Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1868-07-23
TFrom the Anti Slavery Standard. ]
Salmon p, Chase,

Salmon p. Chase.
The career of this distinguished man ha,
ing now reached termination hardly les
instructive than melancholy, it become
those who have felt the deepest interest |
his life and character, to recognize the fac
of his apostacy and protect themselves a
far as possible from its damaging conse
quences, by holding his example up to nor
al indignation, and earnest reprobation. TIL
position of Mr.. Chase before the late Dem
ocratic Convention-yiewed in connection
with his early history and the sources from
which he has mainly derived popular con
| sideration-ls certainly one of the saddles
| spectacles which can afllict the eyes of men
An Abolitionist of thirty years standing,
Liberty Party man of the olden time, wheI
that party could only count seven Thousand
votes in the whole country-an Anti-Slavery
lawyer, trusted most by the trembling fugi
tive from slavery-an Abolition politician
and statesman, indebled for his distinction
his high position among his countrymAr
mainly to his supposed unselish and inflex
ible devotion to human liberty and espe
cially to that OF the much hated negro; i.
found at last, in the gutter before Tammany
Hall-piteously imploring the Democratic
party to nominate him as their candidate fol
the Presidency, urging as his chief recon.
mendation his ability to demoralize sufli.
cient number of his old Anti Slavery asso-
ciates to put the government into the hands
OF the Democratic party the next four years
"What falling off was there my country
men I"
Here is treachery compared with which
that of Webster, Seward, Charles Francis
Adams and Andrew johnson, whitens into
innocence. The fall of Mr.. Chase is more
scandalous and shocking than that of any
other of which American history affords an
example. His descent is from point high
er-he has fallen further-and he reaches a
depth OF intamy deeper, and hotter than
that OF any OF his predecessors in treachery.
1t is only II few months ago that he was
seeking TO win to himself the votes of the
colored men of the South on the ground that
he more than any other prominent man best
represented their interests and their rights,
and now he is for party whose chief claim
to popular regard is based upon its hostility
to the negro and its purpose to place him in
condition only less wretched than the sla-
very from which the war for the Union had
rescued him.
1t is not many weeks since that good man
Gerret Smith was vigorously pressing the
name of Mr.. Chase for the Presidency. He
was evidently surprised il not gricved, that
was not equally earnest in the same work.
He could not understand why should favor
the nomination and election of Gen. Grant
in preference to Chief Justice Chase MIR.
Smith will have no difficulty in understand
ing my preference now.
The fact is have for many years been
troubled with doubts of this mans Anti
Slavery trustworthiness. Before MIR. Chase
had betrayed that heroic woman, Margaret
Garner, into the hands of Kentucky slave
hunters; before he deserted Mr.. Lincoln,
and sought to supplant him in 1864 before
he accepted the Chief Justiceship, as the
price of his support Of the second election
of Mr.. Lincoln; before he manifested his
inordinate desire for the Presidency by leav-
ing the treasury (where his services were
most needed by the country in order to put
himself In training for the Presidential nom
nation; before he framed excuses for his
failure to try Jefferson Davis; before he
brought the whole influence of his position
and learning to shield Andrew johnson
from deserved impeachment, and before his
present Identification of himself, with all the
vile denominations of the Democratic plat
form, had uncomfortable impressions of
the man of which could not (though often
desired toy divest myself.
A portrait of the character of Mr.. Chase
given me by Hon. Samuel Lewis, of Gin
cinnati when that good man and faithful
Abolitionist was on his dying bed, has (de-
spite of all efforts to shake it off and forget
i) followed me for dozen years and more,
and has become more and more vivid as lime
and events have developed the true status of
the man. The judgment of Mr.. Lewis was
that Mr.. Chase was not to be trusted in any
emergency he was coldy selfish and
intensely ambilious-an that in furtherance
of his ambition he would sacrifice the Aboli-
tion cause or any other. was shocked by
this portrait of Mr. Chase and disputed its
accuracy at the time, but its ugly features
have confronted me ever since. Hence, gross
and unexpected as was the detection of Mr..
Chase to many of his friends, it was not
wholly unlocked for by me.
He has confirmed the bad opinion of him
in every particular. Greedy for the Presi-
dency, he has not hesitated to renounce all
ties of ancient friendship, to repudiate all
obligations of gratitude, to disregard the
sentiment of reserve which BELTS his present
high office, to intrigue and scramble for
nomination at the hands of party conspic-
uous for the bitterest hostility to the profess
ed principles of his whole life, and whose
triumph in the coming election would be the
drest calamity. The signal defeat, rcbuke
and humiliation OF the inordinate ambition
of Chief Justice Chase, in some measure
atones for the democratic baseness, which
accomplished his seduction. He has soiled
his judicial ermine in vain. He is, like VOL
sey, left naked to his enemies. The two or
three votes he got, instead of comforting
honor, only render his isolation and destitu-
tion the more conspicuous. The Democrats
''loved the treason" but as usual, despiSed
the traitor, His success, in the circumstan-
ces, would have been sad disaster to the
political morals of the country. AS the case
now stands, Mr.. Chase is a warning to all
after comcrs. He has parted with his prin-
ciples, sold himsel to the enemy and lost his
price.
A defence of Mr.. Chase is already whisp-
cred. He merely meant to purify the Demo-
cratic party He did not mean to descend
to its level, but lift the party to his. He
simply went into it to reform it. On this
theory, folly is added to knavery. lie at
tempts to deceive the Democratic party to
puffy it of deception To defraud the par
ty to make it more honest /! To the demo-
Gratis he says am with you'll stand on your
platform. To his old friends he says, l do
no such thing, but stand where have stood
through life. am willing that the demo-
cratic party shall come to me, but have no
purpose to go to it. This defense is now
worse than the crime-and is only less hurt
full because its lying hypocrisy is open and
manifest to all.
Hereafter let us hear no more of Mr..
Chase as the negro's candidate or the negro's
friend. He is deserter from our ranks, in
face of the enemy, and is simply not in the
enemies ranks because-they dcspised and
spurned him. His degradation is complete
and he will have to live longer than Chief
Justice Taney, ifhe outliyes the memory of
this tlagrant transgression. In sorrow more
than anger we part with him. His crime
though great has met an equal punishment.
Let us hope it will prove salutary if not to
him, at least to others who may be tempted
in like manner to betray their principles.
FREDERIC DOUGLASS.