Year: 1865

THE ANTI-SLAVERY REVOLUTION.


From the Baltimore American.


Freedom has gained the day, but will she
keep possession of the field? This question
Is being asked with anxious brow by many
who have aided In her triumph. They re-
mcmbered the death struggle of her great
enemy and fear that the snake of Slavery is
only scotched, not killed. 1t is true that
while the mental type remains Of those who
fanatically proclaimed Slavery a divine in
stltutl0n, and the most secure foundation
for a political and social structure, the prin-
ciple of Slavery still lives This mental
type may be found in the North as well as
In the South, in the constitutional monar. hy,
IL the Empire and in the despotism as well
as IN the Republic. 1t manifested itself a
mongst the supporters of aristocratic govern
ment everywhere towards those who were
trying to overthrow democratic institutions
IN America. Every species OF oppression is
allied with every species Of oppression and
finds its own justification in the apparent
necessity of its exlstance demonstrated by
the fact of Its eXistance elsewhere And it
is because there is some logic in this plea
that we may rest secure in the conviction
that the institution Of Slavery cannot be re-
IlSsd u the 1S sntsa is Stassse h Re
ment by another revolution. The history
OF the world has established as an axomatic
truth that Revolutions never go backward y
The first election of Abraham Lincoln was
the eliminating point Of anti Slavery revo-
luton in the United States. 1t was a NOR
al revolution, accomplished through the "a
gency Of political machinery established by
law. 1t was popular reversal of the Dred
Scott decision, and meant that if that daciS-
ion was lac, the people, who constitute the
II j
or unmake laws, intended to so alter the law
as to reverse the bred Scott decision


Sir James Macintosh got great credit for
discovering the philosophical truth that
constitutions are not made, but grow.
In his day belief in legislation and the ON
nipotent power of government was greater
than ours. Everything was explained iii
the hypothesis OF manufacture, and society
was regarded as the creature of the govern
ment instead of the government being the
servant of society 1t is now held that the
chief duty of government is TO protect soci-
ety-that the government which governs
least, and leaves the people most free to ex-
erclse their talents and business hkings,
without unnecessary restraint or interference,
is the best government. What are called
reforms are the repeal Of restraints upon
indtcidual action It was at one time the





we are sorry to say the fashion still prevails
to an alarming extent. British legislation,
being for the benefit of the ruling class, has
given us examples Of every species of inter
ferance with individual rights. 1t is only
by suppressing the right of the many that
the privileges of the few can be maintained.
A prirtlege necessarily involves the suppress
sion of a right In our country the conflict
between rights and privileges which termina-
ted our British connection in 1916, and
gave to the world a chart of Universal Free
dom in the Declaration of Independence,
still kept on amongst ourselves, subject to
the pendulum-llke swing of public opinion
and the temporary ascendency of local and
sectional influence. The history of the u
nited States is imprinted on every page with
the footsteps of its progress. Peace and
principles long struggled for the mastery,
At last principle got so far the better of
mere peace for peace's sake as to declare
itself in electing Abraham Lincoln Pres
ident. He had explained the tendency of
events, and demonstrated to the people
that by the very nature of the laws which
govern man S mind there was an ',trrepres-
sible conflict between Slavery and freedom.


In 1858 Mr.. Lincoln said: In my opinion,
it lthe anti Slavery agitation) will not cease
until a c,-ists shall hare been reached and
passed A house divided against itself can
not stand | believe this Government can
not permanently endure half slave and half
free. l do not expect the Union to be dis
solved. [ do not expect the house to fail,
but [ do expect that it will cease to be dl-
vlded. 1t will become all one thing or the
other. Either the opponents of Slavery
will arrest the further spread of it, and
place it where the public mind shall rest in
the belief that it is in the course of ultimate
extinction, or its advocates will push 1t for
ward until it shall become alike lawful in all
the States, old as well as new, North as
well as South.


1t was this conviction that forced the
people of the country at last to meet the is
sue. They met it by moral force. The
preponderant sentiment of the country was
AGAINST Slavery, and it expressed itself ac-