Previous to the war, it was frequently alleged, that the abolitionists constituted only a small minority in the Republican party. It is certain, that they controlled the policy of Mr. Lincoln's administration. “The higher law,” “the law written on the hearts and consciences of freemen,” was the rule of their conduct. For the Constitution, for the compact of 1787, for that “covenant with death and agreement with hell,” they cared less than nothing; except when it agreed with their own will, or could be made a pretext for their dark designs.
