The Conservative Men, and the Union Meetings of the North [pp. 514-523]

UNION MEETINGS OF THE NORTH.
thus vindictive toward slavery, but their public men, in their
speeches and writings, and the party itself, whenever in power,
have been equally disregardful of the rights of the South, and
of the demands of the Constitution of the country. To say
nothing of their worst specimens, the crazy fanatics of the
Garrison and Wendell Phillips' stamp, but simply to speak of
their prominent politicians, what is true?
Win. H. Seward, the Jupiter Tonans of Abolitionism, has
already sounded his bugle-note of defiance to Southern men.
Two years ago did he set forth the doctrine of an "irrepressible
conflict" between the Free and Slave States, and express his
determination, as well as that of his party, to crush out
slavery. Irritated to madness because of the refusal of the
Supreme Court of the United States to depart from theirviews
of right and constitutionality, he has made the threat that his
party, when in power, will change and remodel the court to
suit their own views and purposes, thus manifesting the determination to prostitute the judicial ermine to the furtherance
of factious political purposes. And to this threat not a few of
his confederates have added their echo, feebler it may be, but
none the less willing Were anything needed to complete the
picture, the lately exposed endorsation of the infamous Helper
book by Mr. Seward, an endorsation, moreover, not given without examination of the volume, as some of the endorsers now
pretend to have done, but given " after a careful perusal," this
would be all-sufficient to determine his position.
N. P. Banks, Jr., who, in January, 1856, declared himself unable to answer the following query: " Do you believe in the
equality of the white and black races in the United States, and
do you wish to promote that equality by legislation?" has since
then been elected Speaker of the House of Representatives,
and is now, and has for several years been, governor of Massachusetts.
Anson Burlingame, who, several years ago, declared that
"He would have judges who believe in a higher law, and an
anti-slavery constitution, an anti-slavery Bible, and an antislavery God," has since been returned to Congress more than
once, and now disgraces that body by his presence.
Joshua R. Giddings, of Ohio, while a member of Congress,
and when he had sworn to support the Constitution and laws
of the United States, speaking of the Fugitive Slave Law
said: " From my innermost soul, I abhor, detest, and repudiate this law. I despise the human being who would obey it,
if such a being has existence."
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