The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1853-10-28


yo,e In those counties bore the relation OF
more than four for the former to one Tor tso
latter, From the free-sol vote should DC ue-
ductcd the Wing abolition vote, which went
In the same direction. After making tue
proper allowance on that account, THINK IL
safe 10 conclude that not more than one our
of seven of the democrats In those counties
voted the free.soil ticket In lS4S. In this view |
of the matter,I think it will be found that
tho frec.soil section is far from having just
cause for complaint have acted in this lib !
erel manner mot because | was under any
pledcc, but because wished to do what
reasonably could to promote the harmony and
continued ascendency Of the party.
II is possible that | am mistaken In sup /
pos;ne that the free soil section has got its
full share of the plncesi for in distributing
the little offices in my gift, which have Tor
the most part gone among the rank aud he
of the party, have neither had the time nor
the inclination to do much by way OF inves-
,igatinr the antecedents Of men who were
supposed to be all right now,
In reference to your remark Non the re-
cent rupture Of the party n. Syracuse, that
'.the division could ami ought to have been
prcvcuted," It is enough for me TO say that
not only had no agency in bringing about that
division, but tried to prevent it. My counsel
was given in favor of the united action of the
convention and sincerely hoped that barmo-
ny would prevail. if any government officers
are chlrgeable with what took place at Syra-
Gus, the burden must rest on those who were
thereof whom three were from this city
and not upon the Collector, who was at home
attending to the duties of his office.
do not state these things by way OF apollo
gy, for have none to make; nor by way OF
cour,ing favor, for have none to ask. You
speak o. "the reunion of the party in 1919.
which reunion was supposed to have been
thoroughly cementcd in the great g. triumph
ant contest in 1852" Although | ardenty
desired a reunion, if il could be effected upon
principle never approved the mode in which
the attempt was made to bring about that de
sirable end. | thought then, and think still
that those who had deserted the Democrat,
standard in 1913, and thrown the state ant
National Governments into the hands of Wing
shonld, if convinced of their error return agail
to cur camp without exacting conditions, nn
should then be treated with the utmost kind
Eess. The party would then have been strong
and we should have heard no more about sec
tions. But a very different course was pursue
and the Free Soil leaders came back SO far a
they came at all, under a league or treaty be
tween them and few leading Democrats
with no stronger bond Of union than an agree
ment TO divide the officers. The arrange
ment was based upon no principle. The Ere
Soil leaders were left at liberty to adopt tn
course which theyl pursued; and, instead c
again hostng the national banner, the
marched into the Democratic camp with thei
own sectional colors flying, and thus becam
an independent element in the party.-ln
deed, your letter proceeds upon the groun'
that the party has all along been divided int
sections; and consequently that account
must be balanced between them on the dis
tribution of offices. All experience proves
that such coalition as was formed in lSi!
can never be throughly cementcd. Soone
or later it will fall to pieces. The scohesy'
power of patronage cannot long save thn
which has within itself the elements of dis
solution 1t is not therefore any matter o
astonishment that the "re-union" was dis
solved at the late Syracuse Convention.
After the league of 1919 had been broken
and the two sections had again become sep
arate parties in form as well as substance, |
became necessary for me, as n citizen OF New
York, to make my choice between the tw
tickets which had been nominated. My rea
sons TOR preferring one ant rejecting the 9th
err are before the public; and no one has tn
right to impute to me any other mo
tives than those which have avoweI. ] re
iected one ticket because the nomination ha
been effected by means which no honest ma
could approve. and because the nominees ha
been brought forward by men who had bee
hostile to what deemed the interests OF tn
State in relation to the canals. ] approve
the other ticket because those who supporte
it,were "contending for the principles whic
restored the Democratic party to power, an
placed franklin Pierce at the head Of the
government" presume there can be no oh
lection at Washington to my maintainin!
now, as have always done before, the prin
ciples on which the national administration
stands, and with questions of mere State pol
icy you must allow me to say the administra
ton has no rightful concern.
What consequence will follow the recent
break in the party is more than can tell
but feel reasonably confident that if the
natural democrats had n fair field, aud the
free soil democrats were not fighting under
false colors, their ticket could not get vote,
enough to help the Wings through with thei
nominations. But we have not got n fai
field. The Washington Union, while pro-
Tossing to speak the sentiments of the admin.
istration, has thrown its weight on the side
of the free-so,l ticket. 1t has undertaken tc
decide upon the regularity of our conventions
and to sit in judgement upon questions oI
mere State policy. 1t takes the side oi,hosc
who have once proved faithlcss to the party
and put the Union in jeopardy, and dcnoun-
ces those who have all along supported the
principles which restored the party to power
IL is now a co-aborer with the free-soil
prints in this State some of which il so late
ly read out of the democratic party. Though
that print IA not in itselfof great Importance,
Z. a H.