The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-01-19
THE HusKER DEMOCRACY OF OHIO.

by thousands Recollect the number of collect
ors, postnasters, consuls and charges, to b
appointed, and the amount of newspaper ad
vcrtising to be given out. Multiply by ten
and you have the aggregate number Of th'
seekers for Executive favor through these chan
rels. But each Of these ten is surrounded by
a circle of relatives or friends or dependents
disposed to promote his interests. And all these
thousands constitute the active, watchful, work
ing politicians They laborin politics as they
would at o trade, with view chiefly 70 pccu
mary profit some, for the sake of distinction
They attend the primary meetings, concoct the
resolutions, arrange the delegations to the
County, District, and State Conventions, pack
the committees and put themselves or their
creatures foremost. Ia u word while the
masses of the People, good honest souls, arc
attending, some to their farms, some to their
merchandise, these INSCRIPTIONS, cunning,
sleepless politicians are managing the entire
machinery of the Party organization, for their
own private purposes
| Now, it so happened that the Anti-Slayery
platform Of the Hunker Democracy of Ohio
was greatly in the way of these myriads of
{ flee seekers from that State, and they found
that the best way to win Executive favor was,
| to bring the platform Of their Party to conform
to that of the President. Tie effort was made
in 1852 but failed There were honest Demo-
Gratis enough present to rejeot the Baltimore
platform. But the spoils-mon have not slept
since then no means have been left untried to
debauch the Party. Some who had shouted
, for Free Soil in 184S, were now ready to sell
their principles for mess Of pottage. 1t was
evident that the politicians-the men who con-
s;der politics merely as trade, in which
every thing is fair that brings gain-were to
have things their own way. The Convention
met at Columbus, and Mr.. BuIchard was
elected President We copy from the Forest
City, of Cleveland an account Of its doings,
taken, as that paper says, from the Colum-
Jian, of Cincinnati, a neutral paper, whose
editor-in-chief is q Democrat. 1t is worthy
of being read it will show what kind Of
supporters the Administration has in Ohio. 1t
was q rowdy Convention vulgar, turbulent,
unprincipled, shameless. To recognise it as
Convention of Delegates fairly representing the
Democratic Party of Ohio, is insulting to the
masses of that Party They have some prin-
cple, some selfrespect, some regard for con-
sistency. The Convention manifested none To
call it a Democratic Convention, is to dshouor
the name of Democracy. We do not believe
its proceedings will be ratified cordially by the
masses who have been accustomed to vote the
Democratic ticket They will ask themselves
whether it be fit and decent that they should
countenance and sustain the action of men,
who, for their own sordid purposes, have suf-
fered themselves to DO used by Executive pat
ronage to dchoralize their Party, even at the
risk of disorganizng it.
1t will be seen that this Convention of rock
less politicians has readopted the Anti Slavery
adopted the resolves of the Baltimore platform.
IL anything were wanting to show their un-
blushing depravity, it was this mongrelism-
Pledging themselves in one breath to labor to
the extent of their constitutional ability for the
exclusion of Slavery from United States Terri
tory, and for the mitigation and final eradica-
tinn Of the evil and in the next. to he silent
active in resisting the agitation of it in any
form!
Look at the predicament in which the Con-
vention has placed the Party. First, it re-
solves
"That we rc-afirm the Ohio platform of
1913 re-adopted OF our Conventions Of 1850
and 1852"
Next, it resolvcs-
"That the Democracy.of Ohio hereby rccog-
nIscs and adopts, IS part of their doctrines,
the Baltimore platform Of 1852 laid down by
the Convention that nominated our worthy
Chief Magistrate, Franklin Pierce, as Presi-
dent Of the United States"
Finally, by vote of lO7 to 25, it adopts
both resolutions together.
The Ohio platform of 1S48-'5O-'52, on the
subject of Slavery, is as fellows:
6 Resolved That the people of Ohio now, as
they have always done, look upon Slavery as
an evil and unfavorablo to the full develop
mcnt of the spirit and practical benefits OF free
institutions; and that, entertaining these sent-
ments, they will at all times feel it TO be their
duty to use all power clearly given by the
terms of the National Compact, to prevent it's
increase, to mitigate, and finally to eradicate
Resolved, THAI the Democracy Of Ohio do |
at the same time fully recognise the doctrines
held by the early fathers of the Republic, and |
still maintained by the Democratic Party in
all the States, that to each State belongs the |
right to adopt and modify its own municipal |
laws, to regulate its own internal affairs, to |
hold and maintain an equal and independent
sovereignty with each and every State and that |
upon these rights the National Legislature can
neither legislate nor encroach"
The last resolution merely affirms the bald
est truisms, about which there is no difference
of opinion. The first eInphatically recognises
the duty of using all power clearly given by
the terms of the National Compact, to prevent
the increase of Slavery to mitigate and finally
to eradicate the evil" Inevitably this involves
the necessity of freely discussing and agitatipg
the whole question of Slavery. This position,
taken by the Ohio Democracy in 1S4s, and re-
affirmed in 1850 and 1882, the Convention of
January 9Th reafirms and then stultifes it.
self by adopting as a part of the creed of
the Ohio Democracy, the Baltimore platform,
the resolutions Of which on the subject of Sla-
very are as follows:
That Congress has no power under the
Constitution to interfere with or control the
domestic institutions of the several Statep, and
that such States are the sole and proper judges
OF everything apperta;ning to their own affairs,
not prohibited by the Constitution The fore
going clause is a trusn, and in perfect har-
mony with the truism of the second resolve Of
the Hunker Convention of Ohio but what fol-
lows is directly in the teeth of the first resolu-
ton OF that Convention: "That all efforts
OF the Abolitionists or others, made to induce