The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1862-04-09
The Democrats School of Free
- ThImkxers.


: [John w. Forney in the Fhilsdelpola Press.1
History, which is the torch-bearer to
Time, is a most eloquent commentary, and
one of his best texts is the record of the
Democracy upon the 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 either started this sentiment, or have
followed somebody who did lstart it. The
Wings were never as ready or as rapid to
see the arrogance and shame of slavery az
the Democracy; aud this may be cOnse-
quenee of The differing systems of the two
old parties-the Democrats being full of
progress and inquiry, the Wings full of
contact with the old order of things, so that
they might not be called upon to take the
task of thinking outside of their leaders.
Following this train of thought, you will
see that if Jefferson was the opponent of
slavery even in his own State of Virginia,
his disciples, the rankest Democrats of sue
ceeding generations, Benton, Van Buren,
Silas Wright, Francis r. Skunk, William
Leggett, VIM. G. Bryant, Hannibal Hamfin,
Benjamin Tappen, HOt to mention the mem
of the present aad very recent periods, 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 Democrats, who
left, or fought their party on the slave
issue, gave to their new views asserted
under so many trials, intense emphasis.
In very few cases have the anti-sIavery
Democracy been abolitionists- they were
always practical and common sense men,
and hence have been the most effective op-
ponents Of the slave barons, The incidents
that have marked their independence of the
Democratic organization, because that Or
ganization refused to break the shackles of
the shareholders and their tools, from John
@. Calhoun to James Buchanan, are full of
significance, and deserve to be pondered by
all thoughtful and conscientious men. The
resisters of the nulIifiers to General Jack
sons proclamation were the early out CROP
pings of the slave despotism, and made a
host of Democrats foes of the peculiar instl-
tuition. The overthrow of Martin Van
Buren, in the election of 1910 by the aid of
Southern electoral votes, and his defeat for
the nomination in 1854 in the Baltimore
Convention by Southern leaders and the
removal OF Francis P. Blair from the organ
ship of the Washington Globe, the old
mouth-piece of the radical Democracy, each
and all being SO many evidences of the
growing and exacting spirit of the slave
power, transformed hosts of Democrats into
anti-slavery propagandists; and while these
aggrossions served TO consolidate the slave
influence, they weakened il in the free
North and Northwest. The annexation of
Texas succeeded by the war with Mexico
both supposed 10 be, and intended to be-
Southern triumphs-have proved to be
practical Northern advantages, as the result
will show, for Texas will henceforward be
the grave of slavery, as Mexico must Be
come the promised land to the free and dis
franehised colored races. Following these
came the Compromise Measures OF 1850, in
which the South lost immeasurably by the
intolerance of Calhoun in the Senate, and
the defeat of Davis in Mississippi. Then
came the repeal of the Missouri Compro-
mise, and the subsequent violation of the
act Of Congress that abrogated 1T, IN the
scandalous prescriptions and the tyrannies
in Kansas, and the removal of Reeder, un-
der the Joint influences of JEFF. Davis and
Caleb Cushing. Every step Of the slave
holders in these fifteen years, supposed by
them to be an advance, was, in fact, a draw
back and when, at last, James Buchanan.
sOupht to complete these series of ag
cressions. in the Lecompton and English
| bills. the bonds Of party were suddenly
/ Ioosed. and thousands who had denounced
| the Republicans as enemies of the South,
| found themselves earnestly cooperating
with them in common crusade against
that infamous and treaeherous man.
| Long defore the tyranny of Buchanan cul-
minated 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 Republicans; and when
the conflict came there, was scarcely DIS
I Il In So ft11
| whole responsibility of the war upon the
| authors of the events to which have re-
| ferred. .-.l... T. -.s
! Here is an unchaIlenged and unanswera-
| bic history, He who reads it carefully