Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-10-29


the maiguity Of these camorous friends Of union ana
harmony" The pursuit Of victim was coh,ihued
with undated vndictiyeness through .he preee y,
and during all the struggle OF choosing 1891 - -
friends of John c. Maher confident IL wouu IN the
triumphant v9dcaton Of that intrepid peocfa. an ca
pabe public Servant and has covered ms enemie with
confusion and disgrace il is not the less tne most sgnlh
can't usration Of the hypocrisy which, under such cir
cumstances claims desire union and frasernizatic
in the Democratic ranks .
More ton this at the very threshold OF the Con,sen
tion the washington Union the metropolitan aduD ct Of
those affiliated presses and politicians following up It's at
tack upon the Albany Argus and others among the abest
and most consistent and uniform Of the Democra press
throw in its provocative to sunion and harmon " in
sinister missye unmanly and dsingenuous, directed
against our distinguished fellowcitizen and inaexibe
National Democrat Daniel s. Dickinson, char sing hir
the intrepid, earnest and uncompromislng opponent of
Freesosm in all It's aspectswith an aili ion with THE
Wilmet proyise.
And we ask your attention another rominent sxhi-
bitten of the peculiar manner in which Siese professions
of harmony and union" have been realized. ut the
legislative session ef 1851 bill pa sssE the House of As
semby providing for the speedy enlargement Of the
nails of this State the basis of Rhivh taxation,
but the completion of these great works by issue of
stocks, 20 be repaid from their Surplus reye1uesthe
contributions scey of the producs Of the far West and
of the citizens of this sud other ates who employ and
the canals In the Senate ii encountered the active
hostility of the politicians enat proclaimed the Will
mot proyiso and originated the impeachment. Twelve
members of that bodysome CT them from belief that
the law unconstitutional. and others from hostility
to the proposed enlargement sefresigned their seats
and thus by preventing the presence OF constitutional
vote defeated the act Ats special election held in the
ensuing month the popular disapprobaton was manifest
ed in the defeat by large maortes Of Ave of these Sen
ators who candidates for reeecton the defeat Of
sixth by tie vote and the election of seventh by
bare majority cf three four To the remaiaing five
there was no serious opposition At an extra session of
the Legislature convened in the SKINNER OF that year,
the canal bill became law
At ensuing fall election the State officers
were candidates the % united Democratic ticket.
Such their respect for the popular sentiment such
their desire Of success that the of the election
they volunteered public circular, and scattered it
throughout the State pedgng themselves to carry
the provisions of the canal law This performance and
this alone, rescued them from defeat But they we're
scarcely nvested with the seals of Office when they
nenced the labor of procuring judicial decision against
its consttutonality In this effort they successful
and 1t became necessary to accomplish this important
public through amendment to the constitution
At the late annual session amendment in conformity
to the constitutional provision, avoiding agsin the i'm
position of tax upon the people, urged by the
mics of the enlargement and relying for the completion
OF the public works upon their reyenues-the vol
untary tolls paid by the great army of growers and ship
pers Who through these noble channels Of intercourse
and transportation enrich State and enlarge its
sourceswas proposed in the Senate BY Messrs Cooley
and Vanderblt and it passed that body by very large
majority Such however not its fate in the house.
There unscrupalous presiding officer and his associ
ates the coaesced friends Of " union and harmony
tary obstruction and the session closed leaving it unds-
posed of on the general orders At the also
the exhibitions of hostility delayed action upon it.
until the popular expression became unequivocal and
the fear Of consequences strong under natural
sibiy to the proceedings of coming State convention
from which they hoped secure denomination or their
friends to obtain CONTROL and to the results Of trial
the polls, that the State officers gave the signal and
change of tactics in the Assembly passed the pro-
posed amendment substantially as it came from the Sc
nate, without dissenting vote is thing in the
history OF parties to witness greater obquty greater
contradiction.
The union Of all true Democrats upon cordial and sim
grounds of principle and even honest change Of
position when demanded by the public good is object
of approval and admiration. But when old hareds and
opinions alive and apparent and when active and
rancorous hostility sudden attitude of acquies
cence we have right to suspect the motives that prompt
both and to rely upon the sincerity Of neither when the
object shall be attained No intelligent citizen we think
will be deceived by these No one will be-
eve that the hostility of these politicians the enlarge
men and Hpetion Of the canals so long and so uni
formly manifested has become extinct that its vru
lence is abated No doubt that If they succeed
IL sufficient numbers in the Senate and Assembly districts
At the approaching election they will be prompt and ac
tive TO defeat in the Legislature the constitutional
amendment they reluctantly pretended aid in passing
when It's passage beyond their power OF prevention
Such, Democrats, the occurrences and in
dcatons under which the National Democrats proceeded
within the past month the choice OF delegates to the
recent State convention 1t is well known that in fairly
contested elections in the several Assembly districts they
"a a
which ought to have confirmed their preponderance in
duced in the defeated coalition only stronger determ
nation and unscrupuous effort TO Illustrate the
popular Democratic will Steps were at once taken in
several Of the districts where they had suffered defeat to
withhold by fictitious contestants seats from clearly
chosen delegates. 1t we'll understood that to the
extent required TO annul and counterfeit the majority Of
the National Democrats PROFESSIONALLY chosen, this
game would be pushed Thus the opening Of the Con-
yenon thrtyfve contestants entered the field In
ADDITION 70 THIS mode Of reversing overcoming mao
ry most extraordinary efforts in every form of persua
son inducement or intimidation, resored to. A
vast array Of official influence the force Of station the
auxiaries Of wealth. and the appliances of power were
thrown into the We called indeed to wit
ness remarkable spectacle one hitherto unknown in
the history Of political Conventions The Chief Ma
gstrate Of the State appeared on the ground not by
proxy but IN his own proper person. and consented to
enter the lobby foremost in the active expedients and
appeals deemed essential to parayze or the
national Democratic majority and to control and direct
the movements the Convention That high functionary
was accompanied by Comptroller Wright Attorney Gene
raj Shaed ana other State officials, and by officers Of
high station under the Federal Government in the city of
New York, the Surveyor Of the Port the Naval Officer
and the Postmaster; and from the interior they were
assisted by the Postmaster Hudson the Collectors Mt
Rochester and Oswego, the Postmaster Of Buffalo and
other official auxiaries. Every thing was promised nm
every thing threatened that the emergency seemed 70 de-
mand Mr. Cocbrane, known a prominent leader in
the Freeso movements and in the employment Of Free
soil auxilares, assumed to speak by authority" and
to denounce with summary vengeance all who should
venture to decline their association resist their dicta
ton But let il not be supposed for moment because
prominent paceholders under the General Government
appeared among the contesng delegates and were active
in bringing al the power Of their official positions TO con-
troll the organization and action of the Convention that
the responsibility Of their any where but upon
themselves and least Of oil upon the source Of their an
pontncnt TO Office The distinguished head Of the Ma
ona Democracy, the President Of the United States can