The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1862-04-26


The Democratic school Of Free
| Thinkers
| John W. Horney in the PHILADELPHIA. Pres.l
History, which is tie soreh-bearer 10
Time, is a most eloquent commentator, and
one of his best ,exss Is the record OF the
Democracy upon tie slave question. The
Democracy has been the nursery and the
school OF hostility to slavery. Not only
The old apostles, but most of The new ones.
have eiiEer started this sentiment. or have
/ followed somebody who did start If The
Wings were never as ready or as rapid To
!. see the arrogance and sham If slavery Is
the Democracy; and this may he a couse
qasnce OF the differing systems of the two
old parties-the Democrats being full of
progress ami inquiry. the Wings full Of con
tact with the old order Of things. so tina,
they mi CHI not be called upon 10 lake The
task OF thinking outside of their leaders
Following this train OF thought, you will
see tha. if Jefferson was the opponent of
slavery, even 10 his own State of Virgins,
his disciples, the rankest Democrats OF sue
eeedins generations, Benton, Van Buren,.
Sllas Wright. Francis R. Skunk. William
Leggett. VIM c. Bryant. HsnIibal Hsmlin.
and Benlsmin Tappen, not To mention the
men Of the present and very recent period.
have taken the same course. The Wings
of the Free States have generally acted with
these men, because of their inherent dislike
/ of the Democracy; but the Democ ats, who
left or Tough. their party on the slave issue.
/ gave 10 their new views, asserted under so
many trials, intense emphasis. 10 very few
cases have the anti slavery Democracy been
abolitopis,s-they were always practical
aud common sense men, and hence have
been the most effective opponents OF tie slave
barons. The incidents that have marked
their independence of the Democratic or
ganza.ion. because that organization re
fused TO break the shackles Of the siavehold-
ers and their tools, from John G.. Calhoun
to James Buchanan. are full of significance.
and deserve to be pondered by all thought
| full and conscientious men. The resisters OF
the nulliGers TO Gen. Jackson's proclamation
were the early outcroppings of the slave
despotism. and made Il host Of Democrats
foes TO the peculiar Institution. The over
throw Of Martin Van Buren, in the election
of 1910 by the aid of Southern electoral
votes, and his defeat for the nomination in
1914 in the Baltimore Convention. By South
err leaders, and the removal Of Francis Z.
Blair from the organship OF the Was hington
Globe, the old mouth piece of the radical
Democracy, each and all being many
evidences OF tie growing and exsctin5
spirit Of the slave power, transformed hosts
OF Democrats into anti slavery propagandists;
and while these aggresslons served to con
solidate the slave influence they weakened
it in the free Northwest. The annexation
of Texas succeeded by the war with Mexl-
co-boih supposed to be. and intended TO
be. Sou hern triumphs-have proved TO be
practical Northern advantages as the result.
will show; for Texas will henceiorward be
the grave OF slavery. as Mexico must be
come the promised land 10 The free ana dis
trancl!!sed colored races Fo!lowin, these
came the Compromise Measures OF 1850. ia
which the S,uth lost immessursbly by the
Intolerance OF Calhoun in the Senate, and
the defeat OF Davis in Mississippi. Then
came he repeal Of the Missouri Compromise
aud the subsequent violation of the act OF
Congress that abroga,ed it, in the scaDda
lous prescriptions and ,yrannies in Kansas.
and the removal OF Reeder. under the joint
influences of Jefferson Davis and Caleb
Gushing. Every step of the Shareholders
in these fifteen years. supposed by them To
be an advance. was, in fact, drawback, and
when. a. last, James Buchanan sought to
complete these series OF aggressipns. in the
Lecomp,on and English bills. the bonds of
party were suddenly loosed. and thousands
who had denounced the Republicans as en-
emies of The South, found themselves ear
nes,ly co operating with them in a common
crusade agains, that infamous and treacher
Gus man. Long before the tyranny Of
Buchanan eliminated in the atrocities which
made war inevitable. Douglas and Walker,
the leaders and thinkers for millions OF
Democrats in the South and the North,
found themselves acting with the RePub
cans, and when the conflict came there was
scarcely a disinterestcd Democrat who did
not locate the whole responsibility Of the
war upon the authors of the events to which
l have referred.
Here is an unchallenged and unanswera-
bic history. He who reads it carefully need
have little doubt IS TO the future. Above all,
he should avoid being msled by the delu-
sion that the Democracy are now as on for
ner occasions. the guardians and exponen.s
Of slavery. At this moment. there is not an
old Democratic statesman, at least among
the survivors OF the Jackson school, in the
loyal States. ~ho is not the conscientious iue
of the slave oil ,srchy. l need only merton
III proof OF this assertion. such names As
Robert j. Walker. George Bancroft, Daniel
S Dickinson, David Tod, w. +. Packer
Andrew Johnson. Amos Kendall. Martin
Van Buren,, and Francis P. Blair, TO give
the reader something worthy of reflection
aud self examination.
Siege of Yorktown.