The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-11-08


take the opposite ground, in favor of the right
of slaveholding in all the Territories, and the
right of transit for slaves through tn free
States. They will endorse the Fugitive Slave
Law, with all its fendish Details and sanction
the repeal Of the Missouri Compromise, with
the outrages of the Squatter Sovereigns in
Kansas. These concessions will be rigidly
and imperstively demanded by the South in
the Cincinnati Convention; they will be yield
ed by the Northern doughfaced delegates, the
Softs or semi-Frss-Soilers being first kicked
out, if any should make their appearance; and
the platform, thus constituted of Virginia and
Georgia plank, will secure at least three-fourths
of the Southern electoral votes. The Know
Nothings will probably carry Kentucky and
Delaware, and possibly Tennessee and Louisi
ana. These are the limits Of their possibilities
in the South, the twelfth section of their Phia
delphia platform to the contrary notwithstand
ing.
The Locos everywhere, south Of Mason and
Dixon's line, have the inside track of the dark
lantern boys, for the reason that they are re-
garded as more actively subservient to the
Slave Power. The Locos are the aggressive
Pro-Slavery party, the champions of Slavery
extension; while the Know Nothings are the
timid conservatives, who only profess attach
ment to Southern institutions, and acquiesce in
| the aggressions of their opponents.
But the ultra Pro-Slavery character of the
Locofoco platform, while it will make them in
vincible in the South, will render it impossible
to carry single free State on direct issue of
Pro-Slavery or Anti-Slavery President. In
the late State elections, no direct issue on Sla-
very was presented. Side issues interviewed to
turn the scale. In Maine, the Temperance
question divided the enemies Of Slavery, and
prevented the Republicans from carrying the
State by an absolute majority, though their
vote, together With that of the Wings, who pro-
fessed equal adherence of Slavery, shows an
overwhelming ascendency Of the Anti-Slavery
feeling, which cannot fail to be united on the
Republican candidate for President. Even the
Pierce Democratic candidates professed to be
opposed to Slavery in the Territories, and some
of them declared themselves against the Ne
braska Bill. In the Presidential contest, no
such shifts and subterfuges, and no such side
issues, can be interposed, to prevent a fair ex-
preston of public opinion.
In Pennsylvania, similar causes prevented a
union of the Anti Nebraska voters, who brought
four candidates for Canal Commissioner into
the field, against the single candidate of the
Administration. The consequence was, that
the latter was elected by plurality vote, though
falling nearly three thousand short of major
ity, while the total vote cast was sirty odd
thousand less than was polled for Pierce, Scott,
and Hale, in 1852. The organization of the
Republican party was not complete. Know
Nothingism was sadly in the way, and instead
of fusion on Republican principles, "forsaking
all others, there was only coalition of Wings,
Know Nothings, and Independent Democrats.
Their defeat was just the thing necessary to
teach them wisdom, and we rejoice at it. They
have abundant elements of success in the ap-
preaching Presidential election, by an over
whelming majority, and we will not doubt that
they will achieve it gloriously under the Re-
publican banner. Indiana furnishes another
example of the i'll success of partial fusion on
platform of principles tainted with the oder
of Know Nothingism. The Party of Secrecy
still had hopes and Interior aims of its own, and
refused to lay aside its narrow, proscriptive
creed. The result is, want of hearty COOP
Grafton on the part of Independent Democrats
and other Anti-Nebraska men, while the for
egners, who would have swelled the ranks of a
genuine Republican party, were utterly repealed
by the intolerant spirit which guided the spu-
rious party that assumed the name All this
will be corrected, ere the Presidential election
takes place; and we cannot doubt that true
Republicanism will be inaugurated, uncontam-
mated with the slightest vestige of the explo-
ded proscriptive humbug. Under such auspi-
ces, we cannot doubt that Indiana will give a
majority Of twenty thousand in favor of Free
dom, and that the foul spirit of Slavery will be
utterly extermnated in the State.
The same necessity for reorganization-for
purging out Know Nothingism-exists in Iowa.
The Slavery party has been defeated in that
State, but it has not been done fairly and square
iy upon Republican principles. Know Nothing.
ism claims share in the victory, and thus
mars the satisfaction which all true lovers of
Freedom would otherwise feel at the result.
The same remark is applicable to Illinois. 1t
is not too late to correct these errors. The
people are honestly and earnestly opposed to
Slavery, and mean to resist its aggressions.
We cannot doubt that they regard Slavery as a
far greater and more impending evil than those
which they think they see in the presence of
the Catholic and foreign population. We ask
no man to surrender his opinions until he
sees their error, but there can be no sacrifice
of principle in leaving them out of his politi-
cal associations. The members of every asso.
citation must differ among themselves upon
many points, and yet they overlook them all
for the sake of harmony in. that which cousti
tutes the object of the association. Even the
Know Nothing party itself is composed of all
shades of Professionalism, with still larger pro-
portion of men protesting no religion; yet they
merge all the radical differences which divide
them into sects, in order to present an undivi-
ded front to the Catholics and foreigners. No
one is expected to surrender his peculiar views,
but he is simply not permitted to put them into
the platform of the party, or to urge them in
its name. The individual may hold to his doc
trine of infant baptism, or immersion, or pre-
destination, or unity, or trinity, and may advo-
cate them freely, but not as a Know Nothing.
Why, then, may not the Know Nothing join
the Catholic or the foreigner in opposing Sla.
very? If he be sincerely opposed to Slavery,
and has the intelligence to see that Freedom is
of transcendent political Importance, he must
feel that it is a high duty to waive all other