on this hateful basis they are forming
a union of hatred. "Pilate and Herod are thus made friends." Even the
central organ of the whig party is extending its beggar hand for a
morsel from the table of slavery democracy, and when spurned from the
feast by the more deserving, it pockets the insult; when kicked on one
side it turns the other, and preseveres in its importunities. The fact
is, that paper comprehends the demands of the times; it understands
the age and its issues; it wisely sees that slavery and freedom are the
great antagonistic forces in the country, and it goes to its own side.
Silver grays and hunkers all understand this. They are, therefore,
rapidly sinking all other questions to nothing, compared with the
increasing demands of slavery. They are collecting, arranging, and
consolidating their forces for the accomplishment of their appointed
work.

The keystone to the arch of this grand union of the slavery party of the
United States, is the compromise of 1850. In that compromise we have all
the objects of our slaveholding policy specified. It is, sir, favorable
to this view of the designs of the slave power, that both the whig and
the democratic party bent lower, sunk deeper, and strained harder, in
their conventions, preparatory to the late presidential election, to
meet the demands of the slavery party than at any previous time in
their history. Never did parties come before the northern people with
propositions of such undisguised contempt for the moral sentiment and
the religious ideas of that people. They virtually asked them to
unite in a war upon free speech, and upon conscience, and to drive
the Almighty presence from the councils of the nation. Resting their
platforms upon the fugitive slave bill, they boldly asked the people
for political power to execute the horrible and hell-black provisions of
that bill. The history of that election reveals, with great clearness,
the extent to which{360} slavery has shot its leprous distillment
through the life-blood of the nation. The party most thoroughly opposed
to the cause of justice and humanity, triumphed; while the party
suspected of a leaning toward liberty, was overwhelmingly defeated, some
say annihilated.

But here is a still more important fact, illustrating the designs of
the slave power. It is a fact full of meaning, that no sooner did the
democratic slavery party come into power, than a system of legislation
was presented to the legislatures