Washington sentinel., 1856-05-17


Administration, President Pierce thrust the
iron heel of his power into the faithful,
sound, and eminent" Democracy OF New York,
he inflicted a blow upon the national Democ-
racy of the Union from which they have not
vel recovered, and for which years of the
most eminent services, and the most severe
penance can never atone. Every national
Democrat in the North felt the blow, and Sc
crety or openly denounced the act. An hun
dred thousand national Democrats of the State
Of New York-a body of men, too, for ability,
public services and fidelity TO the Union, never
urpassed-instinctiyely rebuked the insult at
the polls. To discard Daniel s. Dickinson,
Green c. Bronson, and Charles O'Connor, and
adopt John Van Buren, Abjah Mann, and
Preston King was to offer q bid for party
treason, and install political apostacy at the
sacrifice of political fidelity. Bat It was not
in New York alone that President Pierce Sc
lected the high-priests of freesolllsm as his
particular advisers. Here in, the heart OF
Maine to have been an opponent of the
Wimot proviso," and an advocate OF the
compromise measures of $50, was to be out
lawed under the present Administration.
No man in this section Of the State can APP
proach within gunshot of the Administration
except through the Intervention Of some rene
gade freesoer. The national democracy have
been most effectually ignored.
AbatiHg few Office holders, the advocates Of
Mr.. Pierce's denomination, in Maine, are the
old office holding freesoilers, Hon. Ephriam X
Smart and others, rescued from the abolition
party by treasury pap, and covered with the
sears of seven years war IN the freesoi army.
Hear what Collector Smart said in speech
in Congress in April 1852, upon the subject of
approving the compromise measures OF 1850, at
the Baltimore conventions:
'As member OF the democratic party,
hope no such bond will be demanded of the Bal
tmore convention. hope there viii be no in.
terpolations of new obligations into the Balti-
more platform. 1t is, however, fair to warn
our democratic friends at the North, that they
have been notified that they must be bound to
keep the peace. Are these the terms to offer
10 the proud spirit of freemen? Will they be
submitted to? We shall see"
During the four years Mr.. Smart was in Con-
gress, he was an inveterate freesoiler-a CO.
worker with David Wilmot and Preston King,
and the embittered foe Of the South. At home
he affiliated with the Abolitionists at the pri-
mary caucuses "to crush out" the national
Democracy, making support of the Witmot
proviso test of Democracy. When candidate
for Congress, he claimed to be better Aboli-
ZIONIST than the most ultra men of that party.
When the writer of this article, as chairman OF
committee of thirteen appointed at large
and enthusiastic meeting of the Democracy of
this city, reported resolutions endorsing the
compromise measures of 1850, which were
unanimously adopted, Mr. Smart denounced
him and his friends as "hounds upon his
track" In July, 1852, in order TO secure the
election of freesoil United States Senator, he
wrote from Washington to his friends that
General Cass had betrayed the North By OPP
posing the Wilmot proUiso," that President
Polk appointed men to Office for resisting the
ordinance of 1887, and that he wanted his
friends "to stand by him and his Northern
sentiments" Such were Mr.. Smart's "North.
sentiments" the opinions he held and ex-
pressed of "our faithful, sound and eminent
public men" after the Baltimore Convention of
1852. Has the editor of the Union any recol
lection of one James X. Polk, and the "Nich.
olson letter." At the State Convention in
1854, he secuted the term national Democracy
His organ, the Maine Free Press, would not
live month but for the avails Of the sinecure
Office created to support it. In this city, con-
tanning some hundred Democratic voters, the
Free Press does not represent the wishes of
twenty Democrats on the Presidential question,
and in the county, in which there are some
thirty. five hundred Democratic voters, its infu-
ence is in like proportion. Since Mr.. Smart's
appointment as collector he has not been able
TO muster friends enough in this city to make
up a ticket for delegates to our conventions
outside Of the custom house
Such is the editor who lashes himself into
such fury Of excitement upon the subject OF
President Pierce's martyrdom to the cause Of
national Democracy, and appeals SO implor-
ingly to the South to rally to his support
Hear what he says in late number of the
Free Press:
He has hazarded all for the measures OF
his administration, has thrown himself into the
work of crushing out" the fell-spirit Of Abol
tiobism. Desert Franklin Pierce, and you will
teach us that even you do not consider your
own rights, your own opinions, and your own
cherished measures worthy struggle. You
will leave the true men OF the North to the con-
soling reflection that they are to be martyrs
without sympathy from any quarter. 1t takes
little sagacity TO see that in such case a gen.
eral feeling Of dlscourdgement would pervade
our ranks"
1t is the franks" Of such vagrant Office
holding freesoilers that "feeliug Of dscour-
agement will pervade' in the event appre.
hended, while the ever true and faithful national
Democracy will feel relief, and taking courage
that "faithful, sound, and eminent public men
are tobe 'jusuy appreciated, and not crushed
out, another four years they will combat the
posts Of Abolitionism with a zeal and success
worthy Of their history and time-honored prin.
cipes.
We would that we could have been spared
the necessity Of making these suggestions, but
the persistency with which President Pierce,
from the commencement of his administration
has welded the whole power Of his administra
tion to procure denomination, and especially
his partalty for freesolers, has compelled u:
to speak out the convictions of the great mass
of the national Democracy Of Maine 1t is bet
ter to speak before the Cincinnati convention.
The national Democracy Of the North are the
natural allies Of the national Democracy of the
South. The former constitute the great bar
rier against the surging waves of abolitionism
To break them down is to inundate the South
with the lava Of Abolitionism. That the policy
OF President Pierce has contributed largely to
this result, cannot be doubted. Let the South
ponder well the consequences, before they force
his denomination through the Cincinnati Con
ypntiOn