The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1876-10-14

with the most shocking blasphemy. They
were, by their own ayowals, the most cruel
barbarians Of any age. Servile iusurrec-
ton and general butchery of the south
ern people was part Of their programme
from the beginning. The leaders to whom
they gave their highest admiration were the
men whose feet were the swiftest in running
to shed innocent blood. Seward won their
affections in his early manhood by propo-
sing measures from which civil war would
be sure to come, and in which he promised
that negroes should be melted to " rise in
blacklist instruction" They applauded
John Brown to the echo for series Of the
basest murders on record. They did not
conceal their hostility to the federal and
state governments, nor deny their enmity
to all laws which protected the liberties Of
white men. The constitution stood in
their way, and they cursed it bitterly the
Bible was quoted against them, and they
reyiled God Almighty Himself. l know
that the mind Of man, like his body, is
fearfully and wonderfully made. | un-
derstand all the difficulty Of analyziug hui
man passions, and | admit that we should
not judge harshly Of motives; but how
these heartless oppressors of their own race
could have any care for the freedom Of the
negro passes my comprehension. Unless
you can explain it otherwise, the judgment
Of history must inevitably be against the
sincerity of their anti-slasery professions
In the present aspect Of the case it seems
impossible to believe that love of the me-
gro was not assumed as q mere excuse for
enslaving the white race, just as their an-
cestors put on the pretence of piety to
crafty their appetite for the property and
blood Of better people than themselves.
You must positively reconsider this sub
ject before you undertake again to present
the abolitionists to the world in the re-
spectacle character Of fanatics. / think
you will find that the crew Of the May
flower brought over and planted no "germ
of an idea which has fourished with
more vigor than their canting hypocrisy.
Here let me say again, that the vices
and wickodness of the Plymouth colonists
are not to be visited on the heads of their
children, according to the flesh. Among
them, in every part of the country, are
great statesmen, brave soldiers, true SER
wants Of the Church, and virtuous, pa
triotic democrats, who are no more respon-
sible for the crimes of their ancestors than
peaceable Scotchman is for the raids
and robberies which in past generations
were committed by his clan upon the En-
glish border. But you acknowledge that
you get your political ideas from them
you boast that your party has no doctrines
Of public law and no notions of public
duty which were not planted at Plymouth.
Therefore it is not only proper, but neces-
sary, to show what those doctrines and
ideas WERE N+-
pass now to later period. You say
that there were two radically different the
cries about the nature Of our government !;
the North believing and holding that we
were a nation; the South insisting that
We were only confederation of sovereign
states. 1t is not true that any such the
oretical conflict ever existed between the
s 'eo'iena. lna =, Tue Articles OF coniedera-
united the states together for certain pur-
poses therein enumerated, and thus made
y: n ahI amons ha,ions, was never ae,
NJ. 'iia' AnvW Vi ny any party But
'n'' nI''ona' ouaiao'ei was given 10 the
s.uefi government ny sovereign states
VIM 'o Tt 'oSe'nel .or tha' pur-
i poSe, ine i.., bestowed certain powers on
''ic new Pe..,ca, corporation then created
anu cdileu ~ 'he gni'ed states OF America,
"nu 'hey expressly reserved 70 themselves
al 'nc sovereign rish1s not granted IN the
cnareer' Democratlc statesmen had no
'neory ABOUT IL. dhey saw their duty
written oown 10 tne fundamental law, they
swore 70 perform IL, ana they Kept their
oa'hs' ihey executed the powers OF the
general government IN their whole consti-
'u.,ohai sie0rs ior tnat' az Mr.: JEFFERSON
sa'u' was she shee. anchor OF our peace
AZ nome ana our safety abroad, and they
careiuly guarded the rights OF the states
as the only security we could have for
nus. administration OF our domestic affairs.
ms was universally assented to as right
ana true. NO counter theory was set up.
Dinerence OF construction there might be,
put all admitted that when the line of
power was accurately drawn between the
federal government and state sovereignty,
the rights on one side were as sacred as
those on the other. But within two Or
three years last past the low demagogues
OF your party have got to putting in their
platforms the assertion that this is nation
and not a confederation. What do they
meanf Whatdo you mean when you en-
dorse and reproduce itf Do you deny
that the states were sovereign before they
united DO you athrm that their sover-
eighty was wholly merged in the federal
government when they assented to the
constitution Is the tenth amendment
mere delusionY Do you mean to assert
that the states have not now, and never
had, any rights at oil except what are con-
coded to them BY the mercy Of the "na-
ton I" No doubt this new article was in.