The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-05-20

Senator kom California called ap some impress
sions to ~ mind, which feel II due to lay be-
fore the Senate aud tho country that they may
have the dvantnge Of them. They were, with
refeFenccto the policy, the propriety, and the
expedien@ of putting candidate before the
conntry 4 the approaching presidential election
bound, and pledged, and sworn to maintain and
support isviolate what are called the great meas
ures Of compromise and peace to the country
| Now, sir, wish to say, and to say it with the
best wishes for some folks, that if the Demo
cratic patty, at the approaching Presidential
election, should undertake-and you know that
the Democratic party now has good many
characteristic features and elements in it that
may not be characterized as General Jackson
wanted to have his cabinet characterized AS q
unit and it is impossible it should be so, and
perhaps it is not desirable that it should; but
| should they undertake to put candidate into
the field upon the compromise platform, they
will experience defeat, compared with when
they had victory in l84S, unless the candidate
Of the honorable Senator from North Carolina
Mr.. MANGUMl should suffer himselfto be coaxed
into the same trap. But if he should, and II
the Democratic party, forgetting the forlorn sit
uation Of their Freesoll friends in the Northern
States, should undertake to lay down that plat
form, and make adherence to the fugitive slave
law, and commentator and approval Of the
compromise acts part OF their platform, II
it should bs put on and tackled on 20 the Balti-
more platform, the scattered planks of the Buff
falo platform will be reunited, and there will be
scene of "confusoD," unless they have the
! sagncty TO coax General Scott on to the same
platform.
A great deal Of credit has been taken by some
gentlemen Tor having saved the Union. | wish
to set history right on that subject. The truth
is, that if the Union is safe--and some gentle
men think there ia some doubt about that now
1t was the Buffalo convention that saved it
and not the compromise acts. And why, sir
Because the Buffalo convention, by the mani.
lestation of that rebellious spirit which the
Northern Democracy had against submitting to
the new platform, demonstrate to you, and de-
monstrate to those who welded, and would
WELD, if they could, the force and energy of this
government to one direction, that it would not
be safe to 90 in that direction any further. That
is a fixed fact. They showed that, and they
showed by This rebelious demonstration that il
| they put themselves in very small minority
! they took their neighbors along with them, and
| that made two minorties. That being fact OF
history, it is well, as the history is written, that
we should improve by it. And the only way
in which the Democracy, ace can recover ouI
lost power is to give up the idle pretence that
we must bring all our members up to swear to
the support of the finality of the compromises
as part of our creed The only way in which
it can be done, is to ''Iet by cones be by-gones,
aud if we mean to cndeavor successfully to re-
tain or regain power and place, wo may as well
understand it at once that the compromise, as
an efficient political measure, is just as dead as
the Buffalo convention. They must both be
content to lie together; and their friends, il
they have friends, can go and weep together in
sympathy over them both, because you cannot
elect your candidate, it is settled fact that you
cannot do it, without the support of the Bulia-
10 Democrats. And these Buffalo convention
Democrats have screwed their consciences up
to the last extremity, when they consent to
stand by the old Baltimore platform. They do
not feel comfortable there; but for the sake OF
party, and OF regaining power, and place, and
plumber, they will 90 there, although they do
not feel very comfortable. They will go therD
and stond on the Baltimore platform, if you will
let it be Baltimore and nothing else. But the
moment you undertake to tic one fugitive slave
to one of its up rights; the moment you under
| take to make u single endorsement of on Of
these measures as a necessary certificate of qu1l
fcation, you will drive the whole of them of
| Is it not best, thereto @, to take counsel anc
learn wisdom from experience! We have
resolution lying on the tnble-if it is not nov
under the tablo-proposing the Endorsement o
| the Senate to these measures. Possibly tina
may be enough. If it lies there, it will do n,
harm; but the moment you undertake to tax
it from the table, and resuscitate and reanmat
it and make it party political platform, tina
very moment the friends of that measure will
look to the Presidency through that enchant
ment which distance gives to the view-a dis
lance four years long. Now, as we consider
and conceive, and admit, that it Is highly i'm
portant that there should be honest upright
right thinking men in ofiice--and this is no i'm
peachment of n mans patriotsm-as that is on
of the first things to be sought after, and locke
to, and cared for, 1t seems to me that the pnT
of wisdom requires that, in laying out our plat
form and building it up and selecting cand
dates, the first object should be to obtain vote.
You cannot get your candidate elected withou
I them and it appears to be admitted now as
fact, that you cannot have both votes and plat
forms. Take your old platform and elect you
man.
A SENATOR. Touch lightly on that.
I Mr.. HALE. My friend says, touch light
on that
Now for General Scott. have nothing t
say against General Scott. think if he
nominated as he stands, he will make prett
fair race; but General Scotland every perso
knows it, who knows anything about that ger
tenants much better at fighting battles, tina
at writing letters and | hope his friends wi
impress that fact very strongly on him, if he
nominated. Besides, the Democratic conventio
will meet first and if they commit fatal error
you will have the benefit of experience, and ca
avoid them. But if General Scott, in an al
: thortative manner undertakes to put himself o
that platform, the defeat that he will experienc
will be more overwhelming and severe than an
he inflicted on any of the Mexican generals wit
whom he came in contact. do not believe h
chance is very good at the best not more tina
middling. To be sure, he has good deal I
military renown which may help him along
but give him everything-give him all his prestig
he ia tall without hia faafher. hut mt that n