The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-02-14
POLITICAL AFFAIRS.

supporters of Mr.. Banks.
POLITICAL AFFAIRS.
From present appearances, Maine, New
Hampshire, Vermont, and Connecticut, will
not be regularly represented in the Know
Nothing National Convention, to be held at
Philadelphia on the 22d of this month The
Order in Massachusetts, will send full delega-
ton. A Boston correspondent of the New York
Eoening Rost, Feb. 9th, says:
"The Know Nothing State Council met here
Yesterday, 200 persons in attendance. Mr..
Baker, of Middlesex, President of the Senate,
and Mr.. Richmond, of Berkshire, were chosen
delegates to the Philadelphia Convention. One
of the substitutes is Mr.. Davis, member of Con-
gress from the sixth district, and strong friend
OF Mr.. Banks, and the other is Mr.. Thaxter, of
bingham. The Council refused to instruct the
delegates, but unanimously reahirmed the plat
form got up at Springfield, which was not of a
Pro-Slavery character. Several gentlemen, how
ever, made national speeches, and one sim
pleton said he wanted the Springfield platform
for Massachusetts, but would have the dele
gates 60 to Philadelphia untrammeled"
The "simpleton had wit enough to see the
real policy of the wre-workers, but not enough
to keep his mouth shut about it.
We have already announced to our readers
that the Order in Ohio has appointed full
delegation, and that its Convention, in Janua-
~, adopted resolve embOdying the pledge to
vote for no man, not a member of the Party, for
any Office Mr.. Ford Lieutenant Governor of
the State by a coalition of Know Nothings and
Republicans, stands upon this resolve, and goes
as delegate to Philadelphia. Messrs. Camp
bell and Galloway are also delegates. We
have not yet heard of the declination of any
gentleman appointed.
In Indiana there is no Republican organiza
ton. Know Nothingsm has swallowed ND
everything outside the ranks of the Admins.
tration Party. We notice in the newspapers a
call for a "People's Convention" to be held on
the first day of May next, to select candidates
for the Offices of Governor, Lieutenant Govern.
or, Secretary, Auditor and Treasurer, Superin.
tendent of Public Instruction, Clerk and Re.
porter of the Supreme Court 1t emanates from
Committee which styles itself "the State Gen.
trail Committee of the Peoples Party" and is
addressed to "the Peoples Party of the State
OF Indiana" After the usual reference to the
necessity of resisting the encroachments of Sla-
very, it urges the following consideration, which
sufficiently discoses the nature, policy and pur-
pose of the "Central Committee of the Peo-
Piles Party"
me bdrfering Of public trusts far tie for
eign rOte, and the surrender ofMe aclole poicer
Of tile State into the hands Of the subjects of
foreign hings, claim from the people instant
reform and thorough amendment"
Like the postscript to lady's letter, this lit
tie item is the all-important matter.
We should like to see the dear People " re.
leved from this justification. Let things be call
ed by their right names. If there be Repub.
lican Party in Indiana, let it show itself under
its own name, and hoist its own colors. I'm.
fortunately, there is none in that State. The
only Party, beside the Administration, is the
Know Nothing. Why sail under false colors :?
Why style itself the "People's Party, when
secret, oath bound lodges, and not the People,
control and shape its action? Why not come
out boldly, as the Know Nothing or American
Party? AS specimen Of the conglomeration.
styled "the Peoples Party" take the following,
which has just reached us, from a trustworthy
friend in Wayne county, Indiana:
AS another indication of which way the
wind blows here, / may refer to the proceedings
OF fusion meeting, held in this place, on last
Saturday l cannot learn who called the meet
ing, but the notice of it made it impossible for
the Ant-Slavery men of the county to respond
to 1T. The call invited the friends of civil
liberty, true republicanism, and genuine Amer.
icanism, to assemble, but announced no par.
ticular object of so doing The Convention
except lookerson) was composed almost ell
tlrey OF conservative Wings and tender footed
Anti-Nebraska Democrats. At the suggestion
OF an active Know Nothing, o. p. Morton, Esq,
was called on for speech. Mr.. Morton has
been one of the most Pro-Slavery Democrats in
the State, going far beyond his party in his op-
position to every form and shade of Anti Slave
ry tie IS now for restoring the Missouri Com
promise, and this is his ultimatum in the war
he proposes to wage against the Slave Interest,
The other prominent speaker in this Conven-
ton was Solomon Meredith, who was Marshal
under Fillmore for this district and sgnalized
himself by sending to Kentucky the first victims
OF the Fugitive Act of 1850 from this State,
who were both Native Americans and An.
glo-Saxons, if my memory is not at fault He
said he was for sending conservative men TO the
Pittsburgh Convention that we must defer to
the action of the Philadelphia American Con
vention, to assemble at the same time that we
must put an American plank in our fusion plat
form; that ne was proud OF being an American
and member of the American party" &c.
These gentlemen might as well spare them
selves the expense of attending the Pittsburgh
Convention. 1t will not wait upon the move
ments of any other Party-it will not suffer it.
self to be controlled by the Know Nothing Or
der, or any extraneous Party.
The real Republicans of the country intend to
be there in sufficient force to take care that the
cause suffer no detriment.
On our first page, for example, we publish
list of delegates from New York, two from each
district, and four from the State at large, in
Guiding Preston King and Abiiah Mann, gen.
tlemen who are Republicans, and nothing else.
The New York E0sning Post remarks, that
there is about an equal number taken from
each of the old Parties, and among them will
be found several of the most influential and es-
teemed members of both
Other States are acting promptly, among
them Wisconsin, which has requested Mr.. Dur.
kee, Senator from that State and her two Re-
publican Representatives, to attend as dele
gates.
Let us assure the friends of Freedom in the
Know Nothing Order, that the Republican
Party will be nationally organized, not tributa-
ry to that Order, or any other Association, but
absolutely free and independent. If they pre-
fer their organization and their issues, to a Re-
| publican organization and RenuLlcsn issues