Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1855-04-24


and American Reform. has erected ilsell
into an inqui$i'orial body, and psrpe'ra'
tod acis OF mesnnsss and petty tyranny
Of which Austria or Naples mig hs be
ashamed. In Pennsylvania. it is, in the
face Of all the Bank frauds that have
been perpetrated in the country. engaged
in the work OF chartering seventy.six new
banks. l. will rsquire years OF labor
10 remove from these States the evils that
Hndooism has already inflicted upon
them, but the stain that il has impaired
to the character Of free government. bis.
tory can never eface. The feuds, strife
and hesr,burnings it has engendercd. will
for many years to come, remain. iester'
ing and inaaming the body Of the CON-
muni,y. The question now addressed
10 every democrat and every true man in
Ohio is, "Shall Know Nothingism tri'
umph here and il not, how shall lis
plots be defeated 7" There is but one
answer to the question. 1t :an only be
done by union Of all true friends to
Liberty and the Constitution
When the democratic party stood on
its own liberal and progressive state plat
form, it attracted TO itself the men of
thought and character and became in.
vincible. In the space Of seven years,
it reformed many old abuses, made new
constitution that provides for the cleo.
ton Of all officers by the people, the re.
peal Of corporation charters. the pay.
ment OF the State debt and preventing
the accumulation Of debts by townships.
cities, counties. or by the State itself !;
made q code Of legal procedure, and
vastly facilitated and eapened the ad.
ministration Of law. But by one false
step on one great question, it was sud.
denly thrust down from its commanding
eminence. The Legislature Of ls53-54
and the democratic State Convention Of
January 8, 1854, apparently endorsed
the Baltimore Platform Of '52, and the
construction that Pierce, Douglass q Co
had put upon it, by which they felt call
ell upon 10 lead in the movement that re.
suited in the repeal of the Missouri com.
promise line. The consequence was
that at the October election, 1854, the
hitherto triumphant democracy was
borne down by a majority Of $4,000
votes.
The great majority Of the democracy
in this State, while they are in favor Of
rendering to the Slave States all their
constitutional rights, are settled and de-
,ermined in their opposition to any fur
ther extension Of the institution Of ne.
gro slavery. They are determined that
FREEDOM shall be the aggressive psi1ci.
pie of the Federal government. Who.
ever. and whatever party, leagues with
the Slavery Propagandists will be thrust
down, and, in the emphatic Language ol
the Bible, be "covcred with shame and
everlasting contempt. The democratic
Convention Of last January committed
the same error that was made in 1854
it endorsed General Pierce's administra.
lion. The party should relieve itself Of
that odiun,, or it will again be borne
down in its effort 10 commit the people
of Ohio to the Baltimore platform with
the Interpretation that the Pierce pas1
has placed upon it.
Party ties and party leaders are now
impotent to impel the people in direc.
ton against their views Of right. and Of
enlightened public policy. They have
learnt to weigh men by their value to
humanity, or the sacrifices they have
made in the support, or in in the defence
of principle. A public man is moth
ing only as he represents principle OF
system Of policy. What now shall be
done to prevent Hindoo rule in Ohio,
and all the evils following in its train
There can be but one answer TO the ques'
ton, and that is for the true and indie.
pendent democracy to meet in Conven.
ton and adopt such platform Of pin.
ciples as men opposed to the Nebrask a
swindle, and opposed to the nationaliza.
ton Of slavery and the extension of tha,
institution can stand upon. The one
hundred thousand democrats who voted
the Fusion ticket last fall, cannot be
won back to their place in the democrat.
ic ranks on our present plat(orm,-it is
preposterous to talk about it. There are
men on our present State ticket, who do
not like the attitude in which they were
placed by the 9Th Of January Conven
ton, and who would gladly fall back
upon the State Platform and if there
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