Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-07-03
THE pUTx OF PATR1OTs--THl1 CON-
ssTITUTIOs OUGHT TO BE PRE-

The present condition Of American pc litcs APP
peals with much power 10 the patriotisnl Of oul
people. That we are in the miist of scriss, no
man endowed with common observation can
doubt. That great curse, sectionalis,n, against
which Washington warned us, is now impending
over the country, and il bshooyes all good citizens
to be mindful Of ibeir duty in such CRISIS.
At the NORTH we see great fusion Of Aboli-
i tionsts, Fressoilers, Wings, Know -ns.thin,ys,
and all the isms. Forgetting all past differences.
passing over all old animosities, they seem to be
animated by one impulse and to look to but q ne
/ object Hatred to the spstitution Of slavery and
4 hostility to the Constitution, bind them togeth or
in firm brotherhood -
That the antislavery feeling has grown with
wonderful rapidty in the last ten years, no OBJ
server Of public affairs can doubt. There was a
| time when Abolitonists were but a small and O.
spised set. II has been but few briefyears sin co
the avowed Freesoilers were but small ban d
1 They adhered together with tenacity worthy of
a better cause They persevered with an as 81
duty that knew no rest They soon absorb ed
every ism, and gradually encroached upon the
old and settled parties of the country NE
/ A
auctions was the Wing party, most of who sc
northern leaders were unfortunately imbued Wi tn
anti-slavery principles. AS the captains wei 1t,
so went the soldiers But few months ha We
passed since we saw whole conventions at Syr a.
cuse, Saratoga, and Auburn, submit themselv es
! TO the rule and guidance OF That once dcops. od
sect, the Freesoilers. ts S
IA Next came the Know-nothings, who affect led
t6be the only Union-lovng, Constitutional. and
Stte-rghts party in the country. They aspi red
to ontro the destinies Of the nation, and boas ted
] that hey would inaugnratea great politicalInil-
lennup that would not only subdue the Wings,
but void, after the fashion of Damascus, n lost
miraculoSsly convert the very Paul of Derioc-
! racy. Blu few weeks have passed since this
boastful aAd ambitious Organization held t'heir
\ so-called N,tiona Convention in Philadelp hia.
NThey had scircely met before the northern M EN-
beers, with ONE few exceptions, showed the
rloven foot o,abolitionsm. They needed n 9th,
Ing in their nane fanaticsm--flot even the msagi-
el and saeredM i,d degree SO lately lauded toy the
sizes by the so,ahern Know-nothihg doctors, and
~iwhich they confidently declared that 'sno man
cold take it and be an abohtionist!'
~ Me southern Know-nothings in the colaven-
tioilvery soon showed that degree, white,
9 bueIor scarlet, could restrain them. ThIs leo
pardtefused to change his spots, the Ethiopian his
4 skin. Nor could the whale of Abolitiorlism be
fooledwith tub, even Their southern brethren
in the convention conceded much to them They
went SO far as to ignore slavery in the Ter ritores
and several other things which we recemtly de-
developed atlength. Nothing, however,. would
do. Every attempt at pacifcation failed. The
emasculated platform passed, and the northern
Knowsnothings quit the CONVENTION like 50 many
devils besprinkled with holy water but the
comfort they failed, to get at Philadelphia was
freely given to them at Cleveland, wAere plat
form was promulgated that challenged their cor
dial concurrence.
+ Thus we now see this startling and fearful spec
tacle at the North. The Wings, the Know
nothings, and all the isms in league with, and in
\ subsection to the anti-slavery men. They have
all combined, and this lis their hideous and me-
nacing platform.
!. lst- The rapsal of the. Nehrnska= Kansas bill
/ I'd. The restoration o { the restrictive clause Of
the Missouri compromis 1.
3d. The abolition of slavery in the District o.
Columbia.
4th. The repeal of Il Ie fugitive slave law
5th. The abolition of the interstate slave
trade.
9th. The exclusion of slavery from all new
Territories by means of congressional irterven
ton. Such is the platform on which Northern
Wings, Northern Know ,-nothings, with few ex
ceptons,) Northern Abolitionists, Northern Free.
sellers, and all the isms will unite The question
arises, what, under such circumstances, is the
duty of the friends Of law, order, the Constitu.
ton, and the rights and institutions of the States
We care not by what names they may hitherto
have been known. They may have been Demo
Gratis or Whigs-they may even have been Know
nothings-yet if they love their country and de-
sire TO preserve the Union, il is their bounden
duty TO unite as one man against the great enemy
that has taken the field against them. How
this union can and ought to be effected we will
briefly proceed to show.
But one party in this country, as National
party, holds the true theory. But one party, a,
National party, mai ntains the Constitution and
State rights. II has done SO in sunshine and in
storm. 1t has seen iss old antagonist, the Wing
party, fall down and worship the idol Of abo
tionism; il has seen its new antagonist, tho
northern Know-nothng party. do the selfsame
thing-but it still stands the friend of the States
and the bulwark of the Constitution This /,
the DEMOCRATIC PARTY. True, il has suf
fercd in the North from desertion and treachery
The soft Establishments that overcarne the whole
Northern Wing and Know-nothng parties could
notfail TO allure some Of the mercenary men whc
called themselves Democrats. Such men desert
ed us, and we are happy to be rid of them. The
only rofes from ne North for the repeal of the
Missouri compromise were given by Democrats
The only votes (that we are aware of given by
northern men against Mr.. Elot's proposition in
the last Congress, to repeal the fugitive slave
law, were given by Democrats
Then we say thatthe Democratic party is tn {
only National, Constitutional, State Rights con.
sentative party. 1t therefore behoeves every
National, Constitutional, State Rights, conser.
vatiye man. whether Mt the North the South the