Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1860-10-12

hHleTlcan people are pefSOaueu 20 DC NepuD.
lican. [Checrs and laughter Why, then
are they not altogether persuaded? The an.
swer cannot be given without some reflection
1t involves an examination of our national
conduct and life.
The reason why the country is only al
most and not altogether persuaded to be Re-
publican, is because the national sense is per.
verted. We inherited slavery; it is organ
lied into our national life-into our forms OF
government. 1t exists among us, unsuspect
ed in its evils, because we have become ac-
customed, out of national habit, to enduring
and toleratlng slavery. The effect of this
habit arising from the presence of slavery is
to produce want of moral courage among
the people and an indisposition to entertain
and examine the subject. 1t not, however,
the fault of the people. This lack of moral
courage is chiefly the fault Of the political
representatives of the people In every dis,
trict in the United States, and for every seat
in Congress, the people might select men ap.
parently as brave, as truthful, as fearless and
as firm as Owen Lovejoy. [Applause.l
You may fill the halls Of Congress with
men from all the free States who seem to be
as reliable as Owen Lovejoy; but OH the
clangor Of the slavery bugle in the hall they
begin to waver and fail. They retire. They
suffer themselves to be demoralized; and
they return to dcmoralize the people. Slavery
never hesitates to raise the clangor of the
trumpet to terrify the tinid.
Slavery has, too, another argument for the
timid than terror; it il power. The concen-
tration of slavery gives it fearful political
power. You know how long it has been the
controlling power in the executive depart
ments of the Government Slavery uses that
power, as might be expected--to punish those
who oppose it, to reward those who serve it.
AL representatives like fame; if they do not
like pecuniary rewards they like the distinc-
ton Of place. They like to be popular
When the people are deinoralized he who is
constant becomes offensive and obnoxious !;
he looses position and the party chooses some
other representative who will be less obnox-
ious. These demoralized representatives in
culcate among the people promiscuous les
sons and sustain themselves by adopting
compromises. They compromise SO far, Il
possible, as to save place and show of prin-
ciple, they save themselves first and let free
dom take what remains.
A community thus demoralized by its rep
resentatives is fearful of considering the sub
jecr Of slavery at all. 1t does not like to look
back upon its record it does not dare to
look forward to see what are to be the conse-
quences oferrors. 1t desires peace and quiet
We shall see in moment what fearful sac
rlflces have been made under the influence
OF this decentralization OF the power of the
government.
The first act of decentralization was to sur
render the Territory Of Arkansas and the
Territory of Missouri to Slavery and also by
implication all the rest Of the Territory OF
Louisiana acquired by purchase from France,
that lay sou.h Of thirty-six degrees thirty
minutes north latitude. Take up your mans
when you go home, and see what q broad
belt OF country, lying south of that line was
with the State of Missouri and
Arkansas to slavery. Next, under the in
fiucncc of this same decentralization, the whole
Of the peninsula Of Florada, acquired from
Spain, was surrendered to slavery, rendering
it practically useless for all the national pur.
poses for which it was acquired, making il
bnrthen instead Of . national safeguard in the
Gulf Of Mexico.
But Texas was surrendered to slavery, and
brought in with the gratuitous agreement
that four slave States should be made out of
hat Territory. Next, in 1850, Utah and
New Mexico were abandoned to slavery At
er these events following in quick success.
ion, came the abrogation, in the year 1854. |
# the restriction contained in the Missouri
by which it had been stipulated |
hat all north of 36 deg 80 min., excepting
he State Of Missouri, should be dedicated to
reedom. That was abandoned to slavery to |
axe 1t il she could get it: and the admins |