Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-06-22
THE DUTY OF THE SOUTH.

acter Of the platform Of the Philadelphia know-No-
thing Council at least one half of which says the N.
Y. Herald is "balderdash and mere words and stun'
In the language of the same Herald, f it is necessa
ry to use such twaddle to work the feelings Oh '"'
people of the country, double set OF docuhen''
should be adopted, one for intelligent readors' '0
other for those who are not and should %
to keep the latter out of the city papers Neh'
the other points of the platform worth mucn'
tions do not tell with the masses ana af' '0''''
worth contending for" ,o.
Bnt eyen admitting for the sake OF argument 'na'
the platform is satisfactory to the South, we nave 'n'
most abundant evidence that practically II VIII oo
entirely unavaling, for the Nothing p"rl! o'
the Northern and Western States repudlate anu oe'
nounce every construction that will enure to the ben
aft of Southern men. The n. Y. Express Is zeal
Ola CHAMPION of "Sam" and is regarded as conserVa-
tive ON the slavery question, and yet that paper
on,d nulfy tho whole clause of the PLATFORM 80 far
y. ,b. admission of Kansas as slave State, is con-
cerned, as follows:
I;s fs,ss--as stated in many quarters-that there
10 anything in this platform which compels North
arm man to endorse the repeal of the Missouri Com
promise by Pierce and Douglas, OF the North'-noI
South, mark that.
Ereyy man IS left free under Mis platform TO resist
thr admission of Kansas into the CHion,-until her
hama fe settlers have in good faith settled the ques-
ton Of slavery or freedom, there BY their popular
votes
Again:
There is nothing here pledgng the American Far
ty-as the Abolition Presses state-to admit hahsas
into the Unon if she presents herseli-as Is threat
ened now in some quarters'-Wuh s'a' 'ouH'S''t,
CONSTITUTION, made by Missouri squatters, who' IN
violation Of popular sovereignty. seem 10 nave car
ried the Territorial Legislature The right ana uu'y
of every American, North and South, To resist Such
violation of "popular sovereignty, are apparent a'
onen.-snl il ia evident that Kansas cannot be al
ni,ed into the Union until she purges herself OF 'he
Missouri violence and fraud. 1t must be wei! sel'
tied tbipp-tha she is Rvoluntary slaVeholding STATE
of her own free wi,-before the right OF popular So
vereignty" can begin to impose any c'o'S "po'
Congress to admit her into the Union
"It is not pretended, that Northern and southern
men can agree on slavery. The platform designs no
such thing. At least as out ne or"'oh me ocuM'
ciL There reason Thy creTy .'o''heTn -1'f''.o
Sh0uld not go and tTtth ms 0rgoHt-""0" J'S' "S
ecer."
The New York Herald says that "the bulk OF the
Northern States having repudiated tho PLATFORM the
par,y of tho North are free in each State TO conduct
the business before them upon the practical and local
issues Of the day.
Tho philadelphia Council leaves for another year
the Know -Nothings of each State free 10 act to'
themselves, as may best contribute, State by State 10
their success in the Intervening local elections; and
with an active capital in New York of two hundred
thousand enrolled voters begin with, this new par
ty here will be very apt to make atelling blow IN No
vember. 1t were absurd to suppose that the Amcrl-
can party of this State, with two hundred thousand
enrolled electors will be rttered TO pieces upon the
two Philadelphia platforms. They will do no such
thing. TNey arc free to repudtate both Platforms
and to take their own course upon the living issues
which will enter into our next fall canvass
The New York Mirror has the following:
Had the plans of Raynor Prentice, and other pro-
slavery men, been listened to, and the Missouri Com
promise sustained, the Northern delegates would
have had no peg left to hang their abolitionsm on
But this plan voted down. or not listened to, and the
South clamoring, at the same time, for an endorse
ment of the Nebraska business forced slavery the
leading question into the arena, and all others sank
into insig nfcance. Hence tho split vi the Conven-
tiUn. 1t was great blunter-n cad mistake. 1t 'e
possible that the North might have been pached even
by tho Conventions unanimous protest against the
impolicy and bad faith of the Compromise repeal
letting alone the subject, or re.repeal. But IN view
of the result of the entire elections held IN the free
States since the repeal Of tho Missouri lne there rs no
ground for hoping that the North arW Deliberately
aiity the outrage by taking the pledges thrust for
ward and carried by the ultra South IL tho fhlade-
phia Convention.
We say this not that we have urged or would urge
the repeal of the Nebraska business, that It is
DONE but as a prophecy of what appears to us i'll
eyitable-to wit that the course of the Convention
has rendered it certain, that the next Presidential
election will be less national, and more sectional
struggle than the country has ever knowD. ana ail
this might have been avoided, by conhning the Con-
vention's action to battling Foreignism-leavlng
Slavery to the Constitution aud Laws
The New York Courier apd Enquirer, an original
advocate of "Natiye American" principles and an
Philadelphia. 1t says:
Our worst fears have been realized. The Conren-
ton hos split the rock of slavery The rent ls COM
plete and the whole concern, as national organlza
tion, hos gone to the bottom. How could they thus
tempt destruction Nay, rush upon it What owl
dence is there that the outraged North has become
one whit appeased, one whit more disposed to submit
to what it deems an mmeasuresbie insult anu wrong
than it ono year ago. when in its vengeance II
dashed the Democratic party to atomsf When II
was found that the Of the Convention could not
unite upon pledge to restore the Missouri Compro.
mise or pledge to maintain the Nebraska Bill, all
attempts to pledge the Order either one way or the
other oush. to have been given up. To all human
appearance renders 1t certain that the next Pres
dental canvass will be purely sectional struggle
the very consulnmation which ought most to be de.
precated by every man having truly that American
feeling which the Know-Nothing organization claim
ed as its primary characteristic. To-day our first
sursnce is doubly sure tat the Northern States will
not assent to the outrage involved in that deliberate
violation of good faith. thousand times less will
they soemnly rafy it. by taking sycn pledges as are
now thrust upon them b. the Southern members of
the Philadelphia Convention. 1t is an affron to even
ask it. Southern men in that Convention stigma2sd
the Repeal as hagraut act of bad faith, and every
Northern member OF the Convention iut in his inmost
soul that it try such; and yet not tho slightest
disposition is manifested by the South to repair the
wrong, or in any form, sense measure make atone
mont for it. On the contrary the North is bidden to
put it's hand to the sacrifice OF pghed faith and swear
submission and perpetual silence
1t seems positive that the unity Of the organization
as national body s irreparably broken. We eau
hardly imagine suoh tErn OF events as will enable
the party as party 50 10 unite upon their own dis.
the sliCbtes. chance of an elecoG. 1t is fearful
Of tho force Of this spirit Of sectional
ism in these times that the very first National Con-
vention which ever met on purely American and ma
tiouu grounds, the very first National Conven-
ton in the history of the country to be rent end
DESTROYED. We are among those who believe that the
Know Nothing o:ganilsrop ha9 accomplished much
good in awakening the mind aud Hart ot the country
to the damage Of foreign influence but within the last
Teek it has wrought we fear, Invre than ali equal
amount of mischief
The N Y. Sun (neutral) entertalns "the fear that
the forms given to parties by the divided results OF
the Philadelphia Convention will moi ensure greater
peace 10 the country. but provoke more violent Sec
"onal and factional discord. We shall nave half
aoron parties oil struggling desperately for tho mas
'ery' and platforms and compromises will break down
uhoer the pressure of interest We will "galn have
'e slavery aud anti-slavery conflict in all ts tury'
auo' though the Union cannot be shaken eY 't,yet IN
'ne miserable fight and scramble with which we gre
'urea'orea' tue Fens of government may pass for
eno!ns9 Term INTO the hands of incompetent venal,
OF faction fostering men,
80 muoh for pubic sentiment in tho great Empire
State. Let US next see how the platform is reshecs
In the States of Pennsylvania aud New New Jersey
The Pittshnrp Commercial journal a.a Dill. Dos