, 1861-12-14
CONSERVATIVES.

l
one Of the most so in the Lexicon, but it
has been seized by evil minded persons and
perverted to vile uses Conservative is an
honest word, but sometimes performs es-
cort duty as an adjective, for other words.
According to NOAH Webster, it means one
who aims to preserve from ruin, innovation
or injury; one who wishes to maintain an IN
stitution, or form Of Government. in its |
present State. And conservatism is the act |
Of preserving, guarding or protecting from |
loss, decay, injury or violation This word |
has been kidnapped by the slaYeocracy
and appropriated to the exclusive use Of
slavery A certain class of persons call
themselves conservatives, III politics, every
one Of whom is either friend Of slave
~, s1avemaster, or secessionist.
With these, conservative means preserving
slavery, OF the desire and effort to uphold
it, The application Of the term is limited
exclusively to the support and protection
Of slavery. Whoever prefers conserving
lis country is called radical or an e1~
tremist. The only thing to be preserved
from ruin is human bondage, and the only
institution to saye which entities man
to be called conservative, is the prac-
tice Of depriYing men and women
Of their personal liberty, and defrauding
them Of the fruits Of their toll And the 4
No. ! conservative is he who whips his
| living out Of d negro, and the next best
/ specimen Of the genus is the man who most
ardently sanctions the practice. All others
who fail to endorse the system are de-
nounced as radicals and extremists.
The man who would conserve the Union
rather than slavery, is fiercely assailed as
an Abo1itionist: but the other man who
would preserve slavery and let the Union
slide, is denouinatcd conservative.
This fraud in the use Of words is one oi
the tricks Of slavc-worshippers, and q
profitable one it has been to them. It has
covered over their ugliness as with gar
ment The title. conservative has been AZ
useful to them as the cloak Of religion
to hypocrite in copcea1ing their real char
acter and principles.
As the American Union is infinitely more
valuable to humanity and postcrity thar
American slavery, SO the man who labor
for its preservation is an infinitely bette
and tIucr conservative than he who woult
maintain the practice Of slavery. If tn
word, as political term, is to be restrictc,
r to one subject or thing, then let conserva
+ tism henceforth mean the desire aud effor
q TO p1cserve the Union. The true cor
J., seryative is the man who stands by tn
f Union and lets slavery take care Of itsel
, Those who would rather see the Union d.
d stroyed than slavery, may be properl
e called Aboliionists; as they would abo
!, ish the Union to saye slavery.
70 The word conservative is a general tern
"a and when applied to designate classes {
J. parties, it should have an attributive t
# p1ecede it, to limit and define its particuls
n meaning. Thus, one class Of people should
r called Slavery Conservatives, and the otht
r Union Conservatives. The former are thos
IS who are opposed to confscating the slayt
i Of rebels to preserve the Union. The Ia
ter would save the Republic, though SLAYER
d should Ike wiped out. 1t is q duty whic
d the patriotic Press owes to the country:
l. rescue the word conservative from its s
u cession keepers. and make those who wal
e to use it, hoist their colors and show Il
N people what sort Of conservatism tn
m mean-whether it be slayery-saving
=, | TJnior-sayinr