The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-02-13

Tine nigst Way to abolish Asricss
Slavery.
Senators Sumner and Reverdy Johnson
representing the two extremes together with
the conservative democrats aud ali the radicals
and General Fremont. now stand upon the
HEeALD's platform in regard to the abolition Of
slavery. This is one Of tho greatest victories
we have ever achieved. For the sake OF making
more converts, let US repeat that platform and
the reasons why it should be adopted And
these reasons are equally weighty in support Of
Senator Trumbull's resolution.
The only way TO abolish slavery legally, and
the best way to abolish ii effectually, Is by an
amendment to the constitution Some aboli-
tionists, like Gerrit Smith, have contended that
the constitution does not recognize slavery, and
that consequently. slavery is itself unconstitu-
tional. This is an absurd position; for, al
though the words slavery" and "slavebolder"
arc not mentioned in the constitution, yet that
instrument does virtually recognize slavery,
and protects the shareholders In the enjoyment
Of their property. Another class of abolition.
lists, led by Wendell Phillips. have endeavored
to abolish slavery by abolishing the constitu-
ton, which they have called "a covenant with
death aud bond with He'll" This position
is equally absurd; fpr II we abolish the copsti-
tuition We abolish the government authorized
by that constitution and the result is anarchy,
and perhaps a despotlsm. We repeat, there
fore, that the right way to abolish slavery is
neithef0to take the constitution precisely as it
is nor to abolish the present constitution alto
gether, but to amend it In the manner which
the constitution itself provides
The proclamations of the Presidential joker
have not abolished slavery. They have prac-
tically accomplished absolutely nothing In
the first place, they are unconstitutional, and
will be so pronounced whenever the Supreme
Court comes to decide upon them In the
second place they are ineffective, since they
do not free the slaves within our lines, many Of
whom have been freed already by the fortunes
of war, and they do not affect the slaves
within the rebel lines, to whom emancipation
can only come at the point Of the bayonet In
the third place, these proclamations, being
issued under the plea Of military necessity,
become null and void az soon as the war ends
and the military necessity is over. Neither is
that other plan Of the President to abolish
slavery in 1900 by compensated emancipation
of any avail; for the border States have not
accepted it, and the cotton States will certainly
refuse it If II be offered to them on their return
to the Union. Neither does the Presidents
scheme to readmit the seoeded States as free
States abolish slavery, since the States
thus readmitted can rc-enact their slave
laws as soon as their full population is
allowed to vote at an election-in other
words, as soon as they are received back into
the Union. We see, then. that neither, the thee
retiosl abolitienists like Garrison aad fAHlips.
nor the political a6oiftSoniss, like Lincolr,
understand how to abolish slavery; The theorists
have zeal without knowledge and discretion Mr..
Lincoln merely uses ab6aitioaism a. q tool and
Is not at all in earnest in his abolition achemes,
as he clearly showed when he pronounced
one Of them "a Pope's bull against the comet
The only practical way to abolish slavery,
therefore, is to amend the constitution by q
two-thirds vote Of each house of Congress, rati-
fed by the Legislatures Of twenty seven States
We have taken it for granted in arriving ct
the above conclusion, that the time for the
formal abolition Of slavery has come. This
we think, is undesirable Tho s.peculiar insti-
tuition" has served Its turn and must now
be superseded by something better. It is
no longer . safe system Of labor; it il no
longer profitable system Of labor; it
is no longer an acceptable system of
labor. Our Yankee soldiers now carry in their
brains and their knapsacls the plans Of ma
chimes which will develop the South without
the comparatively feeble aid Of the African
machine. In its day aud generation slavery
did good work for the country and for civili-
zation; but it has outlived its usefulness.
During what may now be called the latter
period Of its existence it exhibited signs Of
degeneracy, and INDUCED in denominations
which gave evidence that it was near It's end.
Even without this rebellion slavery could not
have survived for many more years. 1t was
losing its political power. It's material power
was0n the wane, since corn, and not cotton, was
really king. This rebellion. inaugurated by
ambitious and disappointed politicians, under
the plea Of protecting slavery, has given the in
stitution its death blow. Not one man out OF
q thousand is now q pro-slavcry man. The
immense majority at the North-to say
nothing, ct present, Of the South-is anti
slavery. When the war is over the South
will be thrown open to the emigrants
from Europe, who will be attracted by
the fine climate, and will thoroughly de-
velop the Southern resources Here, not In
Mexico, is the home for what Napoleon terms
the Latin race. Let the democratic party
place themselves upon the platform of the abo-
lition Of slavery by a constitutional amend
ment, with Grant or some such hero as their
candidate, and he will be almost unanimously
elected. But If they blindly follow their
present leaders, and attempt to oppose public