The National tribune., 1909-02-11
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
CONTINUED from page one.l

peat the electrical campaign of 1910,
and they promptly started the cam
paign song. "Hurrah, the country is
rising for Henry Clay and Frelinghuy-
sen, but they could put into it none
of the verve and catchiness of "Tippe-
canoe and Tyler, too"
Tho by no means an old bottle, yet
the Wing Party was already straining
under the pressure of the fermenting
wine OF slavery expansion, and Texas
brought about this distension.
There had been practical agree
ment between the United States and
Spain that the Sabine River should be
the boundary separating the two .Gun-
tries Then, band of adventures. led
by Moses Austin, n Connecticut Yam
kee, secured a grant of land in Mexico
by representing that they were Roman
Catholics fleeing from Protestant per-
secution. The country proved attrac-
tive, especially to gentry who had only
too good reasons for leaving the older
States, and presently there arose n fit
ting leader in the person of that re-
markabie man, Samuel Houston.
These men could little brook any
Government, any subordination to the
Mexican Grandees or regulation by them,
and war for independence was only
a question of short time. 1t came,
was successful, and Texas set up as an
independent State-the Lone Star Re-
public. Americans continued to flock
into the territory, the new State was
poor beyond expression, her bonds went
down to four cents on the dollar, there
was no telling how many were out, and
the next step was a clamor for annexa-
ton to the United States. The ques-
ton of annexation speedily became in
termingied with all manner of other
issues, and these proved fatal to Mr..
Ciay's election. On the one side were
the natural Anglo-Celtic land-hunger
and pride which instinctively wanted
to extend our borders, and this was
played on sympathetically by men who
had selfish ends to gain. The Pro-
Slavery men wanted more cheap lands
to cultivate by slave labor and more
political importance from an additional
slave State. They had the id as
sistance of the cabal of lob! SITS in
Washington, who held Immense guam
titles of the Texan bonds, upon which
they would receive unheard-of profits
when Uncle Sam should put his in
dorsement upon securities which were
then worth but a few cents on the dol
lar
Against the Annexationists were the
constantly-growing numbers of those
who wanted no further extension of
slave territory and those whose con-
sciences revolted at the injustice to
friendly sister Republic involved in the
annexation of one of her detected
Provinces. Both Democrats and Wings
were divided upon this question of an
nexation but the Pro-Slavery men were
now making their influence felt. Presi-
dent Van Buren,, who was opposed to
the annexation, was made to feel this
hostility very sharply in his campaign
for reelection, and IL finally drove him
out of the Democratic Party.
Mr.. Clay was opposed to annexation
in the way proposed to be made. but
said that he would be glad of it If
brought about properly, and that he
did not think this would have any in
iluence upon the duration of slavery,
which was bound to die from natural
causes. This he said in one of those
singularly inopportune letters for which
he was so famous, and it cost him his
election.
Undoubtedly he voiced the general
sentiment of Wings in prOnouncins
slavery inrately wrong and in hoping
for its gradual extinction. The great
majority of the Democrats felt the same
way. But 1t brought down upon him
the measureless enmity of the new
school of Southerners led by John G.
Calhoun, who were teaching slavery as
Divine Ordinance, to deny which was
rank heresy.
The radical Abolitionists were no
better satisfied, and nominated John 2.
Hale as an opposition candidate. Ie
drew off enough votes to secure the
election of Polk. the annexation Of
Texas and the extension of slavery over
a territory larger than either Germany
or France. NJ. Polk carried, in sew
eral instances by very slight majorities.
Is States, with 10 electoral votes, while
Henry Clay carried II States, with los
votes
The people of the North had gencr-
ally acquiesced in the division of the
Louisiana Territory according to the
Missouri Compromise line of Sc min
utes 80 degrees, and there had been
no opposition to the admission of Ar
kansas as slave State, especially as
this was accompanied by the admission
of Wisconsin as a free State, which had
kept the Senate equally divided between
the Northern and Southern sections.
In the House it was quite otherwise,
for the rapid development OF the popu-
lation in the free States gave them 4
preponderance of numbers, which in
creased so rapidly with each census as
to gravely alarm tNe extreme South
erners. These had already begun 10
plan for q great Slave Empire with
Mason & 'Dixon's line its northern
frontier aud which would III the near
future absorb Cuba, Porto Rico, Mex
leo, Central America and possilks ex-
tend farther southwark.
The "54-40 or Fight" Fraud.
The Polk managers had finely tricked
tie country. They had raised the cam
paign slogan, "5440 or fight" that is
unless Great Britain alleged our CLAIM.
to the territory as far nfseh as 81 de-
grees 40 minutes or the present south
ern boundary cs a aska. 20 would go
to war with her. y the sfo-Slaverg'
men had no ides .oing to extremes
for thGspossessio. country which
wrn4d become free territory. With
great promptness President Polk abso-
lutely repudiated his prediction
pledges, and surrendered all that great
region which IL now the Pacific portion
Of Canada. ~ sdraw away attention
g6om thfs h IA Eating backdown, the
country was hurried into a war with
Mtaico to extend slave territory
'f4king heart from the belief that
the Wings were a decided majority in
the country, and had been cheated out
of victory by absolute fraud in New
York and Louisiana, Mr.. Lincoln re-
turned to his law practice, but kept his
leaders out for his nomination for
Congress, which came two years
later. This canvass was possi-
bly, the best demonstration of
Lincoln's wonderful power before the
people which we have. He had for an
opDOnent no less a perSOn than Peter