The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1865-08-12
For the Free Trader.
Policy of the Democratic Party.

exist as one OF our republican institutions
and the democracy being no longer unde
obligations to protect it as constitutional
right to which the states where it exists wer,
entitled, does it not become Is, as dcmoc ats
to examine and see whether we are cons -itu
tionally Obliged to be undemocratic any
longer? Should not the rule itself cease
when the reason for it does? =? Sambo is get
ting very heavy. aud for one, if there is nc
longer any legal obligation to do so. do no,
consider myself morally b)lnd to tJ,e him
any further
] haze for may years discharged the un-
pleasant duty of protecting our southern
brethren against what clear seemed to IN Q
to be an attack upon their constitutional
right to h ID their fellow beings in bondage.
/ must confess for Que, and | think l speak
the sentiment of most of my party friends
when say So that 1t vas always a disagree
able duty for me 10 support system, which
was wrong in itself. merely because there WAS
clearlv established legal and constitutional
right to perpetrate the wrong l was forced,
however, to support that which was const;tu-
tionaly. but perhaps unavoidablr. wrong. or
to perpetrate The greater wrong of violating
the constitution of nv countrr Obliged to
choose between tw, evils, | selected that
which seemed to me the least Nv natural
impulses ALWAYS were to attack slavery as
wrong. Ny duty to my country, and nly re-
gard and veneration for the conJtitutlon,
which fathers i'll their wisdom made a
good and perfect as they could under the cir
cum.tances, required me TO control nv natu
raj impulses. and to sub ect them to The stern
requirement of an unpleasant duty.
The experience of he past four years has
satisfied me that unconstitutional right is
more powerful than Constitutional wrong, ard
that If 1t can be done no other wAv, right viii
come up aud wrong will go doau BY revolu
ton. We have seen a rebellion inau .urated
60 perpetua,e slavery, converted into a revo
Miion which has overthrown II. Yes, slave
ry is DEAD. 1t made a dcsp crate aud ruthless
attack upon free labor, and the latter III self
defence turned and slew It's assailan,. Is it
wise for the democracy to stand idly mourn
ing at its funeral and shedding unavailing
tears upon its grave? What has slavery
done for democracy that democracy should
mourn its loss? It murdered Douglas at
Charleston. 1t nearly overthrew the demo
cratic PARTY at Chicago. 1t has always been
. weary, weary load for democracy to carry,
and for myself. thank God that it is dead
and burieI Where is now the ark which
slavery built for the democracy at Chicago,
and where the uemocrt.s who endeavored TO
save themselves in it? The ark is a shat:er
ed wreck, AMI the democrat, are nrRteS in
guryite rdst0 in immenent danger of drown
ing, and yet en1eavoring TO console them
selves with the idea that there has not been
much OF a shower after ALI
Unwilling 10 attack slavery in the states
directly, we have also heretofore in good faith
been unwilling to do so iaiirectv Hence
we have opposed freeing the slaves in the
District of Columbia. We have opposed the
elevation of men having African blood in
their veins, by denying them equal chances
for education. We have orp 1sed their CON.
ing to the state TO live adj Judged them not to
be citizens though native born. and denied
them the rig of suffrage. In short in or
der to 10 our full duty to our southern breth-
reR and not II ound t'.eir peculiar sen tive
ness on this suffice, we have really considered
Sa nbo as having no right at all which
white man was bound to respect, and have
treated him worse than the heather Of
course these were all mere incidents Of the
m ,in question, which to see that the con-
stitutional rights Of Our sister states were not
trampled upon. 1t is plain to perceive now,
however, that in avoiding this we have tram
pied upon humanity and have conducted our
selves in very unchristian way toSards
Sambo.
Brother democrat, :. this may hav. all been
well cUDuHu a. d CoIStitutiOLdi tusN uuilH
the lifetime Of slavery, but We have dore
enough of this kind of work Duty does not
reauire us to do any more of it, and for one
have Just deliberately made up my mind
that will not. / will not perSecute my TEL
low men, merely because it has pleased God
in his infinite wisdom 10 give the skin
not culored like my own, TO please ANYBODY.
IF my former southern brethren are disposed
to find fault with me, all | can say Is, thnt
do not think that rebels have any rights which
puriots are bound to respect, and that such
"a ,lt-6ndin, Comes with very bad grace now
and is not worth minding any m IRE. Let the
dem ocrscy be wise in time and not et"rnai!y
be too late. The suffrage of the black man
is mere incident OF his freedom the for
mer is the necessary logical consequence If
the latter. and he who cannot see this by the
aid of the light of past experience is blind
indeed. If the democracy take the position
that the loyal black man who fought for his
native country shall be denied the elective
franchise, and that the rebel, who has used
his utmost endeavors 10 destroy the republc
we all love so well, shall enjoy it, woe be un-
TO the democracy. 1t will be gone past re
dempti@n.
The republicans are now philanthropically
endeavorlng to confer the elective franchise
upon the black men Of other states, a sort of
foreign mission to benefit the beaihen
of other lands Their politicians however are
very careful to say nothing in favor of the
home heathens. We have nothing to do with
the elections in other States. excert to set
our sister States good example and to kind
ly advise them to follow il, but we have much
to do with the question in our own state, and
let US mind our own bnsine ,s. The atiohal
Government has nothing to do with the right
Of suffrage in the states, aid it would not be
wise to amend the Uni ed States Constitution
TO give It power to control this Question IN
the states The tendency towards ceutrail-
zation needs no further encouragement 1t
is too strong now; that way danger lies
"Power i, ever stealing from the mary to
the few," and unless we watch carefully over
our liberties we shall have before we know 1t
one Sovereign Nation and no Sovereign
States, and BY ana by some Presiden, may
become Emperor By a coup d'stak Such
changes are ordinarily, however, gradual,
commencing at first BY restricting the right
Of suffrage to lesser and gradually le;sen-
ing number of the people, iil at last all the
power is concentrated in one and there Is no
suffrage at all. If the states are now unor-
ganized 'erritoies by reason of the abandon
ment OF thier State organizations. under the
Union to be reorganized as new republican
States with the old boundaries or Otherwise,
then the Administration might plausibly ap-
point Governors and Congress might regulate
the suffrage question in these territories. If,
however, they have never ceased to be states