The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-07-20
IMPORTANT FREE SOIL CORRESPONDENCE
Letter from Senator Chase, OF Ohio, 20 Hon.
u. II. Batter. OF New York.
WASHINGTON City, July Is, 1852.

4 ino cni iofo VIII Dc memorable IN history as 0
year OF movement, OF progress, of enfranchisement
In tnat year IL was my fortune to be closely asso
clated with you In political action. We were both
members OF the convention Of the free democracy
which assembled at Buffalo; both members Of the
committee which unanimously reported the reso
iutlons which were unanimously adopted by the
convention as its PLATFORM and both members oil
the committee designated by the convention to
advise Martin Van Buren, OF his nomination, as
the candidate Of the free democracy, for the Pre-
sidency of the United States.
The grand object of that assemblage, declared by
ITSELF was he union of the people, under the banner
of their independence Of the slave power, and OF
their fixed determination to rescue the federal
government from its control" The immediate and
pressing necessity of the hour the exclusion OF
slavery from the territories acquired from Mexico;
but it was clearly understood that this exclusion,
if accomplished, would not be final settlement
Of, the controversy between slavery and free
dom. 1t was seen, on the contrary, that the
slave power, resulting from the unity and mag
nitude Of the slave interest, and its firm estab-
lishment in nearly half the States, would
still be able to control the national government,
prescribe its opponents through the action of ma.
tonal administrations by its old policy Of refusing
support to any political party not prepared to
acquiesce in its demands, and giving support
to that party which would most completely
acqulesce. The convention, therefore, did not CON
fine itself to a simple declaration in favor of the
prohibition Of the extension of slavery into free ter
rtory and the nomination Of candidates hostile to
such extension but while DENYING the right of in.
| reference by Congress with slavery within the
limits Of any State resolved nevertheless that it is
the duty of the federal government to relieve itself
from all responsibility for the existence or continu-
ance OF slavery, wherever that government possesses
constitutional power to legisate the subjec and
is thus responsible for its existence accepted the
issue rendered by the slave power and to its de-
mand for more slave States and more slave terri
tory, gave the calm but final answer, more
slave States, and no slave territory; and declared
that the government ought to return to its orig-
nal policy, which, as the history Of the country
clearly shows. was not to extend nationalize, or en-
courage, but to limit, iocaze and discourage sla-
very" Having thus defined their position in respect
to slavery, and having, also, unanimously agreed
upon platform of principles and measures. en-
bracng all the important political questions of the
day, the members of the convention soemnly
pledged themselves to each other and the country,
in this emphatic declaration
Resolved That we nscribe our banner, Free Soil,
will fight and fight ever until triumph and victory
shall reward our exertions.
| well remember the qualification and delight
which you expressed upon the unanimous adoption
of this platform by the committee, and when as its
chairman. you reported it to the convention The
scene which then ensued will not fade from the
memory of any who witnessedit. The vast multi
tude animated by one impulse, literally shouted for
joy. They seemed to feel that democracy had. at
length, broken the bonds CT the slave power and
would henceforth have free in its mission of
acknowledgements and elevation, and that our coun-
try, guided by its maxims, and penetrated by it's
spirit, would henceforth exhibit to the world the ex
ample of government openly, fearlessly, and con.
sisenty in favor of freedom everywhere and for all
Nor shall ever forget the honorable zeal with
which the New York democracy Joined in this great
movement for human liberty. Their devotion to
freedom was not then for the first time proved, No
sooner had it become evident that the war with Mex
leo must result in vast accessons to the territory of
the republic, than, with signal unanmity, they
joined in the demand for the exclusion of slavery
from the new acquisitions. At first they were al
most unanimous in this demand; but the proscriptive
denunciatiops with which the slave interest assailed
all the friends of prohibition, shook the resolution
of many, and converted the forward zeal of some
into cold indifference or open hostility The radical
democracy OF New York, however, stood firm, and
when in lS47, the opponents of the proviso having
obtained as it was alleged by force and fraud the
control of the Democratic Convention Syracuse re-
jected resolution in favor Of that great measure
the radical democracy assembled ut Herkimer in
scribed the provso of freedom their banner, and
reiet ted the nominations OF the Syracuse conven-
tien ensurng thereby their rejection by the people
The members of the Legislature, which assembled
the succeeding winter at Albany, representing both
divisions Of the democracy, united in q call for a
State convention to meet at Utica to appoint dele.
gates to the Baltimore National Convention, agree.
ably to the established nsages of the party: COM
mttee of the Syracuse Convention had already
called another convention to meet at Albany, for
the same purpose. Both conventions assembled and
appointed delegates. The appointees of the regu
larly called Utica Convention were friends-those @
the Albany Convention opponents--of the proviso
Both sets of delegates attended at Baltimore. Some
OF the slave States, as usual, represented by
numerous delegations, vastly disproportoned to
their electoral votes, and were unanimous in their
hostility to the proviso and its friends. The
Committee on Credentials reported against the
admission of the Utica, and in favor of the admis
sion Of the Albany, delegates. The convention re-
jected the report; and yet refusing to decide the
question of right resolved to admit both sets,
thereby neutralizng the power of the regular dele
CATION quite as ehectualy as if they had been
Guided. Thus prescribed on account Of their prin-
ciples, the New York delegation refused to take
seats in the convention, and, returning to their
constituents, issued call for convention of the
New \ ork democracy, to assemble at Utica, the
I'D of june for the purpose Of taking into consider
alton the existing condition of political affairs and
naming candidates for the Presidency and Vice
Presidency.
The convention assembled, and nominated Martin
Van Buren,, of New York, and Henry Dodge. of
Wisconsin, candidates for President and Vice
President, and issued able address to the people
in vndcation Of their position and action. In this
address the convention after declaring in the most
explicit terms the devotion of the New fork demo-
cracy to the principles and measures of the demo-
cracy of the Union, said =
The head and front of offending consists merely in
this-we had simply declared that while would faith
fully adhere to all the compromises of the constitution
and would maintain nvioate all the reserved rights of
the States were uncompromisingly opposed TO the
extension of slavery by any action Of the federal govern
ment into the territory Of the United States already
to be acquired in which it does not exist and
that to ths end desired and far efforts
constitutionally directed could accomplish it. de-
signed that the prohibition of slavery contained in the
of 1IS1frst proposed in 1854 by Thomas JEFF
should We applied to these territories so long
they should remain under the government of Congress.
But before the assembling of the Baltimore Convention,
the slave power. in many of its concaves sat in udg
ment Of these opinions condemned them heretical,
denounced all who held them apostates from the de-
mocratic faith and resolved to support for the
Preside ncy Vice Presidency who should adopt favor
them II was TO carry out thes" predeermination' to
give effect to these foregone conclusions tina. dele
gates placed under the ban.
The effect of these denupeistions upon the timd
and the time serving was wildly portrayed in the
address, also the energy and decision Of the
New York democracy in this hour of freedoms
peril
In this untowird state Of thngs-said the couven-
ton-amd this increasing detection to the interests of
freedom-the democracy Of the state Of New York felt 1t
their duty intervene They opposed themselves to the
current and If they could not wholly arrest they stayed
its progress In their primary and other conventions