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Abolitionism Defined.
The Abolition party of America is an extensive "institution," if the following definition of Abolitionism is correct. The Southern Literary Messenger, published in Richmond, Virgnia, says:
"An Abolitionists is any man who does not love slavery for its own sake, as a divine institution; who does not worship it as the corner-stone of civil liberty; who does not adore it as the only possible social condition on which a permanent republican government can be erected; and who does not, in his inmost soul, desire to see it extended and perpetuated over the whole earth, as a means of human reformation second in dignity, importance and sacredness alone to the Christian religion. He who does not love African slavery with this love, is an Abolitionist."
According to that definition seven eighths of the people of America are Abolitionists. Garrison, Phillips, and that class of men, must begin to feel their importance and to aspire to Presidential honors. We used to think that the Democratic definition enlarged the Abolition border, viz: "any man who is opposed to the election of Douglas is an Abolitionist," but the Messenger's pole knocks a higher persimmon than that. Of such precious fools as the editor of the Messenger are secessionists made; and yet there are men in Springfield and in other parts of our land who think that such idiots ought to be permitted to overthrow this Government without an effort on our part to uphold it. According to that definition we are now, always have been and always expect to be an abolitionist; and according to that definition nine-tenths of the Democrats of Springfield, Sangamon county and State of Illinois are abolitionists. After this, we think the word "abolitionist" will be stricken from the Democratic vocabulary.