The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-12-01

finally into a shameless abandonment of then
I We know the result. BY the strength of par
ty machinery open schism was prevented, bu
the masses could not be brought to sustain
the policy of the leaders. As we showed las
week one hundred and fifty thousand Demo
cratic voters declined to vote at the recen
election for State officers, the ma jority of then
being probably disgusted with the abomina
tons of the Baltimore platform and its endor
sers The party has been irretricvably dl7or
gained, and wide gulf which can nevel
again be bridged over, separates the two sec
tons that for time suppressed their distinct
i've opinions for the sake Of the spoils.'
The Hards.n whose devotion to the Slave In
terest is extreme and undoubted, are in thu
majority the SOfts, whose late profession
of fidelity to that Interest are suspected, car
look for support neither to the Federal Ad
ministration nor to the People. They mus
decrease; their antagonists must increase, unit
they have absorbed the active Pro-Slayery Oh
Seryile sentiment Of the State.
Meantime the In dependent Democracy there
as in Ohio is the live Party. Under tho
embarrassments of Withdrawing its supporter
from the entanglemcnts of 1913, and commen
cling an organization de noUo it east over twenty
six thousand votes in 1852. This year, ITS or
ganization was still incomplete. No central
influence existed to give it unity and concert OF
action The Temperance Quc-tiOn was per
mtted to disturb its arrangements, drawing Oh
MANY of its adherents to vote for candidates on
the old party tickets, pledged to the Maine
Liquor Law Nevertheless, il has done more
than Il ever did before, having elected several
members to the Assembly. Had "A regular or
ganizItion Of lis forces been effected through
out the State. there can be no doubt that many
of the radical Democrats would have voted the
ticket.
Let them look now to their responsibilities
and the motives to effort The Wings car
rici the STATE though giving but u fourth of
the whole vote. They carried it, not by their
strength but because their opponents were ut
terIy diSorganized. As the election was mere
ly local the Moderate Silver Grays acquicsced
ia the nOn-committalism of the State Conven-
ton in relation to national affairs although
their more ardent associates went over openly
to the Hards' An election involving nation.
al affairs would inevitably split them "Silver
Grays or Hunkcr Wings are as unrelenting
A
Inon between them and Seward Wings As
/ was at least one hundred thousand Wing
,oters stad at home at the late election, some
If them from disgust at Sewardism, the ma
ority from lukowarmness in respect to an or
,anizaton which from motives of policy de-
lined to take any position in favor of Human
Rights, and manifested disposition to conciE-
lte pro-slavory Whigism.
This then is the state of things The Softs "
cannot keep up their organization The
Hards" will maintain theirs receive countc-
nance from the South, and be finally sustained
~ the Administration The Wings are not
Silver Grays" have more sympa-
hy with Dickinson than Seward-they will
not support the latter; they will sustain the
ormer. Meantime, the efforts of the Seward
Wings to propltatc them, will ALLEVIATE num-
Ders Of liberal Wing voters and the radical
Democrats cannot enrol Themselves a. prvatcs,
to the advice of the Southern Demo
ratio papers, in the ranks of the "Hards."
Ihe work, then, of the Free or Independent
Democracy is plain. The great Truths it pro-
claims in relation to Slavery, Intervention, Ter
ritorial Extension, Monopoly Land Reform,
River and Harbrr improvements are held alike
by Liberal Wings and Democrats; and to these,
the latter left without connection with any
National Party, the former, d,saifected by the
policy of non-committalism adopted to please
the Silver Graya they will submit their claims
for support Let them not divide among them
selves on distractions. Let Mr. Goodell hold
his opinions of the illegality of Slavery in the
States, and be as Jealous as he pleases to prop
agate thcm-that is no reason why he should
not act with the great majority of Ant-Slavery
voters who confnc their political efforts against
Slavery to the limits prescribed by the Federal
Let a central committee of or
ganization be constituted mt New York or Al
banv, whose business it shall be to rally the
friends of Liberty in every district of the State
and organize them for efficient action ut the
ballot box Secure the cooperation OF liberal
Democratic and Wing prcsscs--form League
in every county, AS has been done in Niagara,
with a view tNthe enrolment of every voter for
freedom, and furnishing the people with indie
pendent Democratic papers.
Let the opponents of Slavery forget that they
were once Wings or Democrats; let them drop
the name of Radicals, Barnburners, Seward
men, and unite as the Independent Democracy.
We shall then see how successful the Admins
tration will be in its attempt to crush out the
sentiment of Liberty in the Free States BY
efforts wisely directed, and proportional to the
magnitude of the work, the electoral vote of
New York might be secured in 1856 for Free
dom.
As TO Massachusetts it il sufficient to know
that the opponents of Slavery there have lost
nothing in zeal or numerical strength. Their
vote for Governor this year, in the face of I'M
expected discouragements, exceeds their vote
for President last year. The same proscriptive
policy of the Federal Administration, which is
alternating Democrats in other States, Is pro
ducng the same results in thls and all that is
necessary is for our friends to be on the alert
10 secure the adhesion of honest voters VIII,
cannot consent 10 part with their manhood o.
the dictaton Of the Slave Power
1t will not Go for such Party to stand still
Not to increase, is to decrease To 20 on from
year to year, without making converts, or OBJ
tanning some practical result, does not suit oul
countrymcn. The ninety thousand votes fol
Freedom this year in Ohio, New York, anC