Year: 1860

SHADOWS OF THINos TO COME
When we call up the devious wind
ings Of the s5-cai!ed Democratic party
through its whole career, see its fire.
quent and repeated abandonment of
cardinal principles; when we witness
the blind masses following leaders to
the commission of sffe grossest errors
If not crimes, it behooves nc to look
ahead and endeavor to discern what
is the next step in the road of political
pollution, which that party is about TO
take.


The history of the pa st three years
exhibits record of political baseness
scarcely withoas a parallel in any
country, certainly not in our own
The principles set forth with solemn
pomp at Cincinnati in 1856, the i'm
partial historian Of future ages must
write have been unblushingly fore
sworn. The Democracy reverses the
decree put Forth and enforced with
such JUNCTION heretofore, that the peo-
pie of Territory. like those of a
State, are sovereign to the extent of
deciding what institutions are suitable
to item. 1t is now an accepted arti-
Gle of faith that the people are unlim-
tied as regards sovereign powers save
only on the niger question. What
this question is, depends upon how
party leaders shall state it year by
year as the demands of section re-
quire, or the necessities for party SAL
walton dictate. 1t ison thing to-day
ard another tomorrow. Slavery is
a curse when Northern votes can be
gained by so denouncing it, or bless
ing if Southern unity is necessary to
preserve party power. Once there
was time when negro slavery was
pronounced an evil of moustrous pro-
portions whose existence was to be
lameMed. Then came ,he era when
negro servituae was blessing both to
she slave and his master. 1t was an
institution sanctioned by God. An
either era is about to dawn on us when
the institution is to be pronounced so
good for all concerned that it should
not be restricted to Africans alone, but
the white races must come in to enjoy
the, priceless boou. The Richmond
Examiner and the Richmond Enqui-
rer are but indexes pointing to the
future doctrine Of the Democratic p ar,
ty on the negro question.


The Examiner says:


"Our object is to show how unwise
It is for the South to attempt to justify
negro slavery as an exceptional in
stitut,on. 1t is the only form of sla-
very which has excited the prejudices
of mankin4, and given rise to aboli-
tion; the only kind of slavery which
has not been, until recently, universal.
The experience, the practices, and
the history of mankind, amply viudi-
cate slavery, in the abstract, as nat
ural, universal, and conservative in
stitution. In justifying slavery in the
general or abstract, we have to con-
tend with the prejudiees growing out
of the African slave trade, out of the
cruel treatment of slaves wherever
the trade exists, and the still greater
prejudices of race and color Still, it
is shown by history, both sacred and
profane, that domestic slavery is a
natural, normal, and, till lately, uni
yersal institution


The Enquirer thus discourses:


Until recently. she defense Of sla-
very has labored under great Difficult
ties, because its apologists-for they
were merely apologist---took half
way ground. They confined the de-
fence of slavery to mere negro slave
ry, thereby giving up ;he slavery
principle, admitting other forms Of
slavery to be wrong, and yielding up
the authority of the Bible, and of the
history, practice, and experience Of
mankind. Human experience, show
ing the universal success of slave So
ciety, and the universal failure of free
society, was unavailing to them, be-
cause they were preeladed from en-
ploying it by admitting Slavery in the
abstract to be wrong. I he defence
of mere negro slavery involved them
in still greater difficulty.


The South now maintains that
slavery is right, natural, and neces-
sary. 1t shows that all Divine and
almost all human authority justifes it
The South further charges til at the
little experiment of free society in
Western Europe has been from the
beginning cruel failure. and that
symptoms of failure are abundant in
our North. While it is far more OBJ,
yious that negroes be slaves thar
whites-for they are only fit to labor