The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-03-15


Compromise, several Freesoilcrs voted in the
negative. They were probably unwilling for
the federal government to engage in the slave
trade by wholesale, for in purchasing large
part of a slaveholding State, not only the terri
tory, but the population-saves, masters and all,
were bought
The vote Oh this measure in the House was
thus: yeas--5s Democrats, 40 Wings; nays
as Democrats, 81 Wings. Of the Southern
States, a majority of the Democrats voted
against tan overwhelming majority two days
before it passed, large majority one day be-
fore, and still a majority the day of its passage
So that this Democratic measure had most
narrow escape from defeat from decided ma
jority of the Democrats in the House, and was
saved by an almost equal division Of the Wing
vote, and one nearly equal Of the Democrats.
But majority of the Southern Democracy con-
tinued recresnt to the last.
If we turn to the next great measure of the
Compromise, the abolition Of the slave trade in
this District, we shall find, indeed, that ma
jority of the Democracy supported it, but, alas
it, giving As votes in opposition to 81 Northern
Democrats in favor, and the Wing party on this
occasion, rs on most of the other measures of
the Compromise, were more Democratic than
the Democrats--for the Wings gave II votes
for the law, and only IA against it,
The fugitive slave law is the only one for
which majority of the Democrats, North and
South, voted, viz: 20 from the North, and 81
from the South,-although against that, there
were nineteen Northern Democratic votes given.
measure, more than one-third of the senators
were absent or did not vote.
Thus it will be seen, that of the whole series
of these measures, only two received majority
of the Democratic vote, and of these two, one of
them, the Texas and New Mexican bill receivde
but bare majority and obtained almost as many
Wings votes. AS for the other which received
decided Democratic and Southern vote it is
nullfcd. This great Democratic scheme of
principles was originally proposed to the Senate
by that great leader OF Democracy, HENRY CLAY,
in pursuance of resolutions and a speech prcvi,
ously delivered by him to that body, and when
it went to Georgia, it was sustained by the eo-
quent labors of those two eminent Democrats,
Messrs. STEPHENS and TooMBs, in conjunction
with the present Cover nor, and by the aid of all
the Wing papers in the State, except two, and
four-ffths of the Wing party, against the oppo.
siton of all the Democratic papers, except one
and the mass of the Democratic party. A SINH
lar state of things in Mississippi and in Ala
bama. In South Carolina-al Democratic-th
great Democratic achievement was unanimously
denounced and Democratic Virginia reelected
to Congress,evcry candidate who had opposed it.
And after all this, governor of Southern
State, goes to the Sachems, and Sagamores and
Braves of the Tammany wigwam and tells
them, as if they had been out on scalping ex-
petition all this time, and had not seen, or
couldn't read the papers, that the Compromise
is great Democratic exploit of constitutional
principle. And all this is done for the protuberant
purpose, not only of getting admission into the
Baltimore convention for the governor and his
party, without those regular credentials from
the Democracy of his own State which they can
never obtain, but also to make platform, to ex
clude the mass of the party in a large number of
Southern States, including Virginia. Well, as
to the Baltimore convention, we have SO far but
little confidence in it. We know that number of
our Southern friends think that by going into
the convention, they can exert an efiectual and
sautarv influence on its proceedings. And for
this opinion there is some foundation For al
though the South is no stronger in the conven-
ton, than in Congress, nor in fact so strong as
in the two Houses of Congress, yet the Demo-
cratic party of the country is less hostile to the
; South than the Wings, for larger proportion
of the Democratic vote is in the South. Yet rs
for the Compromise, and the rest are Freeso-
ers, the Compromise will be regarded in. that
body as concession to the South. And rs the
Northern portion of the party in Congress was
ready to isregard the Constitution and rights
of the South for popularity at home, so in the
convention they will disregard the party usages
in the admission of members from the Southern
States, and will certainly fraternize with South
ern compromises in the platform and the nomi
nation. And thus the men who oppose the CON-
; promise as citizens of the South, will be required
to support it as Democrats. 1t is true that
two thirds vote is required for nomination, but
a majority can pass resolutions. And in our
opinion whoever gets the majority for the nomi-
nation will secure two-thirds. The spirit Of
party, the chance for spoils, the desire for vcto-
ry, will dissolve a minority. The majority can
persist on its favorite and throw the responsibility
of division on the minorty,--and the weak the
tin i'd and nrm of the latter will desert and sur.
!, render. The defeat of the majority as in the
case of Mr. VAN buren, in 1874, cannot be east
ly repeatcd-and if it could be, that majority
would again, as then, select one Of their own