Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1856-03-21
.aow it was Done.

Philadelphia nominations but the demand
on our columns has prevented. We would
like to produce the whole article, as it is
eminently worth reading and would serve
Just now as a sedativo of public sentiment,
especially among our American friends
The Register is the central organ of the
American party in New York, and is, (ol
has bnen) conducted with more ability than
any other paper in the State on that side
1t had leaning towards Geo. Law as a
candidate for the Presidency, but was none
the less the recognized organ of the party,
and still claims to speak for large major
Iity.
The article from which the extract which
follows is taken, opens with an account Of
how the vigorous young party was courted
by the old hacks, and for what purpose. 1t
proceeds:
at was thus that the American party,
confiding in the integrity of its principles,
and unskilled in the strategy, new to polit-
lcal tactics, and moving on in an undrlled
mass to the performance of its missions has
been, for the time, by the action of the
Philadelphia Convention, BETRAYED into
false position. The leaders of the "Sil-
ver-Gray" faction of the Wing party saw in
its crude condition an element of strength.
They saw, too, that it warred against the
same power that had crushed them; and
stimulated in party by thirst for revenge
against a common enemy, and in part by
the hope of securing its support, they ten
dered alliance-and in an evil hour it was
accepted. They did not enter the councils
they preferred, as a general thing, to fight
upon the outside. A community of hates
gave them, for the time, an appearance of
sincerity. When the victory of November
was won, the earnestness of their rejoicing
over the vanquished foe, secured the conf
dence of an American party-and from
that moment they contemplated its betrayal.
They had already paved the way by par
lor-initiation of their great leader, with
whose rise would be resurrected the long
array of favorites and the charmed circles
Of the cliques. His postmasters scattered
all over the Union, his custom-house officers,
his marshals and his mail agents were set
to work. To the outsiders, he was straight
out Wing and a Silver Gray, and to those
on the inside he was an American and a
member of the Order Thus, while the
American party reposed upon its laurels,
these active politicians gathered up the reins
and prepared to assume the guidance of its
movements.
"But there was no hope of their candi-
dates success based upon the free senti-
ment of the North. His antecedents went
crashing against the anti-Slavery instincts
of the Northern people; and however they
might secure his nomination, they felt that
there must be more than even American
ism backed by the "Silver Gray" strength,
to overcome the prejudice of the Northern
mind against his Southern affiliations They
therefore leagued with Slavery. They
urged him upon the South through the
memory of the Fugitive Slave law, and
they pledged his future action to square
with the past They spoke of the necessi-
ty which exists on the part of the South of
having a man for President who could show
clean record in favor of Slavery whose
antecedents would in themselves be plat
form on which the South could stand. They
talked about the Kansas-Nehraska bill, the
repeal of the Missouri Compromise, and
appeal to the South if their candidates was
not worth their trust. They united with
the South in driving from the Convention
the New England States, Pennsylvania,
Ohio, and practically the great West. Hav-
ing done this, the conspiracy was complete
The South, after the secession, held its en-
tire control of the Convention. Its vote
was cast in a solid mass for Millard Fill
more, the candidate of the conspirators-
and he stepped forth nominally the stand
ard bearer of the American party, but in
truth the champion of Slavery.
"By this result candidate was forced
upon the State of New-York against the
expressed wish of two thirds of the Ameri-
can members of the Legislature, against the
expressed wish of majority of the State
officers, against the expressed wish of more
than two-thirds Of the Delegates from the
State in the Convention. Nominated as
he was by the Slaveholding States, because
Of his Pro-SlGyery antecedents and their
confidence anil Pro-Slarery future, he can
only be regarded, not as the representative
of the American party, but as the repre-
sentative and candidate of Szapery. As
such, we say to-day, as we said yesterday,
we will not support him. We have no
stomach for the battles of Slavery, and we
will not fight them We will not struggle
against the popular sentiment of the entire
East, the North, and the West. We were
content to ignore the Slavery issue; we
tried our best to do so. But our back is to
the wall, and we will go no fuether."
"Let us do in New York as they have
done in Massachusetts,, in Cincinnati, in
all the Eastern States, in Pennsylvania,
Ohio, and the whole West-place it upon a
platsorm which does not clash with the pop
ular sentiments of the people. Let us swing
loose from Slavery. Let US break away
from the service of an institution which the
Northern mind abhors; and compelled as
we are to unite the Protestant and American
sentiment with Slavery or Freedom, choose
the latter. Let US stand as Massachusetts,,
as all New England and the West stand
on one common American platform, and at
the same time vindicating the rights of
Freedom"
OUR U. S. SENAToR-The New York