The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-07-09

republc were diinclined TO trust these c0nven-
tons. They stood out until the wire-pnllera
produced . sesninQ necessity for their 60 ops-
ration. This seeming necessity was based upon
the known fact that when they had spoken,
there was not one man in one hundred who
would dare to stand up and give free utterance
to his own opinions, who would not say Il
must conform 10 the party. must elect as
Chief Magistrate OF this Union man who, in
my Judgment, is not qualified for that high trust.
| must support combinations which believe to
be Injurious to my country, or shall lose caste
with my party" | would persuade such men
to-day, that the path of duty is the path Of safe
ty; that country will gain whan party loses, by
the untrsmmeled exercise of their own judg-
ments, and BY making the ballot box speak
their own, and not ano,her's will. ! have heard
the same sentiments uttered upon this floor, and
gentlemen reproducing one another, when ques-
tons came up for their consideration and &C.
ton, with having violated the platform of their
party. Better violate that than your judgment,
and your conscience, and your duty to the coun-
try. Rouse yourselves from any such degrad-
ing servitude. Your enemy is feeble, despised
disgraced in the eyes of the people-y0u have
only to resist him, and he will flee from you.
With this opinion of these organizations, with
this Judgment OF their effects and tendencies
they cannot prescribe rule of political action
for me. They would affect my conduct to some
extent. would yield much to overthrow them
am ready to-day to unite with the free people
Of any portion of the republic in their efforts Ia
rescue their own rights from the hands OF those
who have ssurped them, and to resume their
ancient privileges, and among them the high one
Of designating for themselves who shall rule
| over them.
Party success being the life blood of these
organizations, they must and will, whenever il
is necessary, sacrifice both men and principles
to its attainment. Their history proves them
true to this necessity, if to nothing else. When
the Presidential election devolves upon the
House Of Representatives, the Constitution re-
stricts hs choice to the three candidates having
the highest number Of votes in the electoral col
| lege, and thus the popular will still remains the
controlling element in the election These con.
ventions being under no such restraints, we have
| seen thsm make candidate to suit themselves,
instead Of selecting one from the number OF
! those designated by any portion OF the people.
Success demands that all factions of the coali.
ton shall be pacified the god of party harmony
| will accept none but noble Victims thus great
public services become barriers instead of psss-
ports 10 public honors, and to have done moth
| ing worthy of the Presidency Is the surest
| means of obtaining it. The republic must con-
tent itself with dispensing with the services OF
it's most eminent and worthy citizens in this
Office, or with national conventions. Their
action Is not less fatal to principles than to pa
triots
A moments examination Into the discordant
mater ais which compose these conventions VIII
demonstrate their unfitness to maintain prlncl-
pies of any sort. They neither develop new
truths, nor correct old errors They usually
announce with pompous certainty, political AK
IONS which no. dy denies, and mystity with
cunningy contrived phrases controverted points
of public policy Truth is sacrificed to harmo
nv. These combinations are in no just sense
of that term parties. They do not combine 10
maintain any principles, neither to carry out q
right policy or to resist wrong policy. They
are therefore coalitions g without principles and
without policy, held together by the cohesive
properties of the public plumber" Thus con-
stituted, they can pull down, but cannot build
up systems. They may acquire place, but can.
not hold it, They can combine for mlschlets
but not for good. They can get place but not
power Hence the people, from the origin of
this system to this day, though they have sup
been opposed to the President. This is curl
in 1896; was not supported in Office by the
country, and was ignominiously driven ou( b
1910. Harrison was elected in 1910; his party
was driven out in 1874, by Mr.. Polk, whose
party in turn were defeated in l848. Thus
each coalition in its turn, has answered the ends
of it's creation. The spoils have not only been
regularly distributed, but have been greatly aug
mented to meet the increasing demand. The
coalition gets an almoner of public wealth to
political mendcants; the people get the priv
lege of replenishing the waste Shame on them
for thus betraying 80 noble trust!
There was something more tolerable in the vic
torious legions who had subdued the barbarians,
and defended the empire from internal nsurrec-
ton and foreign invasion, usurpng tho power to
dispose of the imperial purple. They were at
least able to wear what they had won" and
we're probably more worthy to rule than the i'm
beetle and timid hero, whose privileges and
rights they usurped
But must pass on from this branch of the
subject, and hasten to a brief examination of the
constituent elements, and the action of the two
late conventions. The Democratic convention
assembled first. The prospect was not favora
BILE to it's unity or harmony; the preservation
of either was impossible except upon the prin
ciples have already explained. The political
commissions which ragged 80 violently since its
previous session had divided it into three parts.
One portion had wandered off to Buffalo, and
struggled Justify to bring the great Democratic
family into disrepute in the North, by charging
it with betraying it to the South. Another por
ton wandered off to Nashville, and battled
against it under the pretence that il had betrayed
the South to the North. And yet another por-
ton, which embraced the majority of the party
in Congress, stood firmly by the compromise
measures, and voted for their passage. The two
sectional wings Of this party stood in extreme
opposition an agreement between them in
principle was impossible. The Southern wing
had denounced every public man North, Wing
and Democratic, as unworthy of Southern sup
port. The Southern men who supported the
compromise measures were equally denounced
by them The Northern wing separated them
selves from the organization upon what they call.
ed great questions of "human liberty" The con.
dition of success was, that Birnam WOO should be
brought to Dunsinane-this moral miracle must
be performed 1t was done. The huge magnet
of patronage was waived over the disaffected