The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1855-06-29
From the Augusta teeorgia) Coasutaioaaisi.
AN oLD-LINE WHO'S OPINION OF THE KNOW
NOTHING PLATFORM

trying 10 make great deal Of fuss about certain plat
form on the slavery question, which he0 southern
dgates, with the assistance Of the delegates from New
York passed at their late convention in Philadelphia Now
while this know-nothing platform i not good The
Georgia platform, il is hardly as good and certainly no
bs than the late national whig and national democratic
platforms The know-nothing resolutions certainly lack
the boldnes OF expression Of both the whg and dem
oerae resolutions in relation to sore subject to the
North-the fngiiyeslaye awfor while the former makes
allusion to the fugtyesayo Law Nv name both Of the
latter expressly saaea this law much hated by north
hatdcs But let the platforms speak for them
selves, Here they are viz
KNow-soTHsa NATIONAL PLATFORM
XII The American party having arisen upon the ruins
and in spite OF the opposition Of the wing and deaocrao
parties cannot be held In any manner responsible for the
obnoxious ato 81 violated pledges either And The sy
tenatie agitation Of the slavery question by those parties
having elevated sectional hostility into positive element
OF political power and brought institutions into peril
il has therefore become the imperative duty the Amer
party to inerpos for the pnrpose of giving peace to
the country and perpeuity 70 the Union And eSpe
rienoe has shown it impossible reconcile opinions
treme those which separate the dispuans and there
be dishonor In submitting the laws the national
council has deemed y the best guarantee Of common JUS
tee and future peace to abide by and maintain the existing
laws upon the subject Of slavery final and conclusive
settlement of that subject in spirit and in substance
And regarding the highest duty oayow their opinions
upon subject so important in distinct and unequiyocl
terms Is hereby declared the Of this national
council that Congress possesses power under TIE
States where il does may exist exclude any State
from admission into She Union because constitution
does of does not recognise the Institution Of slavery
part OF its social SYSTEM and especially pretermitng any
expression Of opinion upon the power OF Congress to
tabsh prohibit slavery any Territory il is the
of the national council that Congress ought egis
ae upon the subject Of slavery within the territory OF the
United States and that any interference by Congress with
slavery as il exists in the District Of Columbia would be
violation OF the spirit and intention Of the compact by
which the State of Maryland coded the District to the Uu
ted States, and q breach of national faith.
DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL PLATFORM.
o. That Congress has power under the constitution
10 interfere with control the domestic institutions of the
several States and that such states tina sole and proper
Judges OF everything appertaning TO their affairs not
prohibited by the constitution that all efforts OF the abo-
ionias others made TO induce Congress interfere
with questions of slavery take incipen steps in
aon thereto calculated TO lead TO the most alarming
and dangerous consequences and that all such efforts
have an inevitable tendency To diminish the happiness of
the people and endange the stability and permanency Of
the Union and ought to DO by any friend
4 Of our political institutions.
Fesota That the foregoing proposition covers and
intended to embraces the whole subject Of slavery agitation
in Congress and therefore the democratic party OF the
Union standing upon this national platform, will abide by
and adhere TO the faithful execution of the acts known
the compromise measures, settled by the last Congress
the act for the retaining of ugves from service labor
included which act being designed to carry out an eS-
press provision of the constitution cannot with fidelity
thereto be repealed or SO changed as 70 destroy or impair
| its efficiency.
Resolped That the democratic party win resist all at
empts at renewing, in Congress out Of it. the agitation
Of the slavery question: under whatever shape color the
attempt may be made.
i NATIONAL PLATFORM
g. The series of acts Of the 3ls Congress commonly
known the Compromise Adjustment the act for the
recovery of tgves from labor ncuded received and
acquesced in by the wings of the United States final
settlement in principle and substance of the subjects TO
which they reate and so far as these acts are concerned
viii maintain them and insist their strict enforce
meht Until time and experience shall demonstrate the
cessity Of further legislation guard against the evasion
of the laws the hand and the abuse Of their powers
on the otherno imparng their present efficiency to
nv ont the requirements OF the and We depre-
cate all further agitation of the questions thus settled
dangerous to peace and will discounenance all efforts
to continue renew such agitation, whenever wherever
however made, and will maintain this settlement
essential to the nationality Of the whg party and the In
| tegrty of the Union.
Here three plaorms-the first adopted by the south
delegates with the assistance of New York. the late
know-nothing national convention at Philadelphia; the
second adopted unanimously the last Democratic Nation
al Conventions and the third adopted by the last National
Wing Convention66 delegates voting for it. And would
ask the unprejudiced reader If the knownohing resou
tons any better than either Of the old parties Nay
more. they bold and emphatic the other
two, even though but ore northern State in committee
voted for them the tate knownothng national
| ton
But southern know-nothing friends say Oh, but
platform good for the South that the abolition
delegates from the IL northern and States seeded
from after passed it." They did did they2 Then
much the for your with them for if
their Withdrawing from your convention proves anyng
(eyen without any other evidence it proves conclusively
what anti-know- nothngs have all along said about
your northern know-nohing brethren viz that they
abolHionss than haze eper before had position or
POWER any Of he northern and tcestcrn Sttes And
how does it prove it Because heretofore while there
have doubt been iree-soilers in both the wing and
| democratic National Conventions, still they not
| so rabd 10 withdraw from their party associates
and from their convention merely because n major
ity passed the above resolutions; but these northern
know-nothngs il seems, are such rampant aboionsts,
they viii not even remas 10 party convention that
peases them in every other particular whose majority dare
agree to abe By and maintain certain tag passed in
coraance with the constitution for the protection Of
rights of the South. Upon what ground then,
southern know nothing friends congratulate themselves
the South upon the passage Of their PLATFORM when they had
20 pass BIZ Themselves ercep ruth ne Of Neac
Philadelphia than they would have been had they been
passed in Georgia any other southern State Surely
the southern knownothngs did expect their delegates
to become feesoilers and aboltonist and abandon
the rights Of the South Philadelphia aud now congra-
ulate the South that they did do i'll II there be any
other for congratulaton connected with the
| Philadelphia convention really cannot see it,
But there other evidence that this kuow-nothng
platform is all cheat or humbug or at best that il
amounts to nohing2 Let presume that surely
none of the southern know-nothngs will have the
I