Cannibals all! or, Slaves without mastersFitzhugh, George
General
Cannibals all! or, Slaves without masters
Fitzhugh, George
Slave labor; Slavery -- Justification; Slavery -- United States; Working class
The Democratic party, purged of its radicalism and largely recruited
from the ranks of the old line Whigs, has become eminently and actively
conservative. It is the antipodes of the Democratic party of the days of
Jefferson, in the grounds which it occupies and the opinions which it
holds, (what it professes to hold is another thing.) Yet it has been a
consistent party throughout. Consistent, in wisely and boldly adapting
its action to the emergencies of the occasion. It is pathological, and
practices according to prevailing symptoms. 'Tis true, it has a mighty
Nosology in its Declaration of Independence, Bills of Rights,
Constitutions, Platforms, and Preambles and Resolutions; but, like a
good physician, it watches the state of the patient, and casts Nosology
to the dogs when the symptoms require it. When we entered the party we
were radicals, and half Abolitionists, and found inscribed on its
banner, "_The world is too much governed!_" Now, we are sure the
conviction has fastened itself on the heart of every good citizen, that
"the world is too little governed."
The true and honorable distinction of the Democratic party is, that it
has but one unbending principle--"The safety of the people is the
supreme law." To this party we think the Nation and the North may
confidently look for a happy exodus from our difficulties. It is pure,
honest, active and patriotic now, and will continue so as long as the
dark cloud of Abolition and Socialism lowers and threatens at the North.
Long and quiet possession of power will be sure to corrupt it. It will
be then time to cast it aside. It is now able, and it alone is able, to
grapple with and strangle the treasons of the North.
"Times change, and men change with them."
Good and brave men are proud, not ashamed, of such changes. Let no false
pride of seeming consistency deter us from an avowal, which omitted, may
trammel and impede our action.
Our old Nosology is an effective arsenal and armory for the most ultra
Abolitionists, and the more effective, because we have not _formally_
repudiated it. Let "_The world is too little governed_" be adopted as
our motto, inscribed upon our flag and run up to the mast-head.
NOTE.--We learn that many of the old Federalists of the North, and
some of the South, are joining our ranks. We welcome them. Their
principles were wrong when they adopted them, but (barring their
consolidation doctrines) will answer pretty well now. It was ever
the misfortune of the old Federal party and the lately deceased
Whig party, to be right at the wrong time. They were, as the
doctors say, nosological and not pathological in practice. The
Whig party of England, like the Democratic party of America, is
eminently pathological, active, observant and impressible.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
ADDENDUM.
_Virginia, Nov. 18, 1856._
WM. LLOYD GARRISON, Esq.:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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