The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-10-26

to his humanity, in case Mr.. Lincoln is
elected, to dissolve our connection with the
North before the 4th of March next.
IL. The ruin of the South, by the eman.
cipation of her slaves, is not like the ruin
of any other people. 1t is not mere loss
of liberty, like the Italians under the Bour.
bons. 1t is not heavy taxation, which
must still leave the means of living, or 9TH
erwise taxation defeats itself. But it is the
loss Of liberty. property, home, country--ev.
cry thing that makes life north having.
And this loss will probably take place under
circumstances of suffering and horror unsur.
passed in the history of nations. We must
preserve our liberties and institutions, under
penalties greater than those which impend
over any people in the world.
IL. Lastly, we conclude this brief state
ment of the terrors of submission, by de.
claring that, in our opinion, they are tenfold
greater even than the supposed terrors Of
disuni0n. at
WHY THE AB0LITIoNIsTs SUPPORT LINCOLN
LETTER FROM HON. DANIEL e. soMEs TO
| HON. GERRIr SMITH.
| From the Boston Lberator, Oct. s.
! BIDDEFoRD, Me-, Aug. q. 1860.
DEAR S1R-In your letter of the 18th ul.
timo, you deplore the defeat of Mr.. Birney,
the abolition candidate for the Presidency,
in 1874, and infer that the anti.slavery SEN
timent has declined, because the radical alb.
clifton party does not number so many votes
as it did at that time.
With the highest regard for your moral
and intellectual powers, 1 beg leave to point
out few facts which you seem to have
overlooked.
1t is true that sixty thousand men cast
their votes for Mr.. Birney in 1914, and did
so from sense of duty growing out of the
conviction that slavery was wrong in the
abstract, and it was therefore right to
adopt measures for its abolition, as well as
to prevent its extension by opposing the
admission of Texas. But while they all
agreed upon the two facts, the wrong Of
slavery and the right of abolition, they did
not agree upon any general plan of opera
tions. Some contended for immediate
emancipation by Congressional enactments,
some proposed disunion and others insur.
rection. As these means were at war with
the principles of our institutions and the
spirit of Christian civilization, the Clay
wings, who were mainly opposed to the ex-
tension of slavery, chung to their organiza-
ton and hoped for the best, while the dem.
ocratic party, pretending that Texas would
be an outlet for slavery in the old States
and thereby become means of it's final
extinction, triumphed and added another
link to its chain. The wings, smarting un-
der the defeat, charged the Birney men with
having caused it; while the slave power
still in the garb of democracy, grew bold
and defiant.
Its arrogance and aggressions have grad.
ually opened the eyes Of the people Of the
free States, and they are now ready to
adopt any constitutional measures to break
its force; but they are as 10th to accept any
which are illegal or impracticable as they
were in 1874, and more so, for they now see
more clearly the necessity of prompt and
effective action. Those of the sir4y thousand
Who are not cooperating with you may be
found IN tie Republican party doing good
serviee. They have been engaged for many
years in scattering the seeds of truth among
the masses, until plurality, if not major
ity, of the voters in the free States are fired
with the true spirit of wisdom, and animated
by fixed purpose, not only to preveut the
further gro,otk of the slave po,uer, but to
beard the lion in his den.
How can this be done, it may be asked,
without interfering with State rights? /
ans,csr, byplacang Mr.. Lincoln in the Presi-
Dental chair, and holding his administration
to the letter of the constitution and the Repub-
lican platform. in other words, it may be
done by placing the government in the hands
of men vho will haze the courage to "defend
the freedom of speech aad the press" in the
slave States. Let this constitutional right
be defined by the Executive, and slavery
would soon be on the wane. Agitation,
which is another name for free speech, is all
the friends of liberty can rely on for success
1t is the pioneers axe, which hews down
ignorance and prejudice, and opens the way
for the entrance of truth and the exercise
of those powers which God has given His
children for the working out of their own
salvation, while laws are but milestones by
the wayside, showing how far the race has
advanced toward selfgovernment.
Every political party since the revolution
has professed, during some period of its his
tory, to be opposed to the extension of
slavery, and yet this monster has been
stealthily fastening its fangs on new terrific
~, poisoning the soil, and blighting every
green thing with its hellish breath. The
reason is very obvious. 1t is because the
South, by its adroit maneuvring, has d.
verted the North from its constitutional
rights to meet new issues yearly put forth
to divide the free and consolidate the slave
States.
1t is absurd to think Of staying the march
of this demon by resorting to unconstitu-
tional means, or by carrying on guerilla
war in the outskirts of the country, or even
by attempting to smother it by fencing it in.
1t will either contract or continue to ex-
pand. 1t will never cease to be aggressive
until it is forced into defensive position.
Shall we continue to waste our breath by
chasing false lightsF Must we be satisfied
with capturing, now and then, one of the
picket guard or stray mule Is it wise
to let the army that has won victory in
every contest remain quietly entrenched be.
hind the bulwark of booty, ready to make
fresh attacks on the rights of the people the
first opportunity that offers? Or shall ve
send the american flag, s0ith free speech and
a free press emblaSoned on every told, INTO