The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-07-01

charge often repeated that the question OF slavery
In the territories introduced by them and for pur
poses Of mischief into the presidential canvass With
open to conviction, this charge may be easily refuted
Let briefly avert to them In June, 1s4e, Mr.. VIII
sentatives from the State of Pennsylvana offered to
bill then pending In that House. placing 100000
Osscs With MEXICO and IN the
Of territory proviso to the effect that there should
DO neither slavery nor involuntary servitude except
for crime in any territory thereafter to be acquired by
the United States; and this proviso carried by
large majority the Of the free States
s S ssnnr On ss
time to act It, was renewed at the next session OF
the same Congress, commencing In December ls46,
when the prov first offered by MIR. Wilmot was re-
newed by member from this State ONE of the under
signed and again passed BY the House. In the Senate
the bill amended by the striking out OF the proviso,
aud in this Mt the house concurred In the
course Of these several proceedings general subject
q the extension Of ssysr TO- Or ts exclusion from
States Less, discussed; and In the mean
time, ten States of which New York one through
their Legislatures instructed their Senators in Con-
eress and requested their to support
by their influence and votes the principle of the pro-
vsc But in none Of these proceedings so far as the
democracy Of New York took part therein land the
remark may be extended to the democracy Of the
tire North) there any reference whatever to the
had been manifested by leading Senator Of the South
1.-THE oracle Of the slave power and the Coryph@us Of
L. to Sn 70 Ss% m
the creed Of he national democracy; and this, too
not among the nonessentals-not among the less
Of cardinal truths = the highest standard Of
duty = the very touchstone Of political orthodoxy
r1s % these o views s,s IN see DER
mocracy Of the North, but to confederate men
at the South. The Nestor Of the Senate openly de-
them, heretical in principle and destruc-
tive in their tendency; charged upon those who pro-
pounded and maintained them the deliberate design
Of prescribing to candidates for the Presidency test
which Northern man. not recreant to the principles
and interest Of the North could bring himself to
adopt and prophesed II the scheme were persisted In
the division and ruin of the democratic party.
With their attention thus attracted to the subject,
the democracy Of the North, among whom the demo-
ton, and the power intrusted to them sometimes
required to take the not fail to perceive In
sdousy Introduced Politicians and presses Who
the first broaching Of the question had espoused with
ardor the cause Of freedom and had denounced, ~
alike preposterous and wicked the thought OF making
he flag Of this Union, gorsusly identified with the
numphs Of liberty in own land and with its pro-
grs throughout the world the bearer of slavery into
Plausible objections raised In Congress to any
sctionon the subject in connection with the war
Supplies Of men and money needed for its prose-
cution aud it was therefore, inexpedent and danger
to entsr upon question which might embarrass or
delay the granting Of such supplies Until Its termi
nation it coAd certainly be known what territory,
or indeed, whsher any territory would be acquired;
and the whole % was Therefore premature ,
free States. and prominently among them, one from
New York. who has ncs stood at the head of the spu
misrepress ntsd and dishonored at baltimore and
| another from Michigan, then aspirant and now a
candidate for the Presidency while protesting to
Of instructions enabled to stave OF, for more
convenient season, the reluctant performance or
the wilful violation of the duty eujoned by tho In
structions they had received; though. at the epoch
referred to- they were yet, " their declarations
territory. In connection with these movements in tn,
Senate, other Northern men in high places, whose
names more or less associated with the same OBJ
ject Of ambition, were, from time to time, proclaipt
their doubts as to the power Of Congress to prohib
thu extension of slavery to the Territorial thei
readiness to apply to the subject the line the prin
cple of the Missouri compromise And to give to thes
movements their last aud most alarming feature thu
| accredited organ OF the national administration a
the seat OF government nounced. what soon in
thousand ways became apparent to the most Needless
that to support the principle Of the Wilmot pro
| favor.
mocracy Of New York felt 1t their duty to intervene
They opposed themselves to the current and If they
In their primary and other the
prsssand In the various other forms in which, in this
quarter OF the Union, the masses woot to make
known their sentiments and Wishes the voice Of the
| freemen Of our State lifted up, to warn, to
courage and to rally the friends Of freedom the
OF Justice the supporters of the constitution Stcd
at Syracuse. it peaed in trumpet tones at Herkimer
and Utica and has been since rs-echoed from every
hill top in the State Yet in its loudest its most 4
citing blasts 1t has ever bean the voice of
! Of harmony. Of union. " We have not now nor have
we had" said the Utica Convention any desire
to prescribe test in the Presidential which
might prevent union Of all who sanction the genera
principles Of the democratic creedp In this spirit
have all their acts and proceedings been conceived
and while they resolved that by no act or omis-
sion of theirs should any DO nominated for thu
chief mssistracy who either denied or doubted thu
power e. Congress to prevent the inroad Of slavery
into the free q the MON who had been
on both sides Of the Wilmot proviso hNored ths
application to territories yet uptouched by the
tho orI.
or who, by any other form OF indelity to tn anular
WILL had disqualified or might be expected to as.-
Gratis they we're, at all times, prepared cordially to
unite In the support of any sound and competent de-
mocrat who was unwedded to any extreme opinion
either side-unstained by polluting bargains and
fettered by the manaces imposed by the slave power
Such was the avowed the notorious position OF the
democracy Of New York in reference to this most in
teresting matter From this vantage ground OF homo
rable Independence aud frsternai concession. they
hear with serenity and composure the noisy accuse
lions and tho empty clsmor by which they
sailed conscious that bv act-no word Of theirs
has this most delicate and dangerous question been
unnecessarily mixed up with the Presidential nvass
feeling that IL blameworthy at all II h not for acting
or speaking too much too soon for not acting
and speaking sooner and to more purpose aud
sured that intelligent and fair minded will do
justice to their conduct and their motives they
nit both, with unfterng trust to the scrutiny and
In view of the facts to which we have referred how
unfounded how unblushing the accusation preferred
by the advocstes and apologsts of the slave power
formed sectional party. in defiance of the inunctons
Of Washington and the plain dictates patriotic duty!
1t Is they the leaders and managers the slave inter-
est who have done this IL Is to them that the Dig
nant rebukes of the Father Of hts Country justly
applicable Nor Is 1t merely now, that they have SUBJ
jected themselves to this condemnation The history
OF parties In tho United States Ia full Of instances to
show that while the North, and especially the demo-
cracy Of the North, have been unwilling, except on
grounds Of highest necessity to array themselves
on geographical or sectional grounds in their party
lstions, the people Of the South whenever an matter
touching supposed to touch the slave interest has
arisen. have been ready to plant themselves In
hostility not only to their natural opponents but to
their political associates in defence Of their peculiar
institutions. How much from time to time has been
yielded by the North to this feeling let impartial bsto-
~ declare How little of gratitude or comfy has been
manifested by the South. all who familiar with Ame-
aicau politics have had abundant opportunities to know
In regard to the souudness of the opinions enter
tanned and from time TO time advanced by the demo-
cracy of New York. to the power of Congress over