Year: 1860

His Position.


Now that Abram Lincoln is the nominee
Of the Republican party, for the high and
responsible position of the Presidency, it be-
comes well to inquire what principles would
be inaugurated by his election. Whilst
member of Congress for one term, Mr. Lin
coin made no particular record of himself
but that of voting against the Mexican War.
1t was in the Illinois campaign against Judge
Douglas for the United States Senate that he
became known to the people, and his princi


Piles understood. Those principles may be
very briefly stated. lie took the ground in
that campaign that a house divided against
itself could not stand and that, consequently,
this Union could not continue to exist, with
a portion of it free and the other slave 1t
must all become slave or all free, or cease to
stand. lie did not believe he said that the
Union would be dissolved, but that there,
would be conflict of opinions and of legs-
lation, until the victory would be decided
either in favor of the Free States or the Slave
States, and that then there would be harmo-
ny. Since the contest must go on, he was
for the Free States as against the Slave States
and for free labor as against slave labor
This of course is the Irrepressible Conflict
! doctrine in its most rabid and determined
phase. According to this doctrine, .here is
no such thing as a fraternity of feeling be-
tween the North and South. 1t is war, war,
war, to the end of the chapter. In vain do
we appeal to the Constitution of the country
which was framed with an especial view to


the uniting of free and slave States together


The Constitution has failed of its object, and


instead of union there is discord, and neces-


sarily discord till one or the other Of the par


ties yields in the contest What prepos-


ferrous doctrine for man pretending to pa


triotism to avow We must set ourselves
up as superior in wisdom to the fathers of
the Republic and the founders of the Govern
ment They framed the Const tuition with a
direct view to the harmonious existence of
slave and free States together, but we must
upset their plan, or, at any rate, laugh at
their wisdom and declare it visionary and
impracticable. Mr. Lincoln says the conflict
is going on, but he does not believe that
the Union Will be dissolved. There are
greater men than he who believe that it will
most speedily be dissolved, if there be no
middle ground of non-ntervention left upon
which to stand.


The second grand principle of Lincoln is
that of perfect political equality of the
negro with the white race-a principle hard |
ly worth the arguing, since the Supreme
Court of the United States has positively de-
cided that neither those who have been
slaves themselves nor those who are descend |
ed from slaves can ever become citizens of
the United States while, however, it is
hardly worth while to argue against the
principle itself, it is worth while to denounce
any man who entertains the principle and
avows it, in defiance of the authority of the
Supreme Court. The status of the negro is
settled by the highest authority in the land,
passing directly upon point before it. 1t
is therefore idle to argue upon the merits of
the thing one way or the other But when
man undertakes to set at nought the au-
thority of that tribunal, he must be met as
rebel and traitor


Such is Mr. Lincoln's record, and the Re
publieans, so far from denying it, will glory
that he has made it,