The Ohio star. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1830-1854, 1852-10-27
speech of MIR. Townsend.
OF OHIO, ON THE PRESENT POSITION OF THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Delivered ia the House of Representatives, June 3d. 1852
(Conc!aded.)
In the endorsement of the Compromises-fugi-
tive bill and ALL think the managers Of the party
were guilty of poor generalshp. think the party
was placed entirely at the mercy of the Wings;
and if they did not profit by it, it argues folly on
their part rather than its absence on yours. Had
they refused to endorse those measures, l can
scarcely believe there is single Northern State
they could not have carried. And the South should
remember that the North can elect President
without their help. Whether such result is
especially desirable is for the South to say.
How far have you succeeded in rendering 6 fe
your peculiar Institution? YOU have rendered to
the country sectional issue. Was this wise? I
think it poor policy to make such an issue in the
present state of the country. We have thirteen
and half millions Of free whites. You have
about six millions, and 10: all of those nor, indeed,
half of them, directly or indirectly interested in
your system. If you insist on sectional fight.
the result must ba thlt the weakest will go to the
WALL
gu will lead to the formation, not perhaps of
party but OF league ag .inst you, that will defeat
all your policy Men opposed TO the extension Of
slavery, and TO its varied pretensions, will unite to
dFteat any candidat9 that favos your views Just as
you now defeat any candidate that does not sustain
them. Men will not leave their respective parties.
perhaps, but they will 10 and through their par
Ties, and secure their result as certainIy as YOU
have done. And even now the material fer such a
league is at hand Two hundred and ninety five
thousand in 1S48 voted against the doctrine of the
Nicholson letter; and that number of persons, and
many more, are now ready to vote against any
candidates that sacrifices the interests offreedom TO
the demands of the slave power. They may not
leave their parties; they will all denounce your
| candidates; but you need not be surprised if your
expectations in future are often disappointed.
Your allies at the North forcing yon into ex-
treme and danger us measures to serve them
selves; they demanded the endorsement of the
Compromise protection against the Indignation
of thoir own constituents. But where will this
course lead 1t will only hasten on the final issue
which you alone have to dread.
Do you expect to catch your runaways any bet
tter! Thousands of genuine Democrats all over
the country w Il still believe the Fugitive Slave
Law to be unconstitutional. Your miserable plat
form will not change their opinion nor their course
of action. They will treat it as Jefferson and
Madison treated the alien and sedition law, "as
absolutely null and void" Do you say this is
breach of faith. plighed in the national compactl
l answer no. Ohio passed just such a law as her
sister State Kentucky askei for but it was set
aside by decision Of the Supreme Court, and
afterwads repealed. That law was passed in ac-
cordance With the requirements of the constitution
al compact, as then understood; but this in PLAIN
violation of State rights, aud will not be
garded. In remarks formerly made by me
to this House, the gentleman from Maryland Mr..
Wulsh] says perverted the resolutions of '98 to
tserve the cause of felons and thieves. quoted
those resolutions to establish the doctrine that
powers not distinctly granted to the Federal Gov
vernment were not possessed by it, but remained
with the States, or with the people. quoted
them to establish the doctrine that Congress was
only authoriz ID to punish specified number of
crimes. none of which are among those for which
fines and penalties are inflicted by the Fugitive
Slave Law; and, aso, to establish the doctrine that
no executive or ministerial officer could con-
J stitutonay seize and hurry off prisoner, with
o1t jury, or trial, or Witnesses process, &c.
shall not answer the charge of aiding the cause of
felons and thieves by employing such words in re-
turn; but w II submit TO the arbitration of an en-
ightened world, wEo best deserves those epthets.
Do my constituents, VINO Will gve their bread to a
hungry man, be he white or black-who if a man
Inquiries which is North, will point out the pole
star-or if he says he is struggling for liberty,
which thy believe TO be every mans brthright,
will give "aid and comfort! Or that class of men
in this country who will take some of those who
are declared By our Declaration of independence
to be born free and equal, deprive them of liberty
and OF the free pursuit of happiness-take their
labor without wages, giving them nothing except
ing such necessuries as pru1 men give the
. brutes they own-take wives from husbands and
sell them, or husbands from wiyes-take children
from parents and sell them, and parents from chill
dren, for the same purpose? We can afford to
allow the gentleman to such epithets as he
pteases, but enlightened world, and his own
conscience, if he have one, against him. am
ready to submit to any impartial tribunal, decide
who the feluns aud thieves.
And further. You are depriVing the country of
= the services of some of her ablest men. States
mauship is profession, like all other professions,
requiring knowledge and experience. Men can no
more be statesmen without study and proper train
lng than they could be. lawyers or doctors without
proper study and practice. Men may be intelli-
gent On many subjects, nd Yet not statesmen.
Skill in this department does not come by accident
or Intuition. Our country has many men emf
nently quail fed to render good service to the Stae
and the Democratic party has of whom the
. nation may justly be proud. There is the distin-
guished Senator from Michigan, [General Cass, 4
man of unb!emished personal reputation, of ine
natural talents and most extensive requirements
of almost half centurys experience in the service
of his country, at home and abroad@ In my judg-
ment, the Democratic party OF the-country has no
: man better qualified than he to guide the helm of
affairs. And why was not nc selected! think
II simply because in evil hour he listened and lean
ed to the South, doing violence to the sentiments
Q cherisbad in his own ssc.ion of the country