Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1860-03-15
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IRREPRESSIBtE CONFLICT.
Historyof slavery asa Political Issue.
The okIGIh AND AIM OF MODERN
PARTIES.
soTe sris SPEECH OF IL.
NON. WIN. n. SEWARD,
In THE SENATE OF THE UNIFIED STATES.

In THE SENATE OF THE UNIFIED STATES.
In the United States Senate, on Wed1es.
dsv. nMr., Seward, having presented the
ihemoiisl Of the Legislature d Of Kansas,
bfsying for admission into the Union, spoke
ss follows: '"
Mr.. President, the admission Of Kansas
Into the Union, without further delay, seems
tome equally necessary just and wise. In
recorded debates have slresdy anticipated
the arguments for this conclusion. tt
i7fh coming forward among the political
tstrologers, II shall be an error Of judgment,
Ind not Of disposition, II my interpretion Of
the fevefish dreams which are disturbing
the country shall tend to foment, rather than
o,allsy, the nstional excitement. shall
say nothing unnecessarily Of persons, be-
cause, in our system, the public welfare and
happiness depend chiefly on institutions,
and very little oh men. ] shall sllude but
briefly to Incidental topics, because they are
ephemeral, and because, even in the midst
of sppeals to passion and prejudice, it 10
always safe to submit solid truth to the de-
liberate consideration Of ali honest and en-
Iightened people.
1t will be an overfowine souree Of shame
as wei as of sorrow, if we, thirty millions
-Europeans by extraction, American by
birth or discipline. and Christians in faith i,
and meaning 10 be such in practice -cannot
so combine prudence with hum manity, in our
conduct concerning the one disturbing sub.
ject of slavery, as not only to preserve our
unequaled institutions Of Freedom, but also
TO enjoy their benefits with contentment and
harmony. fsmu.3 O.. 81. .u.t1 ... .....
.r. Wherever a guitless slave exists, be he
Caucasian, American, Malay or African, he
is the subject of Two disti, Ct and opposite
ideas-one that he is wrongly, the other
that he is rightly slave. The balance oi
numbers on either side, no Never great,never
completely exiinguishes this difference OF
opinion for there are always some defend
ers of Slavery outside, even II there are
hone inside free State, while, aleo, there
are always outside, if there are not inside
of every slave State, mury who cssert with
Milton, that "no man who knows aught can
be SO stupid to deny that all men naturally
were born free, being the image and re-
semblance of God himself, and were BY
privilege above all the creatures, born to
command and not to obey" 1t often, per-
haps generally happens, however, that in
considering the subject of Slavery society
seems to overlook the natural right or per.
sunsl interest Of the slave himself, and to
act exclusively for the welfare Of The ci'i'
zen. But this fact does not materially affect
ultimate eesn lts. for the elementary ques
ton of the righifulness or wrongfulness o.
Slavery ,inheres in every form that discus
.sios concerning it assumes. What is just
d, TO one class Of men eau never be injurious
10 any other; and what is unjust 10 any con
dition OF persons in the State, p nesessaril!
injurious in some degree to the whole com
munity. An economical question earl!
arises out of the subject Of Slavery--!abo
either of freemen or Of slaves is the car
ndinal necessity Of society. Some State
cAssese the one kind, some the other. Hrnc
two municipal systems widely different arise
The Slave State strikes down and affects L
extinguish the personality of the labore'
not only as member Of the politiea! body
but also ss q parent, husband, child, neigh
bor, or friend. He thus becomes, In a pc
d Etical view, merely property, without tnort
. A.. capacity, and without domestic, moral, an
f. .social relations, duties, rights, and remedle
IA chattei, an object Of bargain, sale. gif,
=. inheritance, OF theft. His earnings sre com
pensated and his wrongs atoned, not TO hin
selt, but to, his owner. The State protect
not the slave as man, but as the capital
another man, which lie represents. On tn
II, ,pther hand, the State which rejects SLAYER!
f. a, encourages and aniuates 4 and inVieoratt
"a, The isborer, by maintaining and developin
pt his natural personality in all the rights an
faculties of manhood, and generally viii
ulhe privileges Of citizenship. In the on
~, case, capital Invested in slaves becomes
as great political force, while in the other
3 bot thus elevated and ehfranchsed become
,he dominating political power. II tn,
happens that we may, for convenience sal
and not iDaccurstely call Slave States capl
al States, and Free States labor States.
: q So soon as Btate feels the impulse
81, sommefce OF enterprise, or ambition,
"a, citizens begin to study the effects of the
-, systems of capital labor, and res pectively
- hs intelligence, its viltue, it's tfanquiilit
-1 tts integrity or unity, its defence, i's PFC
perity. its liberty It's happiness, its sggrhn
20, lzement, snd its fame, In oihef Words I
q, .krest question arises, whether Slavery h
ii moral, socisl, and poIiticsl good, or NOR
brs social and political evil, This 10 the Sla
u, ery question at home. But there is mutt
os, bond Of smity and brotherhood betwe
8 man and man throughout the word. n
otioas examine freely the political syste
OF each other, end Of sfl preceding tim
and accordingly ss they approve or dist
prove Of the two systems Of cspitsl and
Dor respectively they sanction and prosec'
90 Or condemn and prohibit commerce in mi
aio'Thus. In one wsy or another, the Save
question which SO many smong Us, who
more willing to rule than patient In stu