the anti-slavery crusade-第16章

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ve　gone　to　Cass。　There　was　no　longer　any　doubt　of　the　fact　that　a　political　force　had　arisen　which　could　no　longer　be　ignored　by　the　ruling　parties。　One　of　the　parties　must　either　support　the　new　issue　or　give　place　to　a　party　which　would　do　so。　A　political　party　for　the　defense　of　liberty　was　the　fulfillment　of　the　aspirations　of　all　earnest　anti…slavery　men　and　of　all　abolitionists　not　of　the　radical　Garrisonian　persuasion。　The　national　anti…slavery　societies　were　for　the　most　part　limited　in　their　operations　to　the　Atlantic　seaboard。　The　West　organized　local　and　state　associations　with　little　reference　to　the　national　association。　When　the　disruption　occurred　between　Garrison　and　his　opponents　in　1840；　the　Western　abolitionists　continued　their　former　methods　of　local　organization。　They　recognized　no　divisions　in　their　ranks　and　continued　to　work　in　harmony　with　all　who　in　any　way　opposed　the　institution　of　slavery。　The　political　party　was　their　first　really　effective　national　organization。　Through　party　committees；　caucuses；　and　conventions；　they　became　a　part　of　the　forces　that　controlled　the　nation。　The　older　local　clubs　and　associations　were　either　displaced　by　the　party　or　became　mere　adjuncts　to　the　party。　The　lines　for　political　action　were　now　clearly　defined。　In　the　States　emancipation　should　be　accomplished　by　state　action。　With　a　few　individual　exceptions　the　leaders　conceded　that　Congress　had　no　power　to　abolish　slavery　in　the　States。　Upon　the　general　Government　they　urged　the　duty　of　abolishing　both　slavery　and　the　slave…trade　in　the　District　of　Columbia　and　in　all　areas　under　direct　federal　control。　They　further　urged　upon　the　Government　the　strict　enforcement　of　the　laws　prohibiting　the　foreign　slave…trade　and　the　enactment　of　laws　forbidding　the　interstate　slave…trade。　The　constitutionality　of　these　main　lines　of　action　has　been　generally　conceded。　Abolitionists　were　pioneers　in　the　formulation　of　political　platforms。　The　declaration　of　principles　drawn　up　by　Garrison　in　1833　and　adopted　by　the　American　Anti…Slavery　Society　was　of　the　nature　of　a　political　platform。　The　duty　of　voting　in　furtherance　of　the　policy　of　emancipation　was　inculcated。　No　platform　was　adopted　for　the　first　political　campaign；　that　of　1840；　but　four　years　later　there　was　an　elaborate　party　platform　of　twenty…one　resolutions。　Many　things　had　happened　in　the　eleven　years　intervening　since　the　declaration　of　principles　of　the　American　Anti…Slavery　Society。　In　the　earlier　platform　the　freedom　of　the　slave　appears　as　the　primary　object。　That　of　the　Liberty　party　assumes　the　broad　principle　of　human　brotherhood　as　the　foundation　for　a　democracy　or　a　republic。　It　denies　that　the　party　is　organized　merely　to　free　the　slave。　Slaveholding　as　the　grossest　form　of　despotism　must　indeed　be　attacked　first；　but　the　aim　of　the　party　is　to　carry　the　principle　of　equal　rights　into　all　social　relations。　It　is　not　a　sectional　party　nor　a　party　organized　for　a　single　purpose。　〃It　is　not　a　new　party；　nor　a　third　party；　but　it　is　the　party　of　1776；　reviving　the　principles　of　that　memorable　era；　and　striving　to　carry　them　into　practical　application。〃　The　spirit　of　'76　rings；　indeed；　throughout　the　document；　which　declares　that　it　was　understood　at　the　time　of　the　Declaration　and　the　Constitution　that　the　existence　of　slavery　was　in　derogation　of　the　principles　of　American　liberty。　The　implied　faith　of　the　Nation　and　the　States　was　pledged　to　remove　this　stain　upon　the　national　character。　Some　States　had　nobly　fulfilled　that　pledge；　others　shamelessly　had　neglected　to　do　so。　These　principles　are　reasserted　in　succeeding　platforms。　The　later　opponents　of　slavery　in　their　principles　and　policies　thus　allied　themselves　with　the　founders　of　the　republic。　They　claimed　the　right　to　continue　to　repeat　the　words　of　Washington　and　Jefferson　and　those　of　the　members　of　the　Virginia　Legislature　of　1832。　No　new　doctrines　were　required。　It　was　enough　simply　to　reaffirm　the　fundamental　principles　of　democracy。　The　names　attached　to　the　party　are　significant。　It　was　at　first　popularly　styled　the　Abolition　party；　then　officially　in　turn　the　Liberty　party；　the　Freesoil　party；　and　finally　the　Republican　party。　Republican　was　the　name　first　applied　to　the　Democratic　partythe　party　of　Jefferson。　The　term　Democrat　was　gradually　substituted　under　the　leadership　of　Jackson　before　1830。　Some　of　the　men　who　participated　in　the　organization　of　the　later　Republican　party　had　themselves　been　Republicans　in　the　party　of　Jefferson。　They　not　only　accepted　the　name　which　Jefferson　gave　to　his　party；　but　they　adopted　the　principles　which　Jefferson　proclaimed　on　the　subject　of　slavery；　free　soil；　and　human　rights　in　general。　This　was　the　final　stage　in　the　identification　of　the　later　anti…slavery　crusade　with　the　earlier　contest　for　liberty。

CHAPTER　VII。　THE　PASSING　OF　THE　WHIG　PARTY　The　middle　of　the　last　century　was　marked　by　many　incidents　which　have　left　a　permanent　impress　upon　politics　in　general　and　upon　the　slavery　question　in　particular。　Europe　was　again　in　the　throes　of　popular　uprisings。　New　constitutions　were　adopted　in　France；　Switzerland；　Prussia；　and　Austria。　Reactions　in　favor　of　autocracy　in　Austria　and　Germany　sent　multitudes　of　lovers　of　liberty　to　America。　Kossuth；　the　Hungarian　revolutionist；　electrified　American　audiences　by　his　appeals　on　behalf　of　the　downtrodden　in　Europe。　Already　the　world　was　growing　smaller。　America　did　not　stop　at　the　Pacific　but　crossed　the　ocean　to　establish　permanent　political　and　commercial　relations　with　Japan　and　China。　The　industries　of　the　country　were　being　reorganized　to　meet　new　conditions　created　by　recent　inventions。　The　electric　telegraph　was　just　coming　into　use；　giving　rise　to　a　new　era　in　communication。　The　discovery　of　gold　in　California　in　1848　was　followed　by　competing　projects　to　construct　railroads　to　the　Pacific　with　Chicago　and　St。　Louis　as　the　rival　eastern　terminals。　The　telegraph；　the　railway；　and　the　resulting　industrial　development　proved　great　nationalizing　influences。　They　served　also　to　give　increased　emphasis　to　the　contrast　between　the　industries　of　the　free　and　those　of　the　slave　States。　The　Census　of　1850　became　an　effective　anti…slavery　argument。　The　telegraph　also　gave　new　life　to　the　public　press。　The　presidential　campaign　of　1848　was　the　last　one　in　which　it　was　possible　to　carry　on　contradictory　arguments　in　support　of　the　same　candidate。　If　slavery　could　not　endure　the　test　of　untrammeled　discussion　when　there　were　no　means　of　rapid　intercommunication　such　as　the　telegraph　supplied；　how　could　it　contend　against　the　revelations　of　the　daily　press　with　the　new　type　of　reporter　and　interviewer　which　was　now　developed？　It　is　a　remarkable　coincidence　that　in　the　midst　of　the　passing　of　the　old　and　the　coming　in　of　the　new　order　there　should　be　a　change　in　the　political　leadership　of　the　country。　Webster；　Clay；　Calhoun；　John　Quincy　Adams；　not　to　mention　others；　all　died　near　the　middle　of　the　century；　and　their　political　power　passed　to　younger　men。　Adams　gave　his　blessing　to　a　young　friend　and　co…laborer；　William　H。　Seward　of　New　York；　intimating　that　he　expected　him　to　do　much　to　curb　the　threatening　power　of　t