American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1866-08-18

tute the disputed dogmaS OF religious
sectarians, with the thousands OF
wild vagaries, and the embittercd
spirit of intolerance and arrogant as
sumptionS of ecclesiastical superior
ty and infalibilitS on the part of the
ghoStly advisers, and the leaders,
and dictatiOn OF this new association
of crackbrained enthusiasts, as the
! groundwork of great republican
structure, for a written constitution
of political maxims, embodying the
learning, the experience and the re-
Hections of the most eminent iurists
and statesmen Of all ages and coun-
tries.
1t would seem impossible, in view
of facts then existing, that u body of
zealotS so insignificant and despiSed,
whose objects all men of any charac-
ter for craftsmanship protested to
hold i'll Supreme contempt and alb
horrence, and which the people of
the entire North admitted were di-
rCCtly i'll the teeth of the Constitution,
could ever have eXerted any material
influence III the councils OF the ma
ton, much more that they should
have triumphed over the settled
convictions of Observation-Disclosures Of
the American people, and have tram
pied under foot every principle held
dear by our fathers and their de-
scendantS, from the first year of
American Colonial history down to
the defeat of the Conservative and
Union parties i'll 1860.
The triumph OF the auti-slavery
party was achieved under peculiar
circumstances. The party defeated
we mean all who opposed Adolf
tionisms-waS larger than any had
ever been since the first division Of
the people into FederalistS and Re
publicanS, during the administration
OF President Washington. Had the
friends Of MIR. Bell and those OF Mr..
Breckenridge f0reSeen the eminent
danger Of an abolition triumph, and
had they realized the depth OF the
hatred of the North, and the demon
lac joy Of their enemies III trampling
under foot the dearest rights of the |
Southern people, they would have !
combined with the friends of Nh |
Douglas, and have given to the can
dIdate Of the three united parties the /,
largest actual and relative vote of |
any president ever elected, except in |
the few instances where no opposition I
was made TO the Democratic nomi- |
nees The Democracy alone gave
to its candidates larger majority |
over Lincoln, than Mr.. Buchanan re- !
ceived over Fremont Mr. 3, had |
but about four hundred thousand |
more votes than his anti-slavcry
cOmpetitor-whllc the actual major
lty Of Douglas and Breckinricge over
Lincoln was, with the popular vote
in South Carolina, not less than four
thousand; and this when
the party was discouraged by divi-
sion, and when the strong secession
feeling in the South kept thousands
from the polls, The Southern States
cast, relatively a less vote in 1850
than they had done in twenty-five
rears-whiIe the abolitionistS moved
heaven and earth to bring their
friends to the bdllot-boX.
Besides these facts, Mr.. Bella ,
strong pro-sIavcry candidate--ob,
aimed fourffths of his support from
he South, and halt his Northern
riends would have gone against the
nti-slavcry candidate in 1850. In N
word, Mr.. Lincoln had the least r
.ote, relatively, ever given by the j
since the memorable contest
f 1900. z
Yet this party, which could and ,
hould have been overwhelmingly n
eteatcd by the country. have made a
reater aggrcssions upon the consti Il
ltional rights Of the entire people,
nd particularly of the SOuth-has 5
cen more bold in breaking down =
nose barriers which the people had :,
ways looked upon as too sacred to Al
e touched by the polluted by the IN OF
touch of yiolence-than the "
ost popular leaders Of the largest "
lrty that had triumphel mt the u
lllot-boy, ever dreamed of attgmpt- :,
e. q.
pTBGr5TIN0 sCFEgs