Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1852-07-31
The Democratic Platform.

attempting a digest oil the whole docu.
meat. propose a short examination into
the merits Of this offspring Of freesoilers,
abolitionists, seoessionists, State Rights
men, Unionists. sc. We shall comment
upon the Democratic platform frankly, and
In such q manner AZ not to be fnisundef.
stood, as becomes the conductor of a
Southern journal, a I.ouisianiap and a
Wing, {" nothing %extenuate, nor augls set
down in malice"
We DO this because we DO not believe
the voters Of Louisiana fully comprehend
The trhe intent and meaning of the resolu.
tons adopted after the nominations Of
Gen Pierce aud Mr.. King.
These resolutions must have been adop.
ted by the Convention at Baltimore, not
with any partiou ar view of having them
fully and justly expohnded, but for the
purpose Of conceaIing from the South their
intentions IN the event Of the election or
their candidate to the Presidency. Care
was taken by those who constructed this
platform, tina, Il should be 20 framed as to
he perfectly acceptable to Gen. Pierce aud
other non.slaveholders. The i~ncousisteu.
ey contained In these resolutions appears
perfectly clear when party p~reiudices are
laid aside, and reason and sound judgment
assume their proper sphere.
II will he remembered that The Van
Buren-, Preston King, Cleveland. Hallet.
Dix, all leading abolitionists. together with
hundreds of others Of the same stripe, ac.
eepted the nominee. Bnt why wac this
done Was Il no because an article In
those resolutions contained a declaration
.pronounoing the Fugitive Slave law "void
and Of no effect The proof Of what we
stated will be found In one of the re.
solutions embraced in this document, In
which 1t is plainly and clearly set forth
THAT the Democratic party will faithful.
" abide by and uphold the principles laid
DOWN in the Kentucky and Virginia reso.
lions Of 1898 aud 17e9,n We place here
one OF the articles referred 10, aud ask for
L All attentive perusal I.
" Resolved, That the Constitution of
he United States having delegated to
Congress a power to punish treason. coun.
erreiting the securities and current coin
" the United States, riracies aud ~felonies
committed on the high seas, and offences
the laws of nations, ard no other
',tmss schatceer, and II being true as a
treat principle, and one of the amend.
nents to the Constitution having also de.
,lared, that the powers not delegated to
he United States by the Constitution, nor
prohibited ny IL to the States, are reserved
o the States respectively, O to the PEG.
lie therefore. also, the satne act of Con
srcss, passed on the lith day OF July,
nd entitled An act ia addition to an act
Untitled an act for the punishment OF Ger.
ain crimes against the United States, land
u 1tUNA aStN WEtSH UcsNffie w ClGUtGs aG~
iae, or punish crimes other than those
numerated ia the Coustitution,) are alta. ,
ether potd ard Of so force ] and that the
ower to create. define, and punish such /
ther crimes is reserved. and of right APP. /,
solely aud exclusively, TO the re. /
States, each within its W ter. ,
:
We fnd in the Democratic platform nm I
rticle expressly stipulated and in Ian.
uage not to be misconstrued, pledging :
aat party ito faithfully abide by and up. :
old the resolutions Of 1898 aud $780," to /
10 detriment of the s%lavehoiding States. e
Why was this clause inserted in the plat. Q
,rme +.
The avidity with which both freesoilers :
nd abolitionists mounted the same stand,
explained in the grounds taken by the Q
above s~tated,--that Congress !
as no power to punish any crimes not !.
set forth in the Constitution of
he United States. The Fugitive law is S
0, defined in the Constitution, and Con- Y
ress has no power to enact laws BY which
slave harborer car be reached aud pu- =
for his crime. We have said that Z
he friends of Mr.. Pierce took pains that a
latform should be so constructed as to be 7
acceptable to the nominee. How :,
,uld this be done without inserting some h
ause ia the platform which he would {
accept, and by which he could .
ain the support Of the abolitionist and !.
eeso,l factions. Upon this platform the n
abolition Democrats desire the
einocratic party 10 be reunited. .
1t may be argued that the Constitution =
self provides for the rendition Of slaves I
certainly does, but does not Congress i
AXE a failure to comply with its provi- b
ons a crime. And yet by these Ken 9
lcky resolutions, Congress has no power :
make the aiding Of a fugitive slave to I
the officers of the law. or the re- ii
stance to 0sA officers when performing 9
dug as officers of the Government 2 :
crime ! such offence cannot be punished
! the laws Of Congress. because no such b
lme is enumerated ia the Constitution. Z
is il possible that a platform without .
&AEf,H NEE.LAE ItAE n
such MYSTERY could be made accepti- !,
e at once TO Gen. Pierce and the South !
n Democrats? Gen. Pierce said ia the &