r (_The Observer_). His press had thrice
before in a year been destroyed.

Pryor of Virginia, Barksdale of Mississippi, and others resented
Lovejoy's expletives, calling him "an infamous, perjured villain,"
"a perjured negro-thief," and demanding of the Speaker to "order
that blackhearted scoundrel and negro-stealing thief to take his
seat."

Personal conflicts were imminent between opposing members. Potter
of Iowa, Kellogg of Illinois, and others promptly and fiercely came
to Lovejoy's defence. The latter finished his speech amid excitement
and threats. Pryor afterwards demanded of Potter "the satisfaction
usual among gentlemen," who promptly proposed to give it to him,
naming bowie-knives as the weapons for the duel. This mode of
gaining "_satisfaction_" was not accepted, because it was "vulgar,
barbarous, and inhuman." Potter thenceforth became a hero, and
less was heard of Northern cowardice.

This, and like incidents, kindled the fast-spreading flame,--real
battle-fires were then almost in sight.

It must not be assumed the Republican party, before the war, favored
the abolition of slavery. Its principal leaders denied they were
abolitionists; on the contrary, they insisted that their party
would not interfere with slavery where it existed by State law.

The sentiment of the people in that party, however, was, on this
question, in advance even of its progressive leaders. The enforcement
of the Fugitive-Slave Law caused many and most important accessions
to the Abolitionists. Wendell Phillips became an Abolitionist on
seeing Garrison dragged by a mob through the streets of Boston;
Josiah Quincy by the martyrdom of Lovejoy; other men of much note,
and multitudes of the moving, controlling masses, were decided to
oppose human slavery by kindred scenes all over the North. They
took solemn, often secret vows, on witnessing men and women carried
off in chains to slavery, to wage eternal war on the institution;
this, in imitation of the vow of Hannibal of old to his father,
Hamilcar, to wage eternal war on Rome.

At last, through causes for the existence of which the South was
chiefly to blame, the sentiment North was culminating so strongly
against slavery that soon, had secession and war not come, slavery
would have everywhere been assailed. It is impossible to stay the
march of a great moral movement, when backed by enlightened masses,
as to stem the rushing waters of a great stream in flood time.
H