their numb RS continued to
increase. At length these deuouncers of the
peculiar institution began to thuk thas they
must not only talk against Slavery but vote also
Accordingly in 1910, James q Birney was aom-
mated for the Presidency and received a few
hund'ed votes, all told ln 1874 ani 1918, no IL
nations we're also made, and the result sho we'd a
decided progressive increase in the number of
those who were becoming alarmed at the ed
croachments OF Slavery. l. lo52, large numbers
OF the Whig and Democratic parties, laying aside
all former animosites and political preferences
met with the Liberty Party" men in convention
at Buffalo, aad nomioated John P. Hale for the
Presidency. ado ting platform the same with
little variations. IS that on which the Republican
party now stands. Hale did not receive the e,ec.
toral vote Of sirgle State. yet the result showed
such an advance Of aati-Siavery pynci.,,e "a
to alarm ali the frieads OF the .'peco-
liar institution In 1856, the Republican party
was for the first time thoroughly orga ID aud
the politics OF the country divided into two gres.
=, IL
"a result of which had long been desired by the
opponents of the institution. John C. Fremoat
the nominee of the party in that Canvass receiv-
ed the electoral votes of large number OF the
Northern States. Now does all this look dis
couragiDg? Twenty years have not passed sine,
the ftst votes were cast directly against Slavery.
Let Us look at tn, result of '56-look at the feel
ing Of the ortheru people now. If We are not
certain it is. Slavery is alarmed -
Sno1ld the vote Of 90 show an increase over that
OF 10 even approxinatng TO that of 70 msr years.
We shall have u Republican President. But sup-
not defeated the day Of our success il only de-
ferred. Let Us learn lesson from the past. For
20 years after the formation If the irst A SIa-
very association. from 17s7 to 1907 did the
philsnshropisss Of Great Britain labor for the
abolition Of the Slave trade q subiec, in.ersoyen
with far less difficulties than that If ,nsrican
Slavery. ere Parliament was induced 10 pass alaS
inte-d,cting the traffic 10 negroes and il was not
until 80 years later that they sacceede,l in abo-
isaing Slavery in the West India cooioaies. In
. memorial from an inferior meeting was
sent TO the yearly meeting Of the Society OF
Friends IN Philadeiphia against the practice of
keeping negroes as siaves yet the mem oers we're
allowed Ia mold slaves for nearly q century after
ward. Such is the history Of past experience in
dealing With Slavery
In my next shall consider the question. What
is our dutys
"A Mr. Work. young man, . Democrat