The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-10-30
CITY OF WASHINGTON.
sATURDAY NIGHT, OCT. sol, Is47.
The Herkimcr Convention.


reached us, incline to believe that il will prove to
have been almost entire failure Ii attended by
probably less than thousand personsone letter says
about TOO persons, including the ladies' Considering thai
it called in the excitement of important election
that effort spared by the who took the lead
in it, to rally their followers in their utmost force; and
that witha it professed TO be nothing less than Mass
Convention of the democracy of the Empire State, We
cannot but regard the actual attendance upon its proceed
ings almost ludicously small when compared with the
style which assumed and the objects which it sought
10 accomplish 1t little less than absurd for such
body wholly sefcreaed and self sanctioned to under
take TO speak auhortatvey against the Syracuse con-
venon in the of the democracy OF the State and
to prescribe the democratic creed" for the whole "de
mocracy of the north"
Nor are the recorded proceedings of this convention
any better calculated than its constitution represent
alive body TO carry with them any considerable practical
effect The men who assembled in this convention appear
to have called themselves together for two purposeshe
one of practical and the other of theoretical character
Their practical purpose, connexion with the coming
election seems to have been nothing less than
design to force the democratic party of the State into
the election acitout any regularly nominated ticket The
address of the convention states this fact in TERMS
'.Disapocing the action of the Syracuse Convention
have yet declined late day to present candidates for your
support the important election just at hand There
is not time So with hope of We teape the de-
ocracy the State to vofe they ms do tchen regular
nominations haze been made
How does this course compor with the claim OF au-
thory which this convention sets up for itself 1t is
called avowedy the allegation that the Syracuse
vcntion has, by fraud upon the democracy, proclaimed
L,Jr md al had Tho c;pl.
and the men SO presented this convention claims full
thoy in the name OF the democracy, dsavow and
pudate Yeton the eve of election it chooses TO leave
its own distinctive opinions utterly unepresented in any
ticket before the people. he democracy OF the State
wronged Syracuse, this very strange way OF right
ing the wrong. These Proviso men, whatever may be
thought of the soundness of their opinions appear at the
best to have very little Skill very little self confidence
in the organization of their party The only remedy which
they propose for the wrong done at Syracuse u.s. if posi-
BILE, to break down the Syracuse ticket bya dsavowa
and then, without attempting to sustan even to select
another ticket of their own let the State go by default
to the wings This-just this-is the practical pur-
pose for which these Proviso democrats would seem,
from their address, to have travelled up Herkmer just
before the election.
But their address and resolutions set forth a theoeti
cal purpose OF higher scope. They will make creed
for the northern democracy To do this, they select for
cardinal issue between themselves and the whgs in
the State election, point of doctrine which, the first
place. has nothing to do with New York State politics;
and which, in the second place, adopted in common,
and in the very same words, by themselves and the
wings! Thus the action, both practical and theoretical,
of this convention at Herkmer when summed up,
to be this They organize the democracy for struggle
in the election by procaiming hatce democratic
ticket and they amend the democratic creed by nterpo
latng avowcd wing article, the very purpose and in
evitable result of which are to set the northern and
southern democracy in battle array against each other
This double achievement of considerable import
ance for selfcreated convention of few hundred per-
sons to accomplish in one days sitting.
We observe that the address attempts to shield its Pro-
vso doctrine under the great authority Of Jefferson His
participation in framing the ordinance of 1857 has been
recently disputed; but, however this may be, it is easy
show that after the acquisition of Louisiana, Mr. JEFF
ferson far from favorng the Provso doctrine OF the
clusion of the south from far participation in ter
ritory, looked upon the Missouri Compromise as a
great concession the part OF the southern States From
among several similar passages of his correspondence
during the Missouri controversy cite only the follow
ing extract of letter of Mr. Jefferson, under date of
April 18th, 1920. II is important, showing how seri
ousy in his opinion, the slavery agitation Of that day
threatened even the existence OF the Union:
although had laid down law to myself never to
write, talk think of politics, know nothing of
public affairs and therefore had ceased read newspapers
yet Missouri question aroused and filed with alarm
The old schism of federal and republican threatened no
thing because existed in every State and united them
together by the aernsm of party But the coincidence OF
marked principle, moral and political, with geographi-
cal line once conceived, feared would never more be
obterated from the mind that it would be recurring
every occasion, and renewing taton until would kim
die such mutual and mortal hatred render separation
preferable to eternal discord have been among the
sanguine in believing that our Union would be oflong
great distance, and the dect consequence of this question:
not by the line which has been ocondenty counted
the laws OF control this; but by the Potomac, Ohio
and Missouri, probably, the Mississippi upwards
10 northern boundary My only comfort and confidence
is, that shall live ths and envy the pres
generation the glory of throwing away the fruits OF their
fathers sacrifices of life and fortune, and of rendering
desperate the experiment which decide ultimately
whether is capable of segovenment This treason
against human hope will sgnaize their epoch in future
history the counterpart Of the medal of their predeces
sors."
Mr. Jefferson says, in another letter to Mr. John Holmes,
Of April 1920, that Notwithstanding his desire to get
clear of slavery in any practicable way" yet "of one
thing | am certain, that as the passage OF slaves
from one State to another would not make slave of
single human being who would not be so without it, so
their diffusion greater surface acoud make hemn-
dtr'day happier, and proportonay facilitate the
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