The New York herald., 1862-02-25
What the Abolit ionists Want to Do Tor
the Country.

What the Abolit ionists Want to DO for
the Country.
When in last April the President issued his
proclamation against the rebellion, and called
upon the loyal States for troops, he declared
the object of the war and his own intention to
be the fulflment of the solemn oath he had
sworn at his Inauguration "to preserve. pro-
tect and defend the constitution of the United
States" Under this proclamation the war was
entered upon, and an army organized to enable
the President to execute the laws OF the
Union," and bring back to their allegiance all
rebellious citizens in the revolted States, just
as the insurgents of Western Pennsylvania, at
the time of the whiskey rebellion, were re-
duced to subsection by President Washington,
and the State was restored to its normal cOndi-
ton by the force of the constitution. This was
stated by President Lincoln to be his purpose
at the opening of the war, and it is still his
purpose, and the purpose of the generals acting
under his authority. From this course he has
never swerved till the present hour, nor does
he intend ever to falter in it, sustained as he is,
by the army and vast majority of the people.
He wants to restore the Union founded by
George Washington and his contemporaries,
and to enforce the constitution ir every State.
What do the abolitionists want, as openly
avowed in their organs? They want to destroy
the Union, and to abolish the constitution in
the Southern States. Through Senator Sumner
of Massachusetts, they have introduced resolu-
tions in the United States Senate to this effect
Under pretence Of emancipating the negroes,
they undertake to annihilate the constitutional
right of the Southern States to regulate their
own domestic institutions; and the next thing
in order will be to do the same for the Northern
States, and abolish all State laws which make
any distinction in political privileges between
whites and blacks. The only Northern State
which admits the equality of the negro with the
Caucasian race is Massachusetts. But if Con-
gress has power to meddle with the domestic in
stitutions'and social laws of the Southern commu-
mites it has the same power over the Northern
States in other words, it has the right to sub
vertathe constitution, though that sacred instru-
ment declares that no changes can be made in
it but by regularly called conventions Of the
VOOpAOs ~ ID OAAy sA1O POOpAO VI u 0sAtC WuOS
by our system of government, can abolish negro
slavery. In this way it has been abolished in
all the Northern States and when the rebellion
is put down in the Southern States the people
thereof will have the power to do away with
negro servitude, it, upon consideration, they
think free labor better suited to their interests.
They alone are the judges in the case. By the
progress Of our arms Maryland, Missouri and
Kentucky are already restored to the Union
with their slave institution intact. Tennessee,
Virginia and North Carolina will soon acknow-
ledge the authority Of the constitution and the
laws of the Union. Who will say that any dis
tinction about slavery can be made between
them and the States already reclaimed? And
if not, then upon what ground can the domestic
institutions of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida,
Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and
Texas be interfered with by Congress! Neither
Congress nor the President, nor both have any
power in the premises, in the face of the express
provisions of the constitution to the contrary.
What the abolitionists in Congress, with Mr..
Sumner at their head, and the abolitionists out
of Congress, led on by Garrison and Greeley,
desire for the country is political and social
amalgamation, and some forty blacks in both
houses Of tho national legislature. Their de-
signs are, beyond all doubt, revolutionary. Let
us see to what their measures would inevitably
lead.
The following table, taken from the census
returns Of 1860, exhibits the free and slave
population in the Southern States, together
with the number of representatives to which
those States are entitled under the constitution,
and the number to which they would be en-
titled if the abolitionists could only succeed in
abolishing the constitution