Eaton Democrat

What are the Causes

The most unblushing impudence and effrontery ever exhibited, is manifested by those individuals who claim and proclaim the recent State elections, and the selections of United States Senators, by several legislatures, as Anti-Nebraska victories! Such persons have so stultified their common sense and prostituted their reasoning powers, that, we should not in the future, be surprised to hear them advocate the most infamous dogmas, and swear point blank, that black was white, and brown no color at all! These miscreants who preach treason, and falsify and pervert the constitution as the foundation of their scandalous principles, claim in justification the "higher law," which, according to their construction, teaches men that it is right to steal away the servants of their neighbors, and run them off on underground railroads! These men—this class of bipeds, the dissatisfied and disappointed aspirants of all parties, grown too corrupt themselves, to remain in any "healthful organization," find a malicious pleasure in exulting over the temporary defeat of democratic measures and men, and ascribe the present condition of affairs politically, to the influence of the principles they promulgate! Such downright and premeditated self-stultification, is worthy the men who advocate such a cause and such principles. They lie, and misrepresent upon every occasion, and when defeat overtakes either of the old parties, from whatever causes produced, these "higher law" men, unblushingly assert what every sensible man knows to be utterly false and groundless, namely, that, such defeat was brought about or produced through the influence of their infamous principles, upon the public mind. We are glad to know that in such assertions, there is not the least semblance of truth, although they may be made by church-members and professing christians. The character and reliability of such church-members and christians, may be estimated by their practices. It may be no harm for them to run off slaves—steal from their neighbor his property, acknowledged as such by the laws of the land, but if any other individual steals any property from them, they find there is a difference between skinning and being skinned, and the aggressor is visited with the heaviest penalty of a violated law. Such are some of the practices of those men who assert that higher law motives swayed the recent elections, and still are exerting such an influence in every contest. We will tell all such, and every body else who knows nothing about the cause, that such is not the case—"higher law" men are nowhere, but there is an individual by the name of "Sam," who is said to have been very influential, and powerful in the recent contests, and who, if report is correct, despises with perfect hatred all "higher law" men, their principles and practices, and who because of his refusal to acknowledge the black banner of Abolitionism, and swear allegiance to it, has called down from the nigger stealers the fiercest denunciations and anathemas.— Let them rave and rant—if we ever are compelled to choose between the principles of Know Nothingism and old Abolitionism, we shall choose the former, unless it becomes tinctured with the latter, and then, under any circumstances, we could not be induced to touch it with a ten foot pole! Of two evils we generally endeavor to choose the least, but if ever these two should become amalgamated, they would be unendurable. We have no apprehensions that ever the friends of "Sam" will go over to Abolitionism, and we should most devoutly pray that, if ever abolitionism made overtures, they would be indignantly rejected. The democracy has thus far, to a considerable degree, preserved itself free from "entangling alliances," and we hope hereafter it may persevere in the same course of policy, assured that the true system is to stand firm, in the advocacy of tried and true principles, trusting in the sober second thought of the people which is always right.