The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-02-11
The New Hampshire Democrats and the
Territorial Question.

I'VE are happy to find ourselves sustained in
our views as to the propriety of establishing terri
torial governments by many ofour contemporaries
the press in the free States. Uhaicrer may be their
opinions ,oih regard to the Vinof Proriso they be-
iieUe that the question should be no,c permanently set
tied; and therefore they denounce the shutting,
skulking, cowardly, and dsgraceful policy re-
commended by the cabinet, through their conve-
nient instrument, General TAYLOR"
Thus courteously speaks the Union, and
then quotes an article from New Hamp-
shire paper, written in the polite style of
controversy which the sole organ has made
fashionable among the Democratic Jour
nails.
To show the manner of g permanent
settlement which the Democratic Jour
mails of New Hampshire desire, we quote
from two of the leading journals of that
State, and we commend our citations to
such of the friends of peace and order
throughout the country as are disposed
to doubt the wisdom of the policy recon-
mended by General TAYLOR.
Our first citation is from the proceed
lngs of the Democratic Senatorial Conven-
ton in district No. s. This is perhaps
the strongest Democratic district in the
State, and has always been so compris-
ing as it does part of the county of Hills
borough, usually called the g backbone
of the Democracy" Hillsborough was
the residence of the late Governor PIERCE,
and was the birthplace, and, till recently,
the dwelling-place of the Hon. FRANKLIN
PIERCE. What say the Democrats of the
Sth district What say these Democrats
who are opposed to the policy of permit
ting our new acquisitions to settle the
slavery question for themselves We
quote from the Republican and Farmer, a
Democratic journal published at Keene,
which endorses with its editorial approba-
ton the proceedings and resolutions of the
9Th district convention
"Resoiued, That We opposed to the admission
Of any new States into the American Union tcih the
proris0 that SLAVERY shall be tolerated.
" Resolved, That 1t is the duty of the members of
our State Legislature, that whenever the subject Of
slavery shall be brought before them to give their
influence in favor of freedom.
g RESOLVED, That those Democrats whose opinions
do not accord with the sentiments of the preceding
resolutions are unworthy Of our support
" Resolved, That We hope the time is not far dis
tant when the threats Of southern members of our ma
tionGl Legislature may be put 10 the test in relation 10
the dissolution of The Union by the passage of the WI
mot propiso.'
These resolutions are adopted by the
Democratic friends of the Union newspa-
per in the State of New Hampshire. These
are the sentiments of men whose system
OF permanent settlement" of the pend
ing controversy, by the adoption of the Viii
mot proUiSo, with the view of bringing on
civil dissensions, TO test their I" natural
allies'' in the South, is the counter-plan
to the wise, liberal, and statesmanlike
policy of President TAYLOR, which seeks to
disembarrass our national councils of this
agitating question, and to refer il in the
first instance to the constitutional tribunal
for its final adjudication.
Which policy commends itself to the
judgment of good men! Shall the Demo
Gratis pass the Wilmot proviso for the sake
OF testing their natural allies, or shall the
question be withdrawn from the Federal
Legislature, and submitted to the people
of New Mexico! President TAYLOR pre-
fers the latter course Bitter-endism pre-.
fers the former, and denounces the plan
Of President TAYLOR as the plan of an
"idiotn
And what say the New Hampshire
friends Of the Union newspaper in the
Cheshire Councillor convention We
quote one Of their resolutions
Resolved, That VIC approve of the course OF
Messrs Peaslee and Hibbard, in the matter Of
electng Speaker; in that, they did not make a
vexed question test, where no necessary action
upon that question at issue; and that we shall
az heartily approve ola firm adherence by them
10 The principle Of he Witnof proviso, tshsn that
questions IA really and necessarily inpolped."
They, too, desire ''permanent settle
ment" Of the territorial question on the
basis OF the Wilmot proviso. They, too,
desire to see the test applied TO their "na-
tural allies"-and this, too, in preference
to the only truly Democratic mode of adj
Justing the question by the vote of the
people themselves.
But we have not yet done. with the
"natural allies" of the South in New
Hampshire. We propose to furnish the
Union with further extracts from the
columns Of the Democratic contempora.
ries who abuse General TAYLOR, because
his policy does not permit them TO apply
the test of the Wilmot proviso, and de-
termine, experimentally, whether or not
its adoption will result in civil war. The
Rockingham county resolutions, which we
now cite, are endorsed by the editor Of
the Portsmouth Gazette, one of the Oldest
Democratic journals in New England, if
th< c.ldn.t Tho 1nditcar q. .l !.