Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-11-01
THE DEMOCRACY OF OHIO.

The Union" of this city has recently shown
remarkable degree of sensitiveness, and especially
since the result Of the contest has been known as
TO the position occupied by its party in regard to
the compromise measures pending the late election
In Ohio. The Democracy of that State, the
/" Union" maintains, were the exclusive champions
OF those sautary enacments, whilst the Wings, it
says, "enJoyed the exclusive honor of working
with the Aboltionists." We refuted this fallacy
some days ago, by quoting from several papers of
different politics to show that in their professions
the Democrats were regarded during the canvass
as being more anti-savery than the Wings and
amongst the papers thus cited was the New York
Evening Post, which pronounced Governor WooD
to have been g candidate acceptable to the Free
Soil party" by whom, it said, he was "generally
supported" in preference to the Wing candidate,
who, being "one Of the class called Union men,
: would never reform wrong, or redress an exist
: ing grievance, or repeal or change bad law un-
!. less there was good party reason for it." The
Post also said that call that attachment to the CON-
! promise measures could do for the Whig candi-
date was done for him and against his COM
pettor; !" and still further, "that the Democrats, in
! the Convention held by them just before the
: election, put the compromise aside.'' The Post
being leading and well-conducted Democratic
Free-Soil journal, we supposed that the Union"
Ject-estmony which is confirmed by many other
journals. and, amongst the number, by the central
FreeSoil organ in this city, which says that the
Democratic majority in Ohio /" can be accounted
for only on the supposition that the nomination
: Df Mr.. VINToN was particularly unacceptable TO
the Wings, on account of his high-toned conser-
vatism, while that of Mr.. WooD, sustained as il
was by Mr.. Senator CHASE, attracted the support
generally of the Democratic Free-Soilers'
1t appears, however, that the Union is not
satisfied. l. has again and again recurred to the
subject, insisting that the Democrats did sustain the
compromise but offering no evidence in confirma-
tion of its assertion, except paragraph of ten lines,
copied from the Wing paper at Columbus of the
3Oth of August last That il may po longer be
under any misapprehension in regard to the item
thus produced, we will state fact of which the
Union" ought to be already cognizant. II is,
that the paragraph cited appeared in the /" State
Journal at time when its Editor was absent at
Quebec, as is evidenced by the letters. published
in his paper, which he sent thence for the entertan
mentof his readers. We were early apprized, by
private advices, that the contents of this very paper
of the 3Oth of August were in opposition to the
sentiments of seven-eighths of the Wings of Ohioy
who were represented TO us, and were charged by
some OF the opposition presses to be devoted Union
men, who, like the Democrats of The same State,
no doubt disliked slavery, but had no disposition
to agitate that question to the offence of their
Southern brethren, and were willing to abide by
the compromises of the Constitution. The para
graph relied upon by the Union is therefore of
no consequence in determining the position Of
either party in Ohio. 1t simply ascrbes to the Demo-
cracy the purpose of maintaining the compromise,
and might be fairly offset by any one of number
of expressions that found their way into Demo-
cratic and Free-Sol presses, charging like pur-
pose upon the Wings. Even as late as the 22d
ulmo, in referring back to the election, the Cleve-
land True Democrat" Free-Soil paper, reiter-
ated the charge that the object of the Wings to
sustain the policy of the National Administration"
which had resolved to break the Whg party to
atoms if it did not support the compromise and the
fugitive act"
But, again. after stating that the Whig Conven-
tion of Ohio did not recognise the compromise as a
Wing measure, and allowed toleraton of opinion
IN regard to its provisions, the Union says thai
:" the Democrats re-nominated Governor WooD
who, in his message to the Legislature, recon.
mended the support of the compromise measures =
This allegation is wholly erroneous. Governor
WooD was not installed into office until some days
after the meeting of the Legislature and in his in
augura address he took unequivocal ground against
the fugitive slave act. He admitted its consttu-
tonality and urged the duty of all citizens to obey
it, but emphatcally denied IFS propriey and expe-
diency, said it was law that could never receive
the cooperation of the people, and recommended
its modification or repeal. He also advocated the
abolition of slavery in this District, not only as
measure of expediency, but Of absolute natural
right to the colored race" He further said that
I" the Democratic party has and ever will oppose
either the diffusion or extension of slavery into
any free territory of the United States, by every
legal and constitutional means, and would rejoice
if any mode not doing violence to others could be
devised to overthrow and eradicate the evil"
The "Union" itself, on the 18th of December
last, took exception to the course of the Governor,
and, after warning him of the consequences of car
rying out his doctrines, expressed its that
Z Governor WooD had thought proper to encourage
this rabid notification design of the Abotionists,
: as every word of encouragement was adding fuel
z to the flames they would light throughout the
: land" The Governor has not recanted any of
the opinions that called forth this rebuke from the
:" Union," and yet that paper is now almost daily
eulogizing him as firm supporter of the compro-
mise 1t is certainly laboring under some strange
delusion in relation to the matter.
Nor was the course of the Democrats in the Le-
gislature of Ohio any more favorable to the COM
promise measures than that of Governor WooD.
The Senate was composed of seventeen Wings, |
sixteen Democrats, and three Free-Soilers and the
House of hirty-two Wings, thirty-two Democrats,
and eight Free-Soilers.
The record of the proceedings of these respective
bodies will show that in the Senate, on the 22d of
March last the Committee on Federal Relations
reported resolution on the subject of slavery as
ollows: