Woodville Republican., 1853-12-27
From the Richmond Enquirer.
The Compromise
AND THE BALTIMORE PLATFORM.

The following paragraph from the Wash
ington Union has provoked a severity of crit
icism which does not surprise us, simply be
cause there is no expedient of opposition tc
which malcontent democrats and their whio
sympathisers will not resort in their war On
the Administration
If the Baltimore platform had expressly
approved or disapproved of the Compromise,
the nominee would have met certain defeat
The friends of the measure Of adjustment new
er had sufficient strength to elect President,
and this fact ought to empress itself with force
upon the minds of democrats who claim from
the Administration more consideration toward
the original advocates Of the Compromise,
than they are supposed to have received"
No man can controvert the truth of this al
legation. As member of the Baltimore
Convention of 1852, and an eyewitness of its
proceedings we can attest from. personal
knowledge, the correctaess of the statement,
that the platform was designed neither to APP
prove nor to disapprove the Compromise. In
deed, the language of the platform is perfect
ly conclusive of the point. The only resolu-
ton touching the Compromise defines the po-
sition OF the party in that relation in the fol-
lowing words: The democratic party of the
Union, standing on this National platform,
will abide by and adhere to a faithful execution
of the acts known as the Compromise settled
by the last Congress, the act for retaining fu-
gitives from service or labor included, which
act being designed to carry out an express pro-
vision of the Constitution, cannot, with tidel-
ity thereto, be repealed or SO changed as to
destroy or impair its efficacy Now, it is per-
fectly manifest to every mind capable of ap-
preciating the force of language, that the
phraseology Of this resolution was selected
with the distinct purpose Of avoiding an ex-
preston of 0 Union in regard to the intrinsic
merit of the measures of Compromise. The
resolution pledges the democratic party, in the
most precise and emphatic terms, to abide by
and adhear to the Compromise but carefully
abstains from any intimation OF opinion in re-
spect to justice and expediency Of the settle
ment which it thus declares to be final and
inviolable. And how could it have been 9th
erwise An attempt to coeree an expression,
either of approval or disapproyal of the Com
promise, would inevitable have produced a Vi
olent dispersion Of the Convention. The
majority of members from the South were
known to regard the Compromise as a saeri-
flee of Southern rights, and they would never
have assented to resolution so antagonistic
to their sentiments and principles. There
were members, also, from the North, who
were averse to the Compromise, onthe pretext
that it surrendered too much to the South
Neither the anti-Compromise men of the
South, nor the anti Compromise men Of the
North, would ever have sanctioned an express
sion of approval of the Compromise on the
Convention. On the other hand, there were
many members, both from the North and
from the South, who were among the original
supporters of the Compromise, ard who. re-
garded it as an equitable adjustment of de-
plorable sectional dispute. These would not
have assented to a resolution expressing dis
approval of the Compromise. The Conven-
ton, therefore, respecting the opinions and
feelings both Of Compromise and anti-Com-
promise democrats, abstained from enforcing
any test of sentiment, in-regard to the intrin-
sic merit of the COMPROMISE; at the same
time, pledging the party in the most solemn
manner to abide by and adhere to the adjust
ment'
In regard to one stipulation in the Com
promise, an expression of opinion was made
by the Convention and exacted Of all who
stood upon the platform. OF the fugitive
slave law, the Convention affirms, first that II
was enacted in discharge Of an obligation
of the Constitution; and, secondly, that fidel-
iiy to the Constitution forbids any modi6ca
ton Of the law which shall impair its elhcien-
cy. This is a sufficiently emphatic approval