Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1867-12-20
ARETROsPECT.
THrRTErg YEARS OF THE NATION -lso4-
~ - - 1897


political affairs Of the nation during .n0
past thirteen years Is taken from fus"ome
Magassne for January, and was written oy
y.FB. Depslow, formerly editor OF the
Chicago Republican:
In one of the latter numbers OF the 1rst
series of Putnana's Monthly, we pobISaeea
on article enGtled /" Our Parties and Poll
tics," The date, September, 1854, was I'm
mediately after the passage of the Kansas
Nebraska bills repeating the Missouri
Comnromise, and opening our National
( Territories to slavery. On that hint we
anoke. We now resume the discussion,
after an interval of thirteen years. Dur.
ing this period events have occurred more
important In our history, as a people, than
even those Of our War for Independence,
because involving population ten times
larger In struggle ten-fold more sublime
and terrible, resulting In revolution not
merely of our national regime, but OF our
social institutions and entlrs system OF In
dustry. "a
Mr.. Pierce had but two years before
been elected by majorities which swept all
but three OF the States; Jefferson Davis,
his bosom friend in Mexico. who had been
most efficient In procuring his nomination,
Wdd ul6 DGCICthly VA w Oh NA<N AN5AeA'
slave law had been passed; the revival OF
the African slave trade was preached; Mr..
Buchanan was Minister to England, and
yas plotting the Ostend Manifesto; Cap.
taiI George B. Mcclellan was detailed on
secret service In the harbors OF Cuba,
under instructions from the Secretary of
War; General Quitman, Lieutenant Beau
regard, and others, were plotting 1llDus'
tering raids against that island, for which
tho Government soon after made an offer
Of one hundred millions; the Senate,
House, and nearly all the State Govern.
ments, our foreign diplomacy, our army
and navy, our civil service, custom houses,
postofices, all preferment, much OF our
business, and even our society, and large
majority of our churches, were controlled
by men who either were pro-slavery, or
preferred to remain on friendly terms with
the institution, rather than incur the dan-
gers of quarrel with it; Parson Brown
low had written savage work In its de-
Z fense, and was challenging Northern cler-
5gymen to dispute Its divine authority the
stand made under Van Buren, and Adams,
and the Democratic Free Sellers OF AS"
had apparently accomplished the purpose
, of its leaders In defeating Cass and elect
ing Taylor instead of o self-sacrificing
martyrdom for principle, Improved to have
been prompted only by personal spite,
which, being satisfied, the Van Burens
and most of their supporters, except few
sincere free-soilers, were humbly doing
penance for the sin of pretended devotion
TO freedom, by dancing attendance In the
ante hambers Of Democratic officials, and
defending their fidelity to the party before
the duh, unwilling ears Of Tammany. The
United States Marshals, appointed solely
for their subserviency to slavery gloried
in assisting slave-traders IN fitting out their
vessels, and shareholders In recovering
their negroes z" Uncle Toms Cabin had
been written, and its leaven was rapidly
+. spreading, but had not yet affected tho
voting masses Gerris Smith, DIR. Howe,
Henry Ward Beecher, Owen Lovejoy, the
saints at Oberlin, and few hundred others,
were doing a quiet and limited business
over the underground railway; John
Brown had not yet left bis farm In the
Northern wilds; the Republican party was
not yet formed. In word, the anti -siay-
cry sentiment seemed like Christianity at
the hour of the cruci6xion--as II 1t could
never be a party, or even sect, but was
mere flicker, for which the world was
waiting to say, "Iherel II Is gomez -.
In the survey of "Our Parties and Poll-
tlCg.' 10 WHICH, VIC Lawn oLAeSoO "a
War for National Independence grew out
of new idea-the American idea-the
conception of State founded on the In
herent freedom and dignity of the individ-
nal man" ian idea which" we said
"still transcends the highest practical
achievements of our race. 49,. But
among the States which form the elements
of tho Confederacy, there are some mol
strictly democratic and scarcely republican
They are aristocraciea or Oligarchies, BULL
upon a diversity of races. Their politica
and social privileges are confined to class
while the rest of their inhabitants are
slaves. The consequence has been grow
ing divergency, though it was not always
apnarent or even suspected, between the
Convictions, the interests and the tenden
oies of one-half the Union, which was emf
nont,y free and democratic, and those Of
the other half, which was slaveholding and
aristocratic." We asserted that "when
Ia the progress Of empire, the question
arises whether the social system of the one
or the other shall prevail, to the exclusion
which Is unavoidable, OF It's opponent,
strenuous grapple and fight would b
imminent. And we closed by demanding
"the repeal of the fugitive slave laW-th'
restoration OF the Missouri compromis
no UlOI0 blhfC OehtSS nv A@NaS ga" v
Territories-the homestead for free men Oh
the public lands"
Two years after, the Republican part
met in its first National Convention O
Philadelphia, and organized on this plat
form, nominating Fremont fc, the Presi
denoy. An obscure individual, remembret
by q few a. having once represented san
CANON District, Illinois, In the House, ant
opposed the Mexican war, In an awkward
ingenious and extremely unpopular argu
ment, received few complimentary vote
for Vice Prcsident, In competition wit
Mr.. DAYTON, the nominee. Captain U.
Grant, hardly suspected of being an OF
army ofacer by those who bought molasse
or cord-wood from him, was general
taken for steamboat captain Temperate
stranded by stress OF tll-luck, or who ha.
hardly the requisite energy and pluck
succeed In business calling for 80 niue
ofthese qualities, and who had therefor
collapsed into a speculator In sundrie
Mr.. w. t. Sherman was teaching schot
in Louisiana. Generals Sickles, Butte
and Logan, were rough-and tumble Dem
cratic LAWYERS of some notoriety. Two
the most prominent and promising office
of our little army were Colonel Albert 81
new johnson and Lieutenant Colonel
70. Lee. Brief as Ia the period since the
we hays but two men In official life, NJ
Seward and Mr. Chase, whose prominent
has not been either created or overthrow
during this eventful epoch. Even the
regulations have been greatly change
MIR. Seward, then the Gibraltar OF la
t..iIa,S, ~. hacorna a loader of the Co