New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-11-09
showed that he was one Of the wisest, most
brilliant and most daring men Of the time.

brilliant and most daring men Of the time
Slavery can be limited" he said. Ito Its pres
ent bounds 1t can be ameliorated. 1t can and
must be abolished. and you and can and must
do it, . Ii requires only to follow this
simple rule OF action, namely. to do everywhere
and every occasion what we can, and not 10
neglect refuse to do what we can at any time,
because at that precise time and on that par
tcular occasion we cannot do more
Wherein do the strength and security OF slavery
lie? They lie in the erroneous sentiment
of the American people Constitutions and laws
can no more rise above the virtue of the people
than the mpd stream can climb above Its ma
tive spring. Inculcate then. the love OF free
dom and the equal rights Of man under the pa
ternal roof; see to it that they are taught In the
school and in the churches: extend a cordial vel
come to the fugitive who lays his weary limbs
at your door and defend him as you would your
paternal gods correct your error that slav-
cry has any constitutional guaranty which may
not Re released and ought not to be relinquished
Saw TO slavery when ii shows its bond and de-
mands the pound of flesh that If 1t draws one
drop Of blood its life shall pay the forfeit. IN
culcate that free States can maintain the rights
of hospitality and humanity; that executive au-
thority can forbear to favor slavery; that Con-
gress can debate, that Congress can at least
mediate with the slave-holding States; that at
least future generations might be bought and
viven IN TO freedom Do all this and in
culcate this in the spirit OF moderation ana
benevolence and not of retaliation and fanau-
cism and you will soon bring the parties OF the
country into an effective aggression on slavery.
II the South had been willing to submit to this
constitutional and rational solution OF the great
problem there would have been no occasion for
0lx- oil
increase the growing antpathy between the sec
lions Seward had no special gifts OF voice or
presence" says his present biographer He
was below the average height, with nothing
commanding In his appearance and his voice
was harsh and shrill: but there was courage
and earnestness about his campaign speeches CT
this year QS40 which made them most effective
at the time, and they had tone OF conviction
which still vibrates as one reads them after the
lapse Of nearly half a century
Seward had to pick his way In politics. Con-
tinuance In public life required great tact when
both the Wing and the Democratic parties were
more or less divided on the question OF slavery
and when there was an energetic tnird party
appealing to the Disconnected The author
seems to be too much eulogst and not enough
student Of human nature to appreciate the full
importance Of explaining how ceverly Seward
rode over obstacles and made himself very con-
spicuous When first a candidate for election to
the United States Senate he made n promise
which looked as II he did not mean to press the
ideas which he had expressed at Cleveland; but
after he was safely established in Washington
he announced the doctrine Of a higher law.
which the Abolitionists admired and the South
erners feared, because they thought 1t meant
that If one concluded that the Constitution was
immoral one was not bound to obey 1t. Seward
was the most brilliant phrase maker in our his
tory. but his higher law" like his "irrepres-
sible conflict" caused such CONSERVATION and
brought out many attacks upon him that he
undertook to weaken their force. These are
facts which his biographers do not tell. His re-
marks in the Senate when he endeavored 10 les
sen the excitement which his higher law" had
created have not been reprinted in his works.
His announcement at Rochester. in the cam
paign Of 1853. that there was an irrepressible
conflict between slavery and freedom was so
quickly taken up by the Democratic press and
called Stewards bloody and terrible policy" that
its author had to change his line OF argument.
fearing lest II might lead to the defeat OF his
party. Justice has been done neither to the skill
with which Seward filled hundreds Of thousands
with enthusiasm for ant-savery. nor to the
wonderful management by which Weed con-
troed practical politics and tried to give Seward
the highest reward.