The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-02-16
VOL. VIII.


more eloquent on the blessed Compromise 81
1880? Who so shocked at the idea OF 70.
newal of agitation and controversy about SIa
very? Who more loyal to a Pro-Slayerv Al.
ministration?
But, the Slavery Democrats, who had with
stood them in 1913, and never abandoned
"their first love-" felt indignant at the yood
luck of these traitors" as they called then,
The Van Buren, Democrats had made a. mp.b
out of their detection, as the Slavery Democrat.
had out of their devotion. The justice of this
they could not understand, and they deter.
mined to show proper resentment They
were willing that the seemingly repeutant
prodigals should be suffered to come back am;
city into the ranks as privatcs, and make
amends for the past, by = long course of good
acts without pay; but they could not endur,
that they should be installed at once in the
highest posts and rewarded with the conf.
dence of the Administration. They knew well
the jealous and exacting temper of the South
and saw clearly that the thing to be done Wa.
to arouse its suspicion of the fidelity Of the an
Buren, men, to provoke it to increase il ia
mands, and to intimidate the Administration
by the imputations Of Free-Sosm. Thew
pursued this policy-Scpara!el themselves from,
all political fellowship with the Van Buren,
msn--charged them with still harboring ii,
sentiments and purposes in refersneo to SIa,r.y
they had openly avowed in 1918. while they
masked them under false professions flr the
sake of "publc plumber '-suggested doubts
of the fidelity of the ADMINISTRATION to South
ern nterests-complaineI of the ingrattad.
with which they had been treated by slave
holders, and hintcd to them, that let any elnrr
gency arise, or new test of loyalty TO the Com
promises become necessary aud they would
soon learn who were their true friends at the
North.
The Slave Interest was aroused-its jealousy
was exctcd-its more jealous champions lc
gan to question the policy of the Admnistra
ton in appointing to Cihce men who had Tor
merly been prominent Free Sellers, and to
bestow their sympathies upon the old Slavery
Democrats, or Hards' ~ they now were
called
The result showed how cunningly these men
had laid their plans. The Administration was
frightened. The nomination OF Dix was aban.
dOned demonstrations of great zeal in execu-
ting the Fugitive Slave Law were made Ca.
leb Cushing, in behalf Of the President, an.
nounced that it was his purpose +" to crush
out" the Anti-Slavery sentiment of the coun.
try; and the policy of selecting those, who had
once made themselves conspicuous as Free
Sellers, for prominent Offices, was no longer
persisted in.
But this was not enough. The HarIs "
still maintained their organization, and, as tie
polls showed, were, numerically, at least Is
strong as their opponents. Their sympathaGs
multiplied in the South The schism began TO
spread into other States.
1t was under these circumstances that Con
gress met. Here was the South with its
picions against the Administration, not nds-
posed to subject it and its Van Buren, support
stood the Hards," interruptions as to Slavery,
ready to accept any test that could be invent
ed-and there, the Softs," determined not to
lose their hold on the Administration and yet
dreading the trial to which they might be
subjected AS to the Administration, doth
not the OK know its owner, and the ass its mas
ters crib?" 1t knew the Power that control
led it, and dared not defy it.
Now, let US suppose that just at this moment
some profoundly calculating Northern rol'ti-
clan, sympathizng secretly with the Hards or
ambitious to succeed the present incumbent If
the Presidential Chair, or devoted to the pecu.
liar interests of the South, or prompted by an
extraordinarily disnterestcd purpose to redress
an imaginary wrong done thirty three year,
ago to that section, should step forward with
a project, never before Matched n the brain Of
man, to repeal the Missouri Compromise, and
lay open every foot of United States territory u
Slavery-what would naturally be the relative
positions towards the schemes of the several
parties just designated
Good J" exclaims the south" We can now
accomplish two objects Of vital Importance to
our interests; test the fidelity Ct the Admins
tration and the Soits,' and blot out Statute
which fastened upon Slavery a stigma and shut
it out from a vast portion of the Territory of
the Union. We stand by this scheme to the
bitter endD
Good" cry the Hardsn ave are trGe
to the Compromises of 1850, to the Baltimore
platform, to the rights of the South, and cheer
fully accept the test. Let il be applied
will separate between the true and false irisuds
of the South, the sheep and the goats. You
will soon see who is tie National Democracy
"Ah-hum-let us see-well, perhaps--aye
aye--very good! " draws the Administrator
I" we were not exactly thinking of this but, Of
course, there is nothing in reason that we are
not willing to do, to vindicate the confidence
reposed in US by our Southern friends Yes
The Missouri Compromise, it
must be repealed
Rather hard!" intcrposo the Softs -
not in the programme-did not contract for
this-not in the Compromise of lS50-againsl
the baltimore Platform--no fnality, then, after
aR-can't stand it, and yet-the Administra
ton! Where is it? Where shall we be
We can't stand it--but, there are the Offices;
and the "Hards," scoundrels they will take
our place-let us fee--not exactly practical
question-after oil, Slavery will not go there
perhaps it may be well to take the test ali ]!
the People, the constituency Confound it
We are damned if we do, and damned if We
DON'T o, that we had not given up Buffalo
for Baltimore"
Do We caricature Have we not given truth
fol picture of the introduction of the scheme
for repeating the Missouri Compromise, and Of
IL % LA A;nx,a ansf ined In Ii h,r diRfnrnrt