The National tribune., 1909-02-04

and new material mob attacked his
| Office on the evening of Nov. 6, 1887
| destroyed the Office and killed Mr.
Lovejoy. This infiamed public senti.
ment from the outrageous character OF
the proceedings, and because Mr.. Love-
| joys paper was simply religious one
which dealt with slavery as with other
questions affecting morals. The agita-
| ton was SO great that in order to quiet
| the pro-slavery men and to diScredit
the Abolitionist agitators the Legisla-
ture of Illinois adopted, almost unani-
mously, the following resolutions:
Resolved by the General Assembly
of the State of Illinois, That we highly
disapprove of the formation of Aboli-
tion societies and Of the doctrines pro-
mulgated by them;
THAT the right of property in slaves
Is sacred to the slaveholding States by
the Federal Constitution, and that they
cannot be deprived of that right with
out their consent;
THAT the General Government can
not abolish slavery in the District of
Columbia against the consent Of the
citizens of said District, without a
manifest breach of good faith;
That the Governor be requested to
transmit to the States of Virginia, Ala
bama, Mississippi. New York and Con-
necticut copy of foregoing report and
resolutions"
LincoIn's Protest.
The vote for these indicated that
even the representatives from northern
Illinois were out of sympathy with the
violence of the fanatics. There were
only two dissenters from this action of
the Legislature, and 1t is highly signifi-
cant that one of these was among the
youngest members of that body and
| from the central part of the State,
| where the Southern influence was
dominant. The record of the protest,
with its signers. is:
Resolutions upon the subject of do
mestic slavery having passed both
branches of the General Assembly at
| its present session, the undersigned
hereby protest against the same.
"Ibay believe that the institution of
slavery is founded on both Injustice
and bad policy. but that the promul-
CATION of abolition doctrines tends rath-
er to increase than abate its evils.
They believe that the Congress of
the United States has no power under
the Constitution to interfere with the
( institution of slavery in the different
| States.
They believe that the Congress OF
the United States has the power under
the Constitution to abolish slavery ir
the District Of Columbia, but that the
1
at the request of the people of the Dis
trict
| 'Ths difference between these opin-
ions and those contained in the above
resolutions is their reason for entering
this protest.
| 'Dan Stone,
| "a. Lincoln,
Sangamon."
This protest is of the highest impor.
| tance in making up our estimate oi
| Lincoln, as ii shows that even at thai
early age he exhibited his tendency tc
go to the front, or. indeed, a step In
advance of his comrades, on any great
sensate radicalism of the Abolitionists
as much as anyone. but he exhibited
his true leadership by perceiving thai
| a system which had much of good in
1t, tho innately wrong should be deali
with by the slow, steady pressure OF
an awakened public conscience, rather
than by the sudden violence advocated
| by the Abolitionists
The Abolitionists had no thought OF
the property rights which had been
acquired under the laws and by ages
of custom, nor of the condition In
which the negros would be placed by
their sudden liberation. with no pro-
vision for their future. 1t could not
! be denied that the great mass of the
slaves were well treated, well fed and
| not overworked. The enormities OF
which they made such startling exhib-
Its were rather excrescences than an
inherent part of the system. and wers
as much deplored by the hundreds OF
thousands of genuine Christians whe
held slaves as by anyone.
Lincoln then thought that slavery
would decay everywhere, as II had de.
cayed in New England, New York. New
Jersey and Pennsylvania, slowly yield.
ing to the advance of public opinion
and fading off into gradual emancipa.
ton without shock to either maste,
or slave. He took the attitude ther
that he unswervingly maintained ur
| to the day when military necessity
compelled him to issue the Proclama.
ton of Emancipation. II slavery were
confined to the States in which 1t ex.
| listed II was only question of time
1 when it would disappear altogether
He did not even share in the clamor oi
the bolitionists so far as to advocate
the Abolitionists so far as to advocate
of Columbia; that he thought coulG
also be left to the sure and stead,
work of time, and he would not abol-
ish slavery in the Federal territory un.
til the people Of the District them.
selves desired It.
l In those hot, controversial days
when men took d stand on one side OF
/ another az a 0uaaftov thai, r,.ro ,xi, q,