The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-05-30

kFuplIe OHtAun anu 1i@z Ill
I'VE shall MT trsat our rssasrs yith dsp
III much doeelty when ~e state tea. snP
chance ~ putsic opinJSn and sentiment inFe
fsgaIss - so,,bsra lnegro slavery, h one Of
- rxs6Ia demonstrations of-this-
.-,~siIo .ge; but when thing is well
- !. : often mark Of prudence to look
. rS,, sCe-n9w II was done. For many
0ae~ negro slavery has been great trouble
= our country, aud has been stumbling |
block, not only to US, but also to the progress
Of repuhiicanismE democratic principles
thelvorid over. Our influence as o nation has
been very much limited by it, and the liberal
spirits Of the old world have looked upon it as
4 strange anomaly in a repnblican form Of
governments It is. indeed, an incongruity
which has continued longer than the sages Of
our revolution supposed it would. -,,yr
Spencer, III his aSocial States" advances |
the doctrine thstt.eEif lperpetually tends to
disappear; tor virtue is an essential principle
oflife. The non adaptation ofan organism to
ns,conditions Is ever being modified, and the
modification Of one or both continues until
me a apsation is complete.'' He goes further
and SAYS, sWhen- We see that institutions In
r---.seable in one age have fourished In
q subsequent one, we may shrewdly suspect
that the like changes may take place in flu
ture." t .1xf.laHo&
We can all see clearly now, the "non7adapt-
alton" Of slavery to the Organism" of re-
publican government. Some minds, both in
this and the old country, clearly saw such an
Incongruity years ago, and published their
views to the world. Bnt the masses are not
often moved suddenly and profoundly by
emanations from such far seeing minds. The
light from them strikes too far ahead to be
needed at the time. The work OF enlightening
the masses is generally gradual and often slow,
but nevertheless sure. To-day slavery is inn
practical in our country, and we think will be
for generations to come; but, according to
| Speucer's teachings, 1t may flourish at some
subsequent and remote period, but not, We arc
sure, until the deep Impressions made by our
civil strife shall have been entirely obliterated
and darkness is permitted for time to envel-
ope the people of some distant age.
| We spoke of the change of public opinion
on this great moral and political question as
being remarkable. It is truly SO, and that
proves there has been Q great revolution
"History informs us" says an exchange, "that
in times of great political or social agitation,
| public opinion, like the wind in a tempest, is
| Is subject to sudden and violent HversaLp
But this theory does not fully account for this
great change in public sentiment. No doubt
it seems very strange to some minds that the
masses Of the people could not view slavery
in its true light without the shedding Of so
much blood and the sacrifice of go many val
liable lives, when alt its evils were so patent
to them. 1t may seem to many hat such a
terrible sacrifice outweighs all tlB good that
may flow from it. The membersof the Chi
cage Convention, who nominated Mcclellan,
attempted TO make the people believe the
same thing, but there was too much true pat
glotism in the country, too much national
pride, too strong a love for theold Flag Of
the Union, to be thus set aside " appeals to
passions and prejudices. The lqal people Of
the country could not be persuaded that slay-
cry was better than money or life Their eyes
had been opened to see, and thir hearts to
feel the enormities of human bondage. A
great work had commenced and vas we'll ad-
vanced in the public heart, and al the powers
OF hell could not prevail againstt.
At the head OF our government stood a man
who closely, cautiously and wisely watched
she progress Of that work as, 1t seems to us
no other man could. We believe 1t is not toe
much to say, that he was providentiaIly plac
cd In that watch-tower for The express pur
pose Of ~eting theprogress of public opinion
ana emoOus .nx Is ~ bis own nerson for the
gooa o. ms coes snout the world. No maj
eral princiPles1e past ever did that work NOR
"a th7uIly, or with more consummate prudenc
and wisdom than our late President. /
seems to us now, when we look back upon hi
labors, that he was inspired for the work.
public mind and heart were undergoing
mighty change, in which the inhabitants of al
q climes were deeply interested; and Abraham
Lincoln was set apart to proclaim it's progress
to the world.
5 Rapid as this change in public opinion has
been, It's swiltness did not bewilder our late
President, nor prevent him from passing q
correct judgment upon 1T; and hence he knew
how and when to act. What sm,ll space Of
time between the forming of the Republican
platform, on which Mr.. Lincoln wa elected
and the constitutional amendment sbolishine
slavery About four years! But writer Of
history would consider 1t an age, II ie did not
know the facts; for usually an age isrequired
for such mighty change. Aud wha was the
platform Of 1860 Let US see. Ilmildly
simidly, and almost apologetically, and even
eourteously objected to the extension d slay
cry into the territories. Aud this plan was
put into the platform BY party then called by
their opponents d5olitionists. Nov how
strange that word sounds! Why, the slave
holders themselVes--at least, many of tenn
are the most earnest abolitionists In the ,onn-
try, shooting even ahead Of Lloyd Garrison,
and making Phillips uneasy because evnts
have overtaken and gone beyond him.
n Whole States, once holding slaves, hive
gone clear over to the most violent abolition
ism! Howsrapid and marvellous the charpsl
But rapid as 1t has been, our late PresiAnt
always keet even pace with it. He WATCHED
u with far-seeing eye, and events never OFT
ran him. He seemed TO be armed with he
power of Intuition, and took timely advantage
oil every passing event. No statesman under
stood the "logic of passing events" better than
he did. asl f n "a
-Four years ago, who could have foreseen
That the booming of cannon in Charleston har-
Dor would have wrought such great changes
s 10 public opinion and SO awakened the con
science Of the nation The loyal people of
me North, be 1t remembered, did not fight the
,iSurrectlonists for the emancipation Of slaves.
oucn was not the objsctof the war; and Pres
dent Lincoln SO declared in language which
could nos DC misunderstood, and yet the re-