The National tribune., 1909-02-04

one-dollar size bottles at all drug stores
with whatever they came upon in sup
port, becoming continually more firm
and outspoken. The men Of that day
were rarely neutral; 1t was not in tn,
air. Lincoln having ranged himsel
among the Free Soilers, grew more de
cided in that position with the pass
ing of the years, and especially undel
the bullying aggressiveness of the slave
owners, who constantly became NOR,
intolerant Of any criticism Of the "in
stitution."
An Aspect Of Slavery.
Three years after this protest Lin
coin went, on the invitation of hi
friend Speed, to visit the Iatter's ole
home at Louisville. On his return HI
wrote a letter to Miss Mary Speed, II
which occurred this significant passage
'By the way, a fine example wa.
presented on board the boat for con
templating the effect of condition upor
human happiness. A gentleman hat
purchased IL negros In different part:
of Kentucky, and was taking them tc
a farm in the South They were chained
clevis was around the left wrist Of
each, and this fastened to the mair
chain by a shorter one, at conven'
lent distance from the others, so that
the negroS were strung together pre-
cisely like so many fish upon a tro
line. In this condition they were be,
ing separated forever from the scenes
of their childhood. their friends, theii
fathers and mothers and brothers and
sisters, and many of them from theil
wives and children, and going into
perpetual slavery, where the lash OF
the master is proverbialIy more ruth
less and unrelerting than anywhere
and yet amid all these distressing cir
cumstances, as we would think them
they were the most cheerful and ap-
parently happy creatures on board. One
whose offense for which he had beer
sold was an overfondness for his wife
played the fiddle almost continually
and the others danced, sang, cracked
jokes and played various games with
cards from day to day. How true 1t is
that God tempers the wind to the
shorn lamb or, in other words, that
he renders the worst of human condi-
tions tolerable, while he permits the
best to be nothing better than toler-
able"
In a letter in after years to Hon.
Joshua Speed, Lincoln said:
I'm 1s41 you and I had together a
tedious low-water trip on a steamboat
from Louisville to st. Louis. You may
remember, as I well do, that from
Louisville to the mouth Of the Ohio
there were on board 10 or dozen
slaves shackled together with irons.
That sight was a continual torment to
me. and I see something like it every
time 1 touch the Ohio or any other
slave border. 1t Is got fair for you to
assume that I have no interest in a
thing which has and continually exer-
cises the power of making me miser-
able"
1t must be kept in mind that these
were merely Lincoln's private opinions.
and were only shared here and there
by others. 1t took long years of warm
agitation before these were to flower
into practical application as political
principles.
Like the churches, the political par
ties had other things very much more
to the front than slavery. The inco-
herent factions and fragments were
being swaged into the Whig Party un-
der the brilliant leadership of Henry
Clay. 1t had at last a definite set OF
principles, rising far above the pro-
OF States Rights and Nation
wide in application.
Principles of the Whig Party.
In his preface to the Tribune AL
manac Of 1888 Horace Greeley outlines
the bond Of union for the American
Whlg Perty:"
WAS formed in the Spring of 1884
by a union, SO far as their common OBJ
jeots ard views seemed imperatively
to dictate, of all those who condemned
the most arbitrary and unconstitutiona
removal of the deposits or public treas
ure by Gen. Jackson from the one safe
advantageous and proper depository
designated by law into 40 or so State
banks. That reckless and most inde.
fensible measure-which lies at the
foundation of all our subsequent com.
mercial, financial and general calami,
ties, necessarily gave rise to an in
tense political excitement and to a new
organization of parties, in which wa,
partially merged all former distinc.
tions. The Whig Party comprised:
Il. Most of those who, under the
name of National Republicans, had
previously been known as supporter:
of Adams and Clay and advocates Of
the American System
"2. Most of those who, acting in de.
fense of what they deemed the as
sailed or threatened rights of the States
had been stigmatized as Nuliifers. oil
the less virulent, States Rights men
who were thrown into a position OF
armed neutrality towards the Admin.
fstration by the doctrines of the Proc.
lamation OF 1882 against South Caro-.
lima.
"S. A majority Of those before known
as Anti-Masons.
"a Many who had up to that time
been known as Jackson men, but who
united in condemning the high-handed
conduct of the Executive, the immo-
lation Of Duane and the subserviency
of Taney.
Numbers who had not before taken
any part In politics, but who were now
awakened from their apathy by ths
palpable usurpations of the. Executive
and the imminent peril of our whole
fabric of constitutional liberty and Ma.
tional prosperity.
Such was the origin and constitu.
ton of the Wing Party. The name was
chosen as expressing briefly and point
edly the great object and basis of the
party--resistance to usurpation, mis-
rule and despotism.
THE Whig Party is neither the mol
a bank party. Most of its members
are indeed friendly to honestly con.
Quoted banks and a well-regulated
banking system. A majority of them
probably deem a National bank, ol
some other National issue, or regula.
ton Of the issue, of paper money, high.
ly desirable to insure a sound currency
equalize exchanges and restore pros
perity. There are Wings, however
who deny all this, as well as Van Bu-
rem men who concur in 1t. The subject
OF banking affords such a scope fol
contrariety Of opinions that scarcely
dozen persons who are thoroly 40
quainted with II can be found to agree
exactly On every point. Wings differ