The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1863-10-23
re rwe Dsclarasisns.

The American Declaration of Indepen-
dence appealed to the principle Of the
liberty and equal rights of oil mankind.
This principle alone made the Declare
ton immortal in the remembrance of ou-
people. In our celebrations of our ma
tional birth day we read the Declaration
as the gospel for the day, not because we
desire to keep alive the long arr lay of
charges against Great Britain, ma by Of
which arose upon incidents of the war,
nor to perpetuate the hostile feeling but
because it declares the great principle Of
universal liberty and equal rights.
| Contrast this with the "Declaration of
Causes" for secession, issued by South
Carolina. One Of the chief Of these is
declared to be 1.-THE election of a man to
the high Office of President of the United
States, whose opinions and purpose are
hostile to slavery
This is set forth among the principal
causes, but the world knows it was the
sole cause. There was no charge that
this President elect proposed to inte rfere
with the existence OF slavery or the legal
rights of the Shareholders, nor any stppo-
sition that he could do it. The Cohfed-
crate leaders have put on record the decla-
ration that slave property was as secure
after Mr.. Lincoln was elected as before.
But it is a declaration that the electi pn of
man whose opinions were hosti lie to
slavery-that is, who was not actively
favorable to slavery-was thing the
South could not suffer. 1t shows the
progress of our Government toward de-
graduation under pro-slavery rule. II is
but little while since public men any
where avowed opinions favorable to slave
ry. Southern statesmen were only spol-
ogists for slavery. They pleaded the fac,
of its existence and the impossibility OF
getting rid of it at once, but they were
not defenders Of slavery. With few ex-
cep,ions they protested to deprecate it.
The introduction of slavery among us,
was one Of the injuries charged against
Great Britain in the Declaration of hide
pendence as Jefferson wrote it. Wash
ington, the first President, was, 10 dpin-
ions and purposes, hostile to slavery He
desired that measures should be inaugu-
rated by Virginia to abolish it. John
Adams, the second President, was, in
opinions and purposes, hostile 10 slavery.
Jefferson, the third President, was the
father ofthe anti-slavery literature of the
country, and of the measures for exclu-
ding slavery from free territory. All the
great statesmen of the country have been
in opinions hostile to slavery; and, OF
course, in purpose, for honest mems pur-
poses follow their opinions Yet we now
have It declared that. in modern times,
the people of this Republic have been
permitted to elect for Presidents only
men who we're in opinions and purposes
favorable to slavery, and that the South
has tolerated the popular elections only
upon this condition.
1t is declaration that We have not had
a free Government, and that black slavery
requires the political slavery of the white IS
Who is there among Northern men OF
any emlnence, who is not in opinion hos
tile to slavery There is not man OF
any political prominence, except those
who themselves are VIGOROUSLY bought
and sold, who is an advocate of slavery
This declaration is. in effect, that SLAYER,
is incompatible with popular Govern
ment, that the thirty millions of people
shall not be allowed to elect President
except from among the three hundred
thousand shareholders or their Northern
serfs and that to secure and extend
| black slavery, the whole people must give
up their political rights in the Govern.
ment.
Freedom has in this country always
pursued defensive policy Slavery was
always aggressive Freedom was contin
ually falling back TO weaker defenses.
yielding successfully its ground for the
sake OF peace. But it has only aggrava.
ted the conaict, as yielding to wrong al
ways will. 1t has surrendered popular
government until men holding the opin-
sons held by sill the great men of the
country, and by every honest intelligent
man in the free States. and until recently
by nearly all the intelligent class in the
South, have been ostracised from all rights
in the Government; and the people are
awaked to find that the Government has
only been allowed TO exist on condition
of their subsection to the slave power
Since all this has come from the defensive
policy, is it not time that freedom should
try the aggressive? Could that policy
make things any worse, or cause greater
disturbance or destruction than the de.
fensive course has? We have tried the
one, and our present condition is the re-
suit. The other is the only way now open
to peace and permanent tranquility
[Cin. Gazette.
President Lincoln and the Trad
Union.
Nj Adams tho NJ o.:a~.>