New-York tribune., 1868-08-28
THE TWO PARTIES.


PILLOW CITIZENS or MAINE: Once again the
Constitution imposes upon tho citizens of the initial
States the election Of a Chief Magistrate This high
duty finds the people ranged in two great political
orgauizatiuls Each las name, history, plat
form Of principles. a programme OF policies, and
candidate To one Of these organizations the people.
on the 81 Of November, will commit the precious in
terests Of the nation propose to speak of the Re
publican party and Of the Democratic party-what
each has done what each proposes TO do. Holy VIM
teaches that the tree is known by its fruit-that
man is judged by his deeds. During the past -
years the Republican and Democratic parties have
Itrven for the mastery, Their policies nave DioS-
soned into fruits their principles have ripened into
deeds. By theirfruiis shall they be known-by their
deeds shall they be Judged. BY the exactlng stand
ards Of patriotism and Of liberty the ages measure
pubic men and political organizations. Let us sum
mon these two parties before US. Let Us apply TO
them the infable tests Of love Of country and de-
yotion to the God-giyon rights Of man, by which
they must stand or fall before the living present and
the ages yet TO be. In 1852 the Whg and Democratic
parties contended for tho last time for mastery Then
the great party, that had sometimessoppcsed hes-
tating and feeble resistance TO the aggressive de-
mands Of the Slave interest accepted the Illuminating
conditions of the slave masters fought its last bat
tie. received a crushing defeat staggered on aimess
and purposeless. for few months, and then ingorl
ously pershcd Tins fulfilling the prophetic words
of the dying Webster that after that election the
Whig party would exist only jim history" On the
9Th of March, 1853 the victorious Democracy re-
ceved from the nerveless hand of its fallen rival the
administration of the National Government In full
possession Of all its departments, everywhere suS
tanned by popular favor the exultant Democracy os
tentatouslv glorcd in its complete subserviency to
that all-eXactmg power which had dlShOnored, anu
then smittrD down It's great rival Alike in victory
OF defeat the Democratic party bad iOr twenty years
boyed to the slave prOpagaudistS. At their Dldalng
III had cloven down the right of petition ana uelree,
dom of speech aTaigned the illustrlsus Adams, ana
censured the fearless Giddlngs annexed Texas, 70
give" in the words of Hamilton OF CaCouna,
Gibraltar 10 the SOUTH and 10 add" in the iublant
language of Henry A. Wise, more weight TO her
cud of the BEAM rejected tho Nlmot Provlso' aha
given the slave masters the night to range, Win
their fettcTcd bOndmcn over Utah ana NeW-MeAicoi
enacted the fugitive slave code of nhumanltes and
sanctifed the nhOly compromises OF 1850 pledged
itself to abide 10y that legislation and to resist the
renewal of the slavery agitation. Tins low bending
of tLe kuep to the dark spirit of Slavery had seem
ingly won for the chiefs of the Democracy peT1na-
ncnt power. and the gllttering prizes OF AMBITION
When Congress met in 1858, President Pierce con
graduated the nation on tho sense OF repose and Sc
curty" and gave his pledge that this repose Is to
receive no shock during my official term" These
soothing words however qua not aPbetse tue lust ot
dominion, and the greed Oi power. IhOse "OIdS oi
cxultatiOn-that pledge Of unbToken repoSe-had
hardly made the tour of the Republic ere the nation
was startled by the faith breaking demand IOr tue
yepcal of the Missouri Compromise of 1870. Lusting
for dominion, the Slave propagandlsts cast their
hungry eyes upon the magnificent territory lying IN
the heart Of the Continent, into which Slavery was
forever forbidden tO enter-a domain which free la
bor secure in the pghted faith of the third OF CEN
tury held as its Tightful inheritance. Demanding
that this vast domain, covering the pathway to the
Pacific. should be opened to them. they bade
marks of freedom, however 1t might shock,
the sense of repose and security But
this faith. violating demand, for the re-
mOval of the landmarks set up by the Con
CTcss of 1870 TO protect region larger than the
French empire, when Napoleon gazed upon the sea
of fame" whose blOws swept over the ancient
capital OF the Cars stirred the nation TO its pro-
fOundest depths. After a fierce struggle Of four
months the faithless proposition received the ap-
proval of the Democratic Congress, the Democratic
President and the Democratic party. But that
cr0wnng victory shattered the ranks of political
Hundreds Of thousands left the disordered ranks of
the Democracy. Nearly million and half OF men
ranged themselves together to recover that lost terri
tOrytO oppose the further extension of Slavery and
the longer domination of Slave masters Seldom, II
ever in the history of nations has man been inspired
by higher aims than then tIed the DosOms OF Amerl
can citizens thus brought together by the needs OF
their endangered country. In the ranks OF this MS
ing PARTY gathered the nobest spirits of the land;
the Christian upon whose vision flashed the impera-
tive Injunction of Holy Nnt-bTeak every yoke
undo the heavy burdeI-let the oppressed 60 free
dead OF all ages testimonies that deepened his con-
victons and quiokened his zeal for the equal rights
OF struggling humanity; the Phnanthroplst, who
saw as he gaZed into the graves of peTshed nations,
that Slavery poisoned their lives, and hastened their
decline aud death. Into this new organization came
also the veteran AbOlitiOnist, who, with BrOugham,
secuted "the wild and guilty fantasy that man can
hold property in man, and who had proclaimed eman-
CpatiOn TO De the duty Of the master and the night
Of the slave, when he held IN the words OF Whit
tier property liberty and life itself at the mercy OF
lavless mObs !" the Free SOiler, who believed, with
William Ellery Charming, that to extend slavery
wo invite the sc9Tn' lndgnaLlon ana aDhQiIehGe OF
the world - the Wing who believed, with Adams,
that Slavery aiuts the very sources Of moral prin
ciple with Clay that 1t IS grey0us wrong no
contingency can make right with Webster that
1T Is opposed 10 the whole spirit Of the Gospel and
10 the teachings of Jesus Christ y and the Democrat
in whose fingered the deathess words OF Jeiier-
aud Madison, the Democratic leaders OF our ear
lier tmes This political organization, born OF the
hOleT aspirations of the people, became the Repub
can party. is it matter for wonder, then that be-
tween this partyhe product of the highest ideas Of
the Christian civilization Of the Western WOrld-and
that party nheIiting the maddening passions, cruel
prejudiCCs and disOrganlzng theories that nurture
Slavery and develop IT'S power there snOud nave Oeeu
during these IL years. conflicts Of ideas principles.
and policies which have shaken society to It's foun-
dati0ni Ere this party could make national or
CaniZatiOn or find name, IL forced into action.
To silence the protests of free labor whose inherit
ance they despOlllng the Democratic chiefs
beguiled the people with the illusions OF squatter
sovereignty The people Of the Territories were 10
be left perfectly free TO vote Slavery down or vote
Slavery npp But the who had TuthleSSly viO-
lated the phghted faith of the nation did not hesi-
tate TO violate their own pledges TO the tOng men
who were striving to make homes and found the in
stitutions of freedom beyond the Missouri. The
Slave pTOpagandsts, SO long accustomed to unques-
toned supremacy, were startled by the grand uprs-
ing of the hosts of Freedom, and the determined puT
pose of free labor 10 recover its lost inheritance,
They saw that unless they could thWaTt the cham
piOns of free labor their criminal victory was but
barren triumph. They sounded the alarm. They
bade their brutal tools invade Kansas, seize ballot
boxes. elect legislatures enact slave codes silence
free speech and battle its soil with blood Faith
fully did the Democratic party toll in Kansas, in
Congress in the Executive departments, every
where TO execute these DEGREES. Hordes Of border
TufaDs rushed into the Territory usurped the Gov