The State guard., 1848-04-25
FROM THE STATE GAZETTE. The Democratic Convention

l rhom IhE oIAAE OhLEIIEs
 The Democratic Convention.
 In one or two late numbers of the Flag & Advertiser has appeared the compla int of the editor that the Washington "Union' had not published the proceedings of the late Democratic State Contention, held at Montgomery. It is matter of mortifca- tion, too, that they have received the favorable countenance of none of the jour nals of other States, except those ofSomh Carolina.-lt is still more strange that the Flag & Advertiser s about the only : democratic paper in Alabama which seems to care much about them. This seeming indifference to the resolutions adopted by the Convention has evidently grown out of a misconstruction of them. They have been regarded, not so much as intended to lay down great cardinal prin- ciples of government, as trick to commit Alabama against all the northern aspi- rants to the Presidency, except Mr. Wood bury-a supposed partizan follower of John c. Calhoun. The resolutions sub- mitted by the able committee of the Con- vention were certainly not intended to throw difficulties in the way of either aspi- rant, and had no such tendency. What ever may have been the motive of Mir. Yancey in introducing, on the eve of the adjournment of the Convention, the reso- lutions adopted as his amendment, it is certain they were viewed, at the time of their adoption, as laying down abstrac- tons, and as committing the Convention only against the aboitionists and the advo- cates of the Wilmot propiso. If they sought to accomplish an object beyond this, they could not have been adopted if that object had been known.
 wish, by brief review of the pro- ceedings of the Comventioin, to satisfy the democratic party, and some of the delegates to Baltimore who have thought of declining their appointment on account of Mir. Yancey's resolutions, that the Con- vention intended no more than to pledge us againts the principles of the Wilmol prouiso. 4
 The first rule by which I will construe Mr. Yancey's amendment is the course of that gentleman in reference to Messrs. Buchanan, Cass and Dallas, only few weeks before the meeting of the Conven- tion, and subsequent to their published opinions on the slavery question. At a meeting of the whigsin the capitol, during the past winter, Judge Hopkins endeavor- ed to prove that the three gentlemen men, toned were little better than aboltionists, so far as the interests of the south were concerned. At democratic meeting at the court house, few days afterwards, MT. Yancey appeared in debate as the jealous advocate of the pure principles and perfect orthodoxy of these gentle men-giving the distinguished whig ora tor what was then called a" decent cur iying." At that time he viewed MT. Buchanan, Cass or Dallas as eminently fitted for the Presidency, and neither has since said or done any thing which has met the public eye. MT. Yancey did not intend, therefore, if a consistent politician, to "cut out" by his amendments, as is supposed, these merited subjects of his eulogy.
 Another construction will not allow us to suppose that the Convention intended to behave so unbecomingly. No body of men can be said to oppose or suspect those whom they praise. The 18th resolution and the next one following Mfr. Yancey's amendment is in these words:
 "Resolced, That as democrats pe are proud to find that euery statesman in the non-slaucholding States who has declared opinions fauorable to the constitutional equality of southern citizens in acquired Territory is of our oon political brother hood," &c.
 This resolution, as every member of the Convention knows, and as the con- mitte on resolutions say, was intended to refer to Messrs. Buchanan, Cass and Dallas especially. Can it be thought, then, for moment, that the Convention which claimed them as '.for our brother itood," had erdeavored by previous reso. lutions to prescribe them from southern suffrage? Could it have been intended that these northern statesmen should be even interrogated by the delegates to Baltimore touching, in any way, the ques- tibn O. slavery, when the Convention says of them that they have "declared opinions fdrorab1e to the constitutional equality of southern citizens in acquired terri tory 7" This constitutional equality" too, was all that Mir. Yancey's amend naent seemed designed to establish.
 It will not be urged as tenable posi- tson that the Convention has adopted con- | tradictory resolutions. If its whole pro- t;eedings are viewed ;npari materia, no contradictions will appear; and Mfr. Yan. cey's amendment will be justly viewed as a string of d5strdctions calculated only to do mischief. The 18th resolution (one ol Mir, Yancey's) and the 7th resolution oi