The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-04-10

WASHINGTON CITY.
SATURDAY, APRIL 10. 1852.
ts- The Savannah Georgian, u well known
democratic print, thus discusses question
which our city contemporaries are wasting null
titude of words upon. We clip the editorial
from its issue of the 28th ult, before the meet
ing of the late convention in that State:
WHICH Is THE "CoMPRoMIsE" PARTY p
Some efforts seem to have been recently made,
by MIR. Cobb and others, to show that the Demo-
cratic party deserves more credit for the passage
of the compromise, than it has hitherto received
1t is even claimed to be Democratic measure
out of which great glory should accrue to the
Democratic party.
Well, we don't suppose we shall be accused
of Indifference to the success of Democracy, or
bs thought regardless of its just claims upon
the confidence Of the people. Yet, however
popular the compromise may have become, and
however desirable it may be, with view to a
Democratic supremacy, TO show that it was Pc
culiarly the work of the Democratic party, the
history of its passage forbids such statement
One Of its provisions, and one alone, and that
we are sorry to say the most unmportant of
them all, may, with good show Of reason, be
asserted to have been passed by the almost ex-
elusive agency of Democrats-only two or
three Northern Wings having voted for it.
That provision ia, the fugitive slave bill. In 70.
gard to the other measures Of tho omnibus"
Justice to our opponents requires us 10 say, that
Wings did much more, in proportion to their
numbers, for their adoption, than Democrats.
This is certainly true of the California bill and
of the Texas bill, the only really important
measures of the djustment-beside the fugitive
bill. Our Wing friends will, therefore, be
obliged to us for the publication of our extract
from Mr.. Marshall's speech-which does no
more than Justice to the Southern Wings in their
relations to the compromise.
The TRUTH we think, to be this;-neither the
Wing party, nor the Democratic party is, or can
be shown to be, par excellence the compromise
party. A number of distinguished Democrats
supported it with more or less zeal-Cass, Cobb,
Foote, &c, but the gentlemen whose names,
whether for fame or blame, should be in all
coming time most closely associated with it, are
Mr. Clay, who introduced the measure into the
Senate and Mr.. Fillmore, who, after its passage
through Congress, made it law by afiixing to
it his signature The greatest hostility which it
encountered, both during and after its passage,
it received from Southern Democrats.
As TO the course Of the two parties, recent
and prospective in relation to these measures,
the following paragraphs from the GrifIen Con.
stituiiondl Union seem to be well founded
PROFESSION AND ACTION ARE Two THINGS
After the formation of the Union party of
Georgia, for the purpose and under the circum.
stances then surrounding US, we calculated on
supporting the nominee Of the National Demo
cratic party for President at the next election,
and had made up our mind to do 80 in good faith
and honesty of purpose. The reason why we
did 80 was because it was asserted in the round
est terms, by those who ought to know, that the
Northern Democracy were more to be relied on
tlan any other Northern party in true fealty to
the South, and Southern institutions. We
broke loose from old party lines to throw what
little influence we had in opposition to the wild
schemes Of those whose object seemed to be the
severance of the Union, and the building up a
Southern confederacy. And we then deter
mined to act politically with those, and with
those only, who would carry out the compro-
mise in good faith, and put down all sectional
agitation. And believing the assertions so
boldly made and vouched for in behalf of the
Northern Democracy, We were ready to join
them in carrying out the principles upon which
the Union party was formed.
But on the assembling of Congress on the
first Monday in December last, the first thing
that saluted our ears from Washington, was the
fact that the Democratic caucus had refused to
adopt resolution recognizing the compromise
as final settlement of the sectional agitation,
and treated motion for that purpose with con-
tempt; and that similar resolution had been
adopted by the Wing caucus with but three dis
senting voices This action of the two parties
in caucus, being 80 different from what we had
expected, and exactly the reverse of what we had
been promised by those who were so ready to
vouch for the Northern Democracy, threw us all
aback, and set us TO watching with all the per-
cePtion we could command to see where our
first determination to follow the dictates of
principle would lead us. We therefore kept
sharp look out TO see how and by whom the
convention of the national Democratic party
would be cotton up and controlled. The first
move we saw made in the call of the Baltimore
convention, issued from Benjamin F. IIallet. of
Massachusetts,, as chairman of the national
Democratic committee; and upon examination,
we find him to be just as ardent Freesoiler as
even Van Buren, or Giddings. The next move
was the appointment of Robert Ranoul, ir., as
one of the delegates for the State ut large to the
Baltimore convention.
As the matter now stands, The Northern Wing
party are in much more inviting position to in.
dnce our support than the Northern Democratic
party. They stand pledged so far as the action
OF congressional caucus can bind them, to car
ry out the compromise in good faith; and we
have no assurance that the Northern Democracy
will do it except from those who have once de-.
celved us by tina failure of their pledges.
South Carolina.
The South Carolinian contains the following
reference to the probable proceedings of the
convention soon to meet in that State
The CoNvENTIoN-The Unionville journal
thus concludes an article on what the convention
might do:
I'VE are persuaded that, notwithstanding the
past, that convention may do much towards sus-
taininn the characfar and hnnor nf