Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-01-02

"A LooklNa-GLAss FOR THE REpuBLIcASs-The
Philadelphia Ereaing Journal one of the ablest
as we'll as one Of the most unco promising anti.
Democratic party papers in the Union beseec hes
the Republican party to show its hand in the cur.
rent Crisis In the course of its appeal it takes
occasion to make very plain talk. Its article
demonstrates the fact that the conservative ele
inent In the Northern opposition ranks is rapidly
throwing of its late lethargy. and rallyiny to the
discharge Of Its duty Of taking the abolition bull
by the horns. Thus II holds lookinp-plass I'M
before the Republican party, as follows:
- GOu are suspected of being abolitopists :,
"lsgnlSe on say you are not Youindignautiy
repei The lmputation. But how will you persuad.
senslne ana sober people to conflde in your de-
carnations While you denOunce meetings in favor
OF snppresslng tatiO on upon the slavery question
ana make incorporating opposition to slavery,
we cardinal article in your party creed You
nope TO evade this charge nv saving that Won will
not interfere with slavery In the States Nor sym
pathize with the John Browns who do Bat Won
do interfere with ii by holding doctrines which
encourage ooider and more Jealous men, of Your
own way OF thinking, to invade the institution
within boundaries in which You would not dare
TO touch 1t with your hands, though you hate and
plot against 1t in your hearts. But let us come
nearer to your acknowledged confession Of faith
- GU say you are not abolitonsts. But YOU
Will not deny that you are banded together to pro
hlblt, by positive legis alton. whenever YOU can
get the power to enact such law the further ex
Then we say that in this YOU are aboIitionists
on would abolish slavery where by the Consti-
1utnn as Interpreted by the supreme Court of the
United states Il already exists potentially and in
contemplation of law, if not in fact As the com
mon property OF the people of all the States the
SdVeowner OF the South may 90 with his property
into the unOrGanized national domain eoi,aIly
with the citizen of the free States and he NAV re-
main there with his slaves until that sDccirs cf
property is abolished by State legislation when
the people Of the State to determine in their
capacity as members of Il sovereign and frll.
hedged Commonwealth, their domestic instjtu-
tons. In this manner Massac husetts New York
Pennsvlvania, and all the original thirteen States
got rld OF slavery and must every existing or
any future slave State relieve itself from the in,ti
tuition. ~
= But the Republican party, if we understand
us doctrines would anticipate this constitutional
ana peaceful mode of settling the question, by an
drOltfary act OF Congress which would tell the
people or all the South that they cannot and shall
not 20 INTO any part OF the unsettled territory Of
the nation. unless they will 90 there without a
chief article Of property, and that property too
recognized as such. unconditiOnally by the Fed
eral Constitution. IL this is not .abolition. we
should like to know what is. We can see no
| essential difference between a party which seeks
to destroy the relation of master and slave where
1t already exists by the supreme law of the land
and that party which would destroy il where if
may yet exist, or be introduced by the same law
| Hence We can hardly discriminate between the
'ApOlflonlsts" and the '.RepubIicans Ii thpr,
is difference. 1t is, In far its effect upon the
peace ana relations OF tine States is concerned
simply that between tveedle dun and tweedle
dec