The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-08-20
A Broken Pledge The Infamy of the Old Line
Party LIS Moekery Of the People. " !.

Broken Pledge The Infamy of the Old Line
Party lis Mockery Of the People. ii1 a'
It appears to us, that in view Of the pres
emit wild and dangerous excitement on the
slavery question-an excitement SO great that
it has for the time being absorbed all other
questions, arrayed section against section, and
made the hot blood of Northern men and
Southern men boil in angry strife-it should
be enough for any good citizen to know that :
the so-called> Democratic party most emphat-
ically pledged itself when it demanded power !
of the people, against any further agitation Of
the slavery question, in Congress or out of it,
and that immediately after obtaining this pow
or, it coolly and premeditatedly, and from the
very worst motives, created the present agita- |
ton. 1t is or should be enough for any good
citizen to know these are facts, to make him
oppose to the bitter emf this Democratic par
ty. r-s-a ts-st 1' re.s..s seaa.a, = l.
No ono disputes that this agitation is dan
9erous--that while productive of untold evil,
there is not single promised good or benefit
likely to arise from it--that it is peculiar
agitation of all other strifes to be avoided
most-that the slavery question is the great
rock upon which this Union must eventually
split. if it ever becomes divided, and all and
every agitation of 1t must be accompanied by
more or less danger. In view Of the troubles
and bad feelings engendered by former agita
tons Of this question, and the desire of the
people to avoid all slavery agitation, in 1852
both political parties pledged themselves to
oppose all further agitation on the subject
The people demanded these pledges. They
were sick of the sectional warfare, disturbed
by the embittered feelings brought to the sur
face by angry discussion, and determined that
the slavery question should no longer arm
brother against brother and section against
section. The Democratic party on its part
thus emphatically pledged itself in its nation
al platform, and upon this pledge, the most
important ons in its platform, it obtained the
votes of thousands and hundreds Of thousands,
who but for such pledge, or who if they had
thought so solemn pledge would be violated,
never could have lent their aid to again place
the Democratic party in power: a...1td
RESOLVED, That the Democratic party rilt re-
sist all attempts at reneiOing. in Congress or out
of IL, the AGITATION OF THE SLAVERY
QUESTION, under tctdteUer shape or color the
attempt be made. F2 ~ fsAs "
Here is their solemn pledge, and as we have
said, the most important pledge of their whole
platform. Now we ask in the language OF a
cotemporary--"d any human being think
or dream in the following year that the Mis-
ha hui
gress without the agitation Of the slavery
quest, q D. Did the leaders of the Democrat
ic party, who had pledged themselves as OPP
posed to the agitation Of slavery under all
circumstances, believe that when they coolly
and deliberately undertook to repeal the Mis-
souri, Compromise they could do it without
any further agitation of the slavery question :?
And has not that repeal made as it was too
from the most outrageously Infamous political
motives, produced the most dangerous slavery
agitation which has torn and rended the coun-
try since the establishment of the Missouri
Compromise Every man hloDs this is true.
Every man knows that the solemn pledge of
the Democratic party has been most shame
fully, UNANIMOUSLY violated and that the Demo-
cratic party, and that party alone, is resposi
BILE for this present agitation. This fact should
teach every citizen that faith whatsoever
can be placed IN the pledges of that party
They are as idle as the wind--Ihey are writ
ten in sand
But, as if this party had not broadly and
deeply enough insulted the People by making
this pledge, and the very next year afterward
openly and shameessly violated it, what
manner Of pledge do we find in the Platform
OF this same party, adopted in the year of our
Lord, 1856? Why precisely the same pledge
Is that made above, and in the same W. ids -
Never before were the American pc pl, SO
Knocked by political party, as they are ny the
Democratic party in the renewal of this
Pledge. 1t appears as if they were trying
just how far the patience of the people will
bear trampling upon without resistance. Here
is a party emphatieally pledging itself in 1852
to resist great evil in 1853 cooly and pre-
meditatedly producing the very evil it pledged
itself most solemnly to crush or keep out of
existence and in 1856 offering the mockery
Of a reward of that pledge, and calling upon
the people to place faith in them and their
pledge. What more need any American citi-
zen who is a man and dare resist an open and
oars-saced insult-what more need he want
70 rouse him to action, and teach him that
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