The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-01-28


that action because had the appearance of seeking
avoid an opportunity for fair expression Of the
popular will While we held that Congress had no
right to interfere with the action OF the Territory in
this respect yet felt that the issue was one which was
nurng our friends Ia the NORTH and could not possibly
benefit us II there ever had been any chance of It's be
coming slave State in fact, the course of Governor
walker had already cut that or by CARRYING over all the
omcias and their influence in the Territory the side
he Tree STATE party With no purpose censure
any one, nevertheless frankly refer to this as crcum.
stance for which the democratic party rs whole are not
Justly responsible but which aided the anti slavery party
as at present organized On survey Of the entire ground
maintain that will appear that tho action Of the demo-
crauc party Tor the last fifteen years. on the slavery ques
u0u mas Deem wise patriotic and statesmaulke Iproceed
however, 10 the consideration Of great question beov
the country Immediately after the Presidential election
1885, met the veteran Secretary of State then Senhtor
from Michigan, the floor OF the Senate and in reply
to an inquiry 10 how he was, no answered-Well IN
formerly thonrht that the Tnio5 would never be dis
solved; but am not without painful apprehensons
Of different result They say that the excitement in
North has grown out Of the Kansas bill. hundred
Kansas bills would not have produced this result These
people 10 abolish slavery in your section. You
10 that they are You will gain nothing by making to
them concessions; you cannot thereby help u.s. you
win ruin yourselves BY standing firm you eau at least
protect yourselves" His words made the deeper i'm
preston upon me- because they accordance with
my own settled convictions But the evil has at
tanned such alarming dimensions that 1t demands con
sideration. When dark and rapidly advancing
cloud has already covered half the heavens,
and the mutteripgs OF the distant thunder aud the
u,
but false sentinel will proclaim calm. Eminently
ofue too and mischevous declarations of Southern
me against agitation and in favor of and harmony
When man Is threatened with violence, will he stay the
hand OF the assaiant by proclampg his love peace?
When country is invaded by public enemy, the
INHABITANTS protect themselves by passing resolutions in
favor of peace and harmony All the regards such
things evidence Of weakness cowardce and os only
calculated to stimulate the invaders. When Philip Of
hacedon was threatening Greece his hired parsans re-
commended repose and quiet, and denounced Demos
themes as political agtator II in the midst OF
who were crying out "Peacel peace' that Patrick Henry
Numbered that there was No peacs, II the
in the North could be induced abandon agitation
subject OF slavery, it would be WELL but they reject with
herision the suggestion, and become only more inso
lent as Southern men cry out the louder for quiet and
union. When some twenty five years ago, the abolition
society at Boston, under the lead guidance Of British
subject, attracted pubic attention, though declared that
its purposes were merely PEACEFUL and Intended to per-
suade men TO berae the slaves vet so insignificant in
numbers it, that the candidate for Congress in that
district refused to reply TO It's nterrogatores TO give
any pledges to his the subject Of slavery.
For this he was COMMUNICATED by Harrison Gray OTIS
who nevertheless said with prophetic sagacity:-
And can you doubt fellow citizens that these associations
for such g IT. them Ss numses
should be augmented and the they anticipate realized
nGw Ss
And how long afterwards would this Union LAST
Though few in numbers, the aboltonsts went reso
lutey and actively to work There strong feel.
ing in favor of liberty pervadng the public mind gene
rally while its attention had been called TO the
specific dierences-phyaica mental and Notwithstanding
between the white aud the negro The pon. of ope
ratons selected was one remote from negro slavery
where the people ignorant Of its actual features
and thus lifted easily 70 be imposed upon In that
vicinity too the remains Of old prejudices against
the southern section of the Union. The effort of the
abOtionists directed TO the corrupting of know
ledge at its fountain heads, by the diffusion Of pubca-
tons directed to that end. Its first fruits were
seen in Its influences on women preacheas teachers and
professors persons OF Lively sensibties generally
much accustomed to deal with matters OF fact easily
dcluded by cunningly devised sophsms, and more fire.
quently acting from the influence Of feelings Soon abo
sentiments appeared books OF education
session Of schools colleges and churches As its powers
increased, it's efforts multiplied, until it covered the
land with its publications. Some twelve months ago II
stated in the newspapers that Of the anti slavery
organizations had resolved circulate during follow
tracts. Can such amount Of printed matter this
consisting, does, of ingAnousy written misrepresen
Der that this is repeated from year TO year. and aided
hired and voluntary lecturers, speakers and preachers
Abolitionism to great extent pervades the literature OF
the free States SO strong is the feeling against sla
very there, that the writer's Of novels and plays to &c.
the public patronage, exercise their wits magin
ing all that can be conceived as worst in human nature
and represent true type Of the state Of society
the South The bulk of the newspaper press too the
North is anti slavery Such the character Of the entire
Of the neutral and religious papers, while part Of
the minority or democratic press, avoids the subject
much as possible instead Of attempting to stem the
rent Though Northern city papers much read In the
a,ion in the North If they had the efforts Of the anti
The cities Of New York and Philadephia, for example,
not abotionised; and this attributed, BY some,
Southern ss i1 trade ina. But hsy e are
sets are just a. much interested, and yet they
are intensely anti slavery in their feelings The
cities the many Southerners that state
Of society thereby better understood, and cannot be
free States on the borders Of the ssvehodng country
Il ID not the aboonists alege that their c0nscences
much bunted that they cannot appreciate the evils
Of slavery; but simply because they do understand it
that they be rosed upon by the faschoods Of
the anti slavery writers. In addition to this reason the
Western States have large influx Of Southern emgrants
While vermont intensely aboitionized New Hampshire,
adjoining ii, s less This may be accounted for from
the fact that New HAMPSHIRE originally strongly de-
mocrac and its press resisted therefore, TO extent
the statements Of the aboltonsts. Had not New Hamp
shire been small State, and surrounded with adverse
Influences, she would probably not have been over
increasing strength, until it has educated large portion
Of the Northern people to entertain feelings Of hostility 70
slavery and the Southern States The movement has
crossed independently Of political occurrences but has
occasionally been accelerated or retarded by them For
example, in 1850 1t was weakened somewhat, partly
by the great discussion at that time, which enlightened
somewhat the popular mind, and also by the peculiar
character of tho legislation Of the period. Cali
fornia admitted free State, with boundaries
reaching far south OF the Missouri line, and giving
the North the majority in this body; while the
principle Of non intervention applied TO Utah and New
Mexico regarded fruitless abstraction, the
general opinion prevailing that, to use the words Of
Mr. Webster the law of God had excluded slavery from
them As to the Fugitive Slave law, it was seen that il
could practically like predecessor the Of 1793 be
rendered nullty by State action and Individual resist
great mistake to suppose that the repeal Of
the Missouri restriction in 1854 produced the present anti
slavery organization In lS47 and 184S the House OF Rep
resentatves by large majores, repeatedly passed the
Wimot proviso and this understood 70 have been
done accordance with the wishes Of their constituents
Prior 1885, Of the churches had been divided by
this issue. From to the anti slavery sentiment
acquired and political influence and in 1S4S il
took possession Of the greater portion OF the
wing party in the free States No one was
influential in enectng this result as the SEMI
tor from New York. In speech delivered during that
year in Ohio the object in part, Of which TO induce
the anti slavery 70 join the WING party rather than
the Buffalo platform free soiers, he such expires
sions these call the attention Of Senator's particu
ary TO hem because shall have occasion 70 refer to
them again presently
cipauon. =
Slavery the sin of Of the States only but Of them
all; Of not nation only, but Of all nAons perverted
and corrupted the moral Of mankind deeply and unyer
sally and this corruption became universal habit Habits Of
thought fixed principles No has yet
delivered itself entirely from oese habis We In New York