Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1885-02-13
SLAVERY.
The Influence 1t Has Exerted in
American Politics.
History o. tf,s Divine Institution --R Reasons
why II became a Don,Inant Factor In (
Our Pofitical nrcthods--An In +
teresting Review.

We shnll fail to comprehend the political
power which the slave masters have swaycd
in America II, We are unmIndful of the uni.
versal law that slavery Is the natural social
order. Freedom Is an artificial state. II is a
fight nrainst nature, as civilization Is I'm all
those latitudes that have given highest dcvcl-
opmont of man. Nor docs emancipation by
law abolish slavery. The masses nro always
seeking master. Tho rule of tho few is the
rule of tho capable. 1t is tho survival of the
flttest-nature's great law of elevation of
species. Tho rule of tho majority upturns
the natural order. 1t puts the bottom on top.
OF NIL rules II is the most unnatural irratlon-
nj, incapable and degrading. That 1t docs not
utterly destroy is because II is oycrruled by
the universal law, that the masses are always
led byitho few.
Tho world has not yet proved that free so.
ciety. is self perpctuatng. 1t Is an cxpcri-
ment. Even whole century Is n mere dot
in the evolution of creation. The more pop
nlar the Government, the more II runs TO an
inrchy and M Degradation; Democrats are always
Look at the state of the lnborers In what Is
called.frcedom.. Everywhere they are atwar
with their own subsistence. They IRE gov
erned absolntoiy byla mi5ority OF themselves
in their unions. Think of subjccting ones
livelihood and chance of getting on by SUI.
The conflict between labor and capital Is irre
pressible. Does not its present state, and the
way 1t is destroying both labor and capital,
of the South VINO said that the only harmoni
Gus relation of capital and labor Is that capi-
tai shall own thoiaborere -sar Fr.t3 i p
.sLNSEIty THE DIVINE ORDER.
To say that slavery is the natural order Is
the same as TO say that II is the divine order.
Slavery. is nenty scrlptural When the
old world had been washed out by tho Hood,
because 1t had gone to tho bad, and only one
family was saved for seed, and all was ready
to begi4 right, Noah founded slavery by i'm
inverted blessing on the posterity of one of
hsu thtnfa gf tn1 fln nrlI ~,
the right foundation, The blessings and
curses of the patriarchs We're inspired judg
The circumstance that Noah was drunk did
no more injure the validity of his curse of
Hams posterity than did the cheat which
Jacob practiced upon Isaac to steal the bless
ing meant for Esau impnr the validity of
that. Only IN wicked human affairs docs
fraud vitiate contract and ntoxicaton plead
naked. Then by the same speech he cstub
lshed slavery, laid the foundat on of the
Democratic pnrty, and .'clothed himself with
curses ms with a garrrent.'
Nor was servitude limited to HAMS pos
terity. Except in America there has been no
difference between Shem, Ham and .Inphet in
this matter. But American Shareholders, ig.
noring al the rest of the Scriptures, planted
their right on Noah's curse of Cannan. This
was to them more precious than all the rest of
the Bible. Forty years ago the American
churches believed relgiously that negro sav-
cry was according TO the, will of the Jewish
Jehovah, as given in Noah's curse of Hams
posterity Tney had the Bible for ii. To deny
II was TO be an iniidel. Moses, speaking of
Jehovah word, gave laws for slavery--whch,
however, made no distinction of race. Joshua
kill.
In the natural state war supports war by
cnslaving the captured. Great Cesar knew
much of this and supported his great cam
paigns by selling the captives, We must bear
in mind that the political possession which the
slavc-nas astcrs,had in this nation was supported
by as iif'na belief in. the rightfulness and nat
ural and Divine order of slavery us in the
rightfuinoss of the relation of man and wife,
parentSan children. I'll
sLAvEHoLDING WORKS NOT UP TO THE FAITH
The American shareholders did not Mt first
come np;to,the height of this divine order of
slavery, They had not realized the fullness
OF the blessing. Besides, the rebel on
against the British sovereign had filed the
land with radical doctrines which struck the
foundation of the social order. jefferson
put this radiqalism into his declaration of
independence, snying that all are created
equal, and that man may not be governed
without his consent These doctrines have
been sown broadcast by the tracts of Thomas
Paine: Liberty is always running to social
anarchy. This is the reason why the com
mon instinct shuddcrs at the terms: Free
Thought Free Inquiry, Froe Trade. Re
sides, they did not know the value OF
slavery; Not Till cotton had removed the
scales from their eyes did they realize the
divine goodness of slavery. They were un-
faithful when they allowed slavery TO be ex.
cluded from the territory north and west of
wrong, and might be prohibited by law.
Again they were unfaithful when they III
lowed Section in the National Constitution
recognizing the power in Congress to forbid
the importat. on of slaves.
The African slave trade was the best part of
saved % their sons wRat @ sRa aen man mere give sna in
exchange for his soul?" The Africans got the
best end of the bargain. They were Christian
for their labor and increase. Yet it was prolit.
able to the godliness of the masters, and the
African slave trade was the only truly sue
ccssful foreign missionary enterprise that was
ever undertaken.
But besides the weakness of faith which
supposed that slavery would die of itself, and
gentecl occupation tof slave-breeding
assisted to put in this bar TO the import
alton of so many. Africans. 1t was by way of
protecting home industry; In this form did
the subtle serpent Protection, first enter
our free trade garden. This was the first
For long time the Shareholders felt no
alarm tor the future of slavery. They could
indulge in colonization schemes, and could
see anti slavery societies formed without amy
concern, thinking it all in the line of the
eventual extinction OF slavcry. The acquisi-
tion OF the great country caied Louisiana, in
1893, gained an indefinite number of States to
slavery, to keep its preponderancc in the
Senate. But II was made for general political
reasons, and in the natural ambition for ex-
panslon of empire, and in the interest of ter
ritoriu completeness and unity, III any South
ern States even thought OF Ii us in the interest
of slavery, they did not make thus argument
Tie acquisition OF Florida in 1919 gained n
future State to slavery. Tho acquisition was
good for general reasons, but the great moy-
Ing cause was that Florida was harbor for
fugitive slaves. But the Southern statesmen
had now awakened to the inroad they had
allowed to be made in slave territory by the
exclusion of slaves from the N. w. Territory
and were entering on their strong and sue
cesful course of propagandism.
POLITICAL ABILITY OF THE sLAvEHoLDING
CLASS.
However much their cause may be con
demned, we must concede their ability. Nc
governing class more capable than the slave
holders ever sprang up in Democracy. They
who believe that aristocracy is an clevatinp
social and political relation; that one great
man does ~ more to iitt up shS race than any
government is great and demands high intel
lgence which only the few can have; that
Democracy Is 4 leyeling down, found slavery
After the class of the gentry of the old
school, who founded our Government, died
ing aristocracy. When educated at the NORTH
they made a fine arlstocracy They retained
the manners of the Engli III landlords Life
ON plantations, the habit of ruling men, and
their, superiority in social station over th,
nonslayeholding class, guve them lordy ant
imperIous bearing. Having leisure for pol
itics, and by their social power II steudiness oi
tenure In the Nat onal Legislature which wa,
not the custom in the North, they became eX
perienced In public affairs Thus as IA elias,
they were more capable than tho Northern
members In statesmnnship.
Perhaps Il was only sectional Interest
which led them To The three principles oi
political economy specie money, free
trade direct taxation. Perhaps II was because
of their mistaken belief that the South con
sumed the most of the manufactured goods
that they were for II tariff for revenue only
which they accepted, while still cinging II
theory to free trade and direct taxatlon-ant
for economy Ia public expenditure At any
rate, the Southern members MS n rule wer,
superior TO the Northern In public affairs
Their extinction by the rebellion was Il publ,
loss, Aud II took the brains out of the Demo
cratic party.
SOCIAL AND TRADE INFLUENCE or SLAVERY
The products and consumption of slavery
were very large element IN our commerce
The cotton product employed Il great ship
ping npd required u great return In European
and Northern goods and provisions. Northern
capital made and moved the crop. The com
mercial and social relations between the sec
uons were intimate. Trade, social intercourse
wealth, fashion, politics, the church, Jehoyaf
and the devil all were combined TO secure ant
propagate slavery.
THE OPENING TERRITORIAL CONFLICT.
The first open conflict over the terrltorIa
extension OF slavery was raised upon the or