The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-02

1 koao promised all VINO womb servo Der, thlrt6eI
bushels lgold dolars) of wheat per month, and
for the first few months we received orr thir
| teen bushels fgod dollars} of nice clean wheat
but after little while observed that there
was little chaff lshinpiaster) mixed with tht
| wheat. and SO it went until all our wages was
paid in this deprecated currency.
The Journal has always been on the right side
| of every question affecting the interest of the
soldier, but in this case we feel that the Journa
| Will have to turn over a new leaf, and steer bel
course in different direction if she wishes to
| serve the interest of the soldiers
s. B. BEsHoRE.
| MARION, Ind, Jan. 80. 1888.
The Abolition Party and Slavery.
| To the Editor of the indianapolis Journals:
/ The Journal quotes from Major Arndt this,
1.-THE Abolition party considered slavery crime
| and a great wrong, and wanted it wiped out al
once. The Republican party did neither love
nor admire slavery. yet they saw the impossi-
bility and even the injustice of forcing the i'm
mediate emancipation Of the slaves, but they
| got there all the same at the proper time" and
| Endorses him as lone of the most intelligent
| German citizens of Michigan And the stu
! dent of American history might be inquisitive
| enough to ask: "Does it also vouch for bis his
| tory?' It may be safe to suppose that the
| Major had heard of the Republican party about
the time of the rebellion. and that the abolition
| of slavery came about by the success of the
federal arms against that rebellion and the bold
stroke of the pen of the lamented Lincoln. But
| history in the '.fader land" For had he stud
| led American history he would have learned
| that those two political parties never existed
contemporaneously, but that the Republican
| party was only the full grown man, as it were
| of the infant Abolition party of twenty lone
years before The Abolition party, back behind
1880 was composed of only few individuals
Christians generally, besides the Friends church
| organizations. After that period the anti
slavery feeling grew all over the country, and
! organizations sprung up in many parts of the
| country-some few existed, perhaps before that
period. The Abolition party did consider slavery
crime against God. and great wrong to the
slave, hence wanted it wiped out at once. !"
But its adherents knew there was no way for it
TO be wiped out, only by the action of the slave
holders themselves. through their legislatures.
They knew that Congress had not the power to
abolish it, only in the District of Columbia, and
the Territories over which it had control. And,
to induce Congress to do that, petitions were
consequently sent up in large numbers, and
generally to the care of John Quincy Adams
The old man eoquent'-who heartily espoused
their cause. and was just as heartily hated for
it by the Southern members and the dough
faces of the North. The first Aboitionist who
avowed himself such in Congress.
Thomas Morris, the Democratic Senator from
Ohio. About that time, j. r. Giddipgs. also of
Ohio, became prominent and ex-president
Adams. as Abolitionists, in Congress This
was up to nearly 1910, and about the time
Judge James G. Birney of, believe Alabama,
ospoused the cause of the Abolition party, and,
SO far as he was concerned Major Arndt was
right for he did want slavery abolished, and
did not abolish it SO far as to hberate his
slaves. He. of course. had to leave Alabama,
and went to Cincinnati, where he established
the .'Philanthropist'-a name we'll representing
his feelings and actions But it was SO disgust
ing to the feelings of the doueh-f faces of that
city and vicinity that it twice mobbed, and
the press thrown into the Ohio river. Then he
the river, to Dr. Bailey, who afterwards estab-
lshed the National Era" at Washington City,
where he successfully conducted it until his
death, which occurred just before the war. on
shipboard. while on his way to Europe for his
health He was, also. once mobbed at Cincin-
natl. and also futile effort to do so was made
distinguished citizen of our city partic-
pated. Dr. W. H. Brisbane. Baptist minister
was another Aoolitionist of Birney's type, fog
he set his slaves free in Beaufort, South Caro-
lima, and, giving them the use of his plantation,
he, also, went to Cincinnati But the example
of plantation of free negroes was so democrat
State. which he did by giving them all COM
Portable homes about Cincinnati, and impover
ishing himself by so doing. Judge Birney was
the first political Abolitionist-I am not certain
but there was presidential candidate in 1886.
one OF the Tappans, perhaps, of New York
City-of national reputation, being candidate
for the presidency in 1840 and again in 1874,
Then the Abolition party" was substituted by
presidential candidate but when Martin Van
Buren, was nominated by 1.-THE Barnburners," in
opposition to Gen. Cass and, he having de-
clared in favor of liberating the slaves, by
changing the Constitution-which was the SEN
timent of all Abolitionists-the Liberty party
united in its support of him. About that time,
and, later, the effort of the Liberty party was
directed against the extending of slavery into
new territory, and which slavery
was making strenuous effort to
do as its advocates were beginning to
see that it would soon be reduced to minority
in Congress by the settling up of the terri
tories, and the growing hostility to it in the
States. Then, to make the name conform to
its work. Liberty party was substituted by
'.free soil" This was the status of the anti
slavery sentiment OF all the country not included
in the slave States, while in some of them
strong anti feeling growing under the labor
of q: M Clay. Johr- ). Gee, Presbyterian
minister, and others. And in 1852 John P.
bearers of the Free SoilD party for President
and Vce-president. Then, about that time,
came the tug of war. with the free soil senti-
ment of the country against the effort of slavery
to take possession of Kansas That struggle SO
unified all phases of all previous opposition to
slavery, in its various effects and influences
the free States, that in 1856 all those phases
united in organizing new party-'the Repub-
lican party" Before that time such party
was known after the Republican party of Wash
iugton's and Jeffersons time. and which was OPP
posed by the Federalists of the Hamilton and
Adams school, and which ever since then has
been known as the Democratic party. That
party carried slavery on its back. and never I'M
loaded it until Gen. Gre at shook it off at Ap-
pamattox. and then sealing the edict which had
beel sent forth by the famous Emancipation
Proclamation of President Lincoln. The Wing
party when in power at Washington was the
peer of the Democrats in bowling to the behests
of savery-wtness Fil1mores admins
tration. ''The Abolition party" had
these parties to confront in every step then
taken in the warfare against slavery during
thirty years. while it suffered at their hands
every kind of cruel treatment, even TO death
as in Lnvejoy's case-while educating the peo-
pie up to the time that IL matured into the Re-
publican party. Major Arndt writes: THE
Republican party did neither love nor admire
slavery nor, according to such language, did
1t hate slavery-only neutral in its feelings.
And. if it did see 1.-The impossibility, and even
the injustice of forcing an immediate emancipa-