the anti-slavery crusade-第13节

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；　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　the　slaveholding　oligarchy；　while　Andrew　Jackson；　who　died　earlier；　had　already　conferred　a　like　distinction　upon　young　Stephen　A。　Douglas。　There　was　no　lack　of　aspirants　for　the　fallen　mantles。　John　C。　Calhoun　continued　almost　to　the　day　of　his　death　to　modify　his　interpretation　of　the　Constitution　in　the　interest　of　his　section。　As　a　young　man　he　avowed　protectionist　principles。　Becoming　convinced　that　slave　labor　was　not　suited　to　manufacture；　he　urged　South　Carolina　to　declare　the　protective　tariff　laws　null　and　void　within　her　limits。　When　his　section　seemed　endangered　by　the　distribution　of　anti…slavery　literature　through　the　mail；　he　extemporized　a　theory　that　each　State　had　a　right　to　pass　statutes　to　protect　itself　in　such　an　emergency；　in　which　case　it　became　the　duty　of　the　general　Government　and　of　all　other　States　to　respect　such　laws。　When　it　finally　appeared　that　the　territory　acquired　from　Mexico　was　likely　to　remain　free；　the　same　statesman　made　further　discoveries。　He　found　that　Congress　had　no　right　to　exclude　slavery　from　any　Territory　belonging　to　the　United　States；　that　the　owners　of　slaves　had　equal　rights　with　the　owners　of　other　property；　that　neither　Congress　nor　a　territorial　authority　had　any　power　to　exclude　slaves　from　a　Territory。　This　doctrine　was　accepted　by　extremists　in　the　South　and　was　finally　embodied　in　the　Dred　Scott　decision　of　1857。　Abolitionists　had　meantime　evolved　a　precisely　contradictory　theory。　They　asserted　that　the　Constitution　gave　no　warrant　for　property　in　man；　except　as　held　under　state　laws；　that　with　this　exception　freedom　was　guaranteed　to　all；　that　Congress　had　no　more　right　to　make　a　slave　than　it　had　to　make　a　king；　and　that　it　was　the　duty　of　Congress　to　maintain　freedom　in　all　the　Territories。　Extremists　expressed　the　view　that　all　past　acts　whereby　slavery　had　been　extended　were　unconstitutional　and　therefore　void。　Between　these　extreme　conflicting　views　was　every　imaginable　grade　of　opinion。　The　prevailing　view　of　opponents　of　slavery；　however；　was　in　harmony　with　their　past　conduct　and　maintained　that　Congress　had　complete　control　over　slavery　in　the　Territories。　When　the　Mexican　territory　was　acquired；　Stephen　A。　Douglas；　as　the　experienced　chairman　of　the　Committee　on　Territories　in　the　Senate；　was　already　developing　a　theory　respecting　slavery　in　the　Territories　which　was　destined　to　play　a　leading　part　in　the　later　crusade　against　slavery。　Douglas　was　the　most　thoroughgoing　of　expansionists　and　would　acknowledge　no　northern　boundary　on　this　side　of　the　North　Pole；　no　southern　boundary　nearer　than　Panama。　He　regarded　the　United　States；　with　its　great　principle　of　local　autonomy；　as　fitted　to　become　eventually　the　United　States　of　the　whole　world；　while　he　held　it　to　be　an　immediate　duty　to　make　it　the　United　States　of　North　America。　As　the　son…　in…law　of　a　Southern　planter　in　North　Carolina；　and　as　the　father　of　sons　who　inherited　slave　property；　Douglas；　although　born　in　Vermont；　knew　the　South　as　did　no　other　Northern　statesman。　He　knew　also　the　institution　of　slavery　at　first　hand。　As　a　pronounced　expansionist　and　as　the　congressional　leader　in　all　matters　pertaining　to　the　Territories；　he　acquired　detailed　information　as　to　the　qualities　of　these　new　possessions；　and　he　spoke；　therefore；　with　a　good　degree　of　authority　when　he　said；　〃If　there　was　one　inch　of　territory　in　the　whole　of　our　acquisitions　from　Mexico　where　slavery　could　exist；　it　was　in　the　valleys　of　the　Sacramento　and　the　San　Joaquin。〃　But　this　region　was　at　once　preempted　for　freedom　upon　the　discovery　of　gold。　Douglas　did　not　admit　that　even　the　whole　of　Texas　would　remain　dedicated　to　slavery。　Some　of　the　States　to　be　formed　from　it　would　be　free；　by　the　same　laws　of　climate　and　resources　which　determined　that　the　entire　West　would　remain　free。　Before　the　Mexican　War　the　Senator　had　become　convinced　that　the　extension　of　slavery　had　reached　its　limit；　that　the　Missouri　Compromise　was　a　dead　letter　except　as　a　psychological　palliative；　that　Nature　had　already　ordained　that　slave　labor　should　be　forever　excluded　from　all　Western　territory　both　north　and　south　of　that　line。　His　reply　to　Calhoun's　contention　that　a　balance　must　be　maintained　between　slave　and　free　States　was　that　he　had　plans　for　forming　seventeen　new　States　out　of　the　vast　Western　domains；　every　one　of　which　would　be　free。　And　besides；　said　he；　〃we　all　look　forward　with　confidence　to　the　time　when　Delaware；　Maryland；　Virginia；　Kentucky；　and　Missouri；　and　probably　North　Carolina　and　Tennessee　will　adopt　a　gradual　system　of　emancipation。〃　Douglas　was　one　of　the　first　to　favor　the　admission　of　California　as　a　free　State。　According　to　the　Missouri　Compromise　law　and　the　laws　of　Mexico；　all　Western　territory　was　free；　and　he　was　opposed　to　interference　with　existing　conditions。　The　Missouri　Compromise　was　still　held　sacred。　Finally；　however；　it　was　with　Douglas's　assistance　that　the　Compromise　measures　of　1850　were　passed；　one　of　which　provided　for　territorial　Governments　for　Utah　and　New　Mexico　with　the　proviso　that；　when　admitt