Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-02-12

our party mas agreed 10 sink the question OF
slavery, the Forney and Pierce presses may
falsely accuse us of being allied to abolition
ism, and we are pledged to silencel Must a
peace officer stand still and be cudgelled by
ruffans, and not dare defend himself? Doubt
lessitwould suit the conductors of anti Ameri-
can" presses, If they could be permitted, with
out contradiction, to SOW broadcast such impu-
tations, and arrest our progress. In our politi-
cal action asa party, we do sink the question
of slavery. We oppose the agitation Of this
question, but we rspsl the assaults of our enc
mics.
Who are they that agitate this question, and
force us to defend ourselves, or to admit by our
silence, their grave accusationss They are
the Fornoy and Pierce presses at the South,
who whilst pretending that they deprecate the
discussion of slavery, are hypocritically excl
ting the discussion, by their base and unbound
cd charges of abolitionism against the "Ameri-
can party" We appeal to the whole country,
If this be not the factp For the last six months,
the Washington Union, the Richmond Enquirer,
and other administration presses at the South,
have filled their columns, day after day, with
charges of abolitionism against our party. To
these presses, and to their masters, the South
are solely indebted for the present slavery ex-
element.
The compromise measures of 1850 had given
peace and rcpose to the nation. The North
were quieted--the South reposed in security.
General Pierce came into power rs the Union
candidate for the Presidency. The conserva-
tive portions of all parties gave him their suf-
frages He formed his cabinet of ultraists, of
opposite antecedents, violating his implied
pledges and obligations to the friends Of the
Union. Murmurs came up from the North
and from the South He made efforts to quiet
the leaders in the former, with treasury pap
and official station, and sought to pacify the
latter, by an excess of devotion to southern
PRIDE in an act which upturned the foundation
oftheir repose.
The uncalled-for repeal of the Missouri COM
promise, opened the foodgates of contention
and strife The principle of Territorial and
State sovereignty on which the Kansas and
Nebraska bill was based is just one, but the
direct repeal Of the Missouri compromise was
an objectionable blunder, because no necessity
called for it, and the quiet of the country for
babe it.
The sycophancy and subserviency manifest
ed by the administration to Foreignism and
Romanism, ignited the latent sparks of Ameri-
canism, and set the country in blaze. A por-
ton of the people abandoned the administration
because the Missouri compact was broken, and
another portion waged war upon it, because Of
its demagoguism, as exhibited 10 its catering
to foreigners and Catholics. The administra-
ton was thus crushed--annihilated.
To call back the South to its former allegi-
ance, the cry of niggerism is now raised against
the " American party" whose sole purpose as,
and has been, to carry out the American Re
formation" and leaoe the slape question un-
touched.
But zoe noso seek in cain to sink the cues
ton ofslapery. The Forney and Pierce presses
force us daily into position of defence, on
this question, of dangerous tendency. The
standard bearer of the administration in Vir-
ginia has raised the cry Of, doom soith the
no,o-Nothings and the abolitionists! We
ask our friends of the South to aid us in
strangling this question. There as no alliance
bet,oeen these parties. Hitherto you have
asked to be let alone Silence then this cry IN
your opn midst if you wish repose. Crimi-
nation begets recrimination. Put doon the
agitators at home if you desire to prevent agi-
L. T. fha
would extinguish the frel
Wherefore is it that the administration
presses and orators agitate slavery? 1t is
simply and only that there is no other point
on which they can hope to rally the South
They have lost all their capital in trade, except
niggerism They hope to gull the South by
this cry, in the face Of the damning fact, that
their own measures, their own presses, and
their own orators have created all this COM
motion. Even the solemn proceedings of their
Ohio State Convention Of the 9Th Of January
last, could not be terminated. without an open
declaration that they would FINALLY ERADI-
CATE SLAVERY II was not enough for these
Forney and Pierce Democrats to denounce
slavery as an evil--not enough to swear
that they would endeavor to lessen its evils
not enough to pledge themselves that slavery
should not be extended, but they resolve to
| DIG IT UP BY THE ROOTS
This is what zoe understand by "ERADr-
eating" slavery, though our neighbors Of the
Sentinel seem to think it means something less
than abolitonism All we can say on this
point is, that if slavery be eradicdted," dug
up by the roots, annihiated, there win be moth
ing left Of it to quarrel over, much less to fight
for. These are our views Of the Ohio resolu-
tons, and Of the responsibility of the present
administration for the widespread excite
ment which now prevails on the subject Of
slavery. 1t remains to be seen how far the
South win sustain party which has needless
ly and recklessly reopened this agitation. The
issue is made, and it must be met. F6r our
selres zoe denounce the agitators.
Ex-Governor Smith.
II