Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-28

by no great man in the White House.
William H. Seward and William Pitt Fes-
mediately led to the public charge of col
fusion. Van Buren, was from New York,
a free state, at the head of a party which
had its chief strength in the south. Clay
lived in Kentucky, a slave state, and was
leading a party which had it's chief
strength in the north. Both were afraid
to face the slavery issue. and therefore
both opposed annexing Texas which they
knew would preclpitate the struggle.
The south witnessed the increasing
growth of the western territories and saw
that the even balance in the senate could
not be maintained unless Texas could be
added to the slave territory Of the states.
Decided opposition TO Van Buren, developed
in the south, covertly encouraged by An
drew Jackson, then living in the retire
ment Of old age at The Hermitage. Van
Buren, had a majority Of the delegates in
the democratic convention, but he could
not muster the two-thirds vote required
by the laws OF that party. James X. Polk
was nominated and elected.
From the time Polk defeated Clay until
the civil war began, the slavery question
became the chief topic of debate in con-
gress. But still there was no party de-
clarinB for abolition. The south was de-
termined to extend slavery into new terri
tory, the north was opposed to extension
The Wing party won one more national
victory in 1s4s, Henry Clay came to the
front once more with a compromise meas
ure, and once more men believed that the
slavery question was eliminated from ma
tional politics. Clay, Calhoun and Web
ster died and the old order changed. Cali
fornia had been admitted to the union
in 1850. and no slave state had come in
to offset Il. The south had lost it's equal
division OF power in the senate. Then II
began to fight for Kansas, From that hour
the fate Of the question was sealed, but
even the wisest could not foresee the end.
The whig party died OF an overdose of
compromises-never having the courage to
take up as a national issue the principle
in which the majority Of its members had
the most interest. There was a period
Of political d-isintegration. The demo-
cratic party seemed to have absolute
power, but crystallizing sentiment in the
north at last forced division even in the
ranks OF that most compact and well dis
ciplined political organization.
The new republican party was born. In
its first campaign il developed enormous
strength, all at the north, and although
the democrats elected the president, they
were terrified. The question OF party pol
icy concerning slavery extension was holly
debated and i'm 1850 the democrats split
hopelessly and nominated two candidates
for president. In the same year the repub.
lcan party nominated Lincoln. But still
the real question at issue was suppressed
Even Lincoln avowed that he was not an
advocate OF abolition. The abolitionists
stin could not find a political party brave
enough openly TO champion their cause
Then came the war. ending slavery and
the doctrine of the right Of secession al
once.
1t win be many generations before the
history OF that great congressional and 20,
litical struggle will be written with abso.
lutte impaTtiality. II was a conflict OF a
moral doerine against a legal right. and
such conflicts are always bitter. 'becauss
honest men may conscientlously supper
either side OF the controversy. Perhaps tbs
most remarkable feature Of the whole
struggle vas that It produced such . com,
p~aratively small number OF great leaders