Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-02-29
The Democratic party and slavery.

II a. ur, slavery party aud TO excite pseiudce
against il a. the patron .Dd apoloRis; Ut an IL
stituton shich Il Condemned by the civil'z'iion /
OF the aee That this il an urius, iruputsaiou on
the Democracy Of the Northern States, y dem /
oustrated by The broad and undeniIble fac, that
slavery was abolished in all the Northern States
m which IL ever existed with the warm approval
and hearty concurrence OF all the people Of those
States without distinction Of party No North /
ern Democrat ever opposed or regretted 'ae ADO
lit:on Of slavery in tie State OF his residence.
much les ever proposed wished its estab-
lishment The head OF family Who takes the
most careful pains to train up his own children
ia the principles OF Christian virtue. gives the
strongest possible evidence Of his approval OF
those principles even though he NAV not think
IL HE duty TO interfere with the domestic DISC
pine OF his inf1e neighbor II that neghbor
happens be his partner IN business. the fact
that they are members of the same firm couiers
upon neither any control over the household Of
the other. however strongly he may di-approve
of it, management. But can there be no virtue
unless IL be of that meddesome and intrusive
kind which violates the sacred right of dIstinc,
families or Of distinct communities, 70 beexempt
from the ofhciOus and censOrious surveillance OF
neighboriDg families. OF neighboring cOmmsnI
tesl Does man cease 10 be yiItu0us because,
in addition to other virtues. he praciises the dis
Greet and peace prompting virtue Of minding his
own businessf
Besides the great cardinal fact on which we
insist tina. the Northern Democrats have proved
their adherence OF slavery by assisting 10 ex-
polling it from their own States and boiling the
doors against its return, they have expressed
public and constant satisfaction AT all move
ments towards its abolition in other States. bv
the people Of those States, and equally decided
depreciation of the arrest OF such movements by
impairment outside interference. We could. If
necessary, fill columns To owes lowing with
citations from the documents, speeches and
writings of Democratic statesmen. III which it
was urged a strong point against the abolition
crusade of the last thirty years, that it had put
back emancipation ia the border slave States.
l. this species of argument TO he used by
men who approve OF slavery and desire It's con
tinuanceI
The pro slavery stigma attempted a. be fixed
on Northern Democrats is a calumuy; il has
always been repelled "a caiumny throughou
the heated controversies which have prevailed
since the annexation OF Texas
Among Southern Democrats the slavery issue
was early merged in the higher issue of the right
Of the States to control their domestic affairs,
and as il only by attacks on slavery that this
right was assailed, they were led TO defend the
outpost "a if it the citadel itself, and there
by furnished a pretext for the calumny against
the Democratic party. But the Democrats of the
North. in repeling the calumny. have steadily
asserted that il was not slavery which they
wished to uphold, bat only the constitutional
right of each State determine for itself las the
Northern States had done) when il would
abolish slavery. or whether il would abolish it al
all
The facts we have here stated of sucl
general n0toriety that no person tOlerably &c
quaBted with political history will be likely
to deny them. IL only remains to apply th'
principles which underlie them Co present issues
| keep i'm nv house sinrl aquarium aud
few cenarY birds. and my neighbnf, whose tast,
differs from mine. is = snake.fancler lie keep:
cage OF poisonous ~erDents. whose breath IN
fects the atmosphere % MS apartments and IN
impars the health of his family have no mor,
right to enter his house and killoT lineage hi.
serpents than he has to enter mine aud bre Il
my aquarium. But suppose he has disturbe,
the peace of the neighborhood, and committed
homicide upon one OF my children; although
cannot enter his house the officer Of the law
may, and II | am summoned as one of posse
to assist In the arrest and the criminal resisis
his snake cage may be broken to pieces in tn,
melee, and the life Irodden out of the kissing
monster, without any grounds OF action to-
trespass No magistrate could have issued i
warrant for killing the serpents; but the office
Of the law. once legally in the house. is not re
sponsble for any damage which may inclden
tally be done IN overpowerlng resistance. W ne
Their II be the noxious snakes or costly porcelain
dishes that are destroyed il is all the same. An'
so, when our armies are legally within the Sou
/ thern States for the purpose OF overpowering re
/ sistance, those who make the resistance hav
! simply to thank themselves whether il is thei
crops their commerce, or slavery that il Incl
| tally DESTROYED
Now, so far a observe any deviation from
the principles which we have thus stated in tn
form of parable. il consists either in as
sumption that because the officer of the law is no
! responsible for damages necessarily incident Il
the discharge of his duty, he may therefore DO al
other damage that he can; or in the contrary as
sumption. that because the officer had no origin
al right To enter the house, kill the snakes, h
is obliged 10 leave them in good health Neithe
assumption is admissible The radicals argue al
though il were the duty of the officer when one
in the house to lay about him and do all tn
damage in his power But he cannot 60 heyon'
the necessity OF executing the law. Even ii tn
homicide was committed because the man
neighbors quarrelled with him about his snakes
/ il by no means follows. as the radicals contend
that the snakes must be killed to remove tn
cause of the homicide and proven, its repetition
! The law runs into no such whmseys IL mere
/ justi6es the damage which may be incidental
done in its own execution. and. in th. respect,
regards all property alike.
When the South entered upon this war. the
deliberately exposed their slave propers, to III
peils and sicis>itndes ot a military contest an
they must take the consequences The Demo
cratic party OF the North steadfastly holds to III
same principle of non intery which it Ia
always insisted upon the true constitution;
doctrine ~ il would not interfere To destroy G
cripple slavery, though disappearing it, so neithe
will il interfere to save slavery from the cons,
quences 10 which its own friends have exposed i
IN. Y World