The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1860-09-20

he has been an important part; for he
is shrewd observer, with advantages
of large and long experience. To me
it seems that the last forty years have
constituted period of signal and Ia
mentable failure in the efforts of states
men to adjust and establish Federal
policy for the regulation of the subject
of slavery in its relations to the Union.
In this view / regard it as belonging to
the Office Of statesman not merely to
favor an immediate and temporary in
crease of national wealth, and an en-
largement of national territory, but
also to fortify so far as the prescribed
constitutional limits of his action may
allow, the influences of knowledge and
humanity to abate popular prejudices
and passions, by modifying or remov-
ing their causes; to ascertain and dis
close the operation of general laws and
to study and reveal the social tenden-
cies of the age, and by combining the
past with the present, while giving
free play all the time to the reciprocal
ting action of the many co-existing
forces, to develop that harmonious sys-
TEN which actually prevails in the ap-
parent chaos of human affairs; and so
to gain something in the way of assur-
ance as to the complexion of that futu-
rity towards which, since our country
lis destined to endure, and insomuch as
we desire that it may be immortal, our
thoughts are so vehemently driven even
by the selfish as well as by the gener-
Gus principles of our nature.
/ have understood that John Quincy
Adams the purest and wisest statesman
I ever knew, died despairing of a
peaceful solution of the problem of
slavery, on which he was so intently
engaged throughout his public service.
If we may judge from the absolute
failures of Mr.. Van Buren, Mr.. Polk,
Mr.. Pierce and Mr.. Buchanan, in the
respect / have mentioned, and if we
take into consideration also the system
which Mr.. Calhoun, Mr.. Benton, Mr..
Clay and Mr.. Webster severally recon.
mended, and which have subsequently
failed to be adopted, we may perhaps
conclude that the difficulties of estab.
fishing satisfactory and soothing poll.
CIV have overtasked even our wisest
and most eminent statesmen. They
certainly have been neither incapable
nor selfish men. No age or country
has been illustrated by the public char
acters of greater genius, wisdom and
virtue.
1t is easy to see, fellow-citzens,
that the failure has resulted not from
the faults of our statesmen, but from
the peculiar constitutions and charac.
ters of political parties, on which they
relied for power. Solid, enduring and
constant parties, inspired by love oi
country, reverence for virtue and devo
tion of human liberty, bold in their con
ceptions of measures, moderate in sue
cess, and resolute throughout reverses
are essential to effective and beneficien'
administration in every free State
Unanimity, even in a wise, just and
necessary policy, can never be expected
in any country all at once, and without
thorough debate and earnest conflict:
of opinion. All public movements are
therefore undertaken and prosecuted
through the agencies, not of indivldu
ais, but of parties regulated, excited
and moderated, as occasion may re
quire, by their representatives. H'
who proposes measures SO impractical
BILE that he can win no party to thei
support, may be aphilanthropist, bu
he cannot be statesman and ever
when the leader in the administration
is thus sustained, he is, although neve
so earnest or wise, everywhere and q
all times inefficient and imbecile, jus
in the degree that the party on which
} he depends, is inconstant, vacillating
timid or capricious. What has becom
J of the several political parties, whicl
J have fourished within your time ant
; mine? That dashing, unterrified, de
, fiant party, whose irresistible legiou
} carried the honest and intrepid hero o
: New Orleans on their shields, through
, so many civil encounters-that gener
Gus though not unprejudiced Viii!
, party, which, apprehensive of perpet
: ual danger from too radical policies Q
administration, so often with unabate,
: chivalry and enthusiasm, magioall
: recombined its bruised and scattere
columns even when a capricious fortun
had turned its rare and hard-wou tr
, umphs into defeats more disastrou
: than the field fights which it had lost
, the recent American party, that spran
+ at one bound from ten thousand dar
, chambers, and which seemed only yel
terday at the very point of carryin
the government by a coup de naai'
f All these parties, that for brief period
: seemed so strong and SO unchangine
7 have perished, leaving no deep impre'
/, sion on the history of the country the
: aimed to direct and rule forever. Th
! Democratic party too that has clothe
: itself so complacently with the plea
j, ant traditions of all preceding partie
! and combined SO felicitously the mo'
= popular of our national sympathie
s with the most inveterate and repulsiy
e of our conservative interests, that hs
o won the South so dexteriously, by stin
v ulating its maddest ambition, and "
i has held the. North so tenaciously an
o so long, by awakening its widest an
y most demoralizing fears? What is i
y condition? 1t is distinguished in 70
: tune from its extinguished rivals on