The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-04-22
WING Convsntlon-Hon. Archie Dixon.


ing together, and they carried out the no par
ticular object admirably. The Convention
was very small, but some of those in attend
ance were men formerly of high position
among the Wing party in Kentucky. At the
beginning an agreement was made that there
should be no speeches against either OF the
two great parties or expression OF preference
between them. Mr.. Dixon was one OF those
who in his speech violated this agreement. He
took occasion in his remarks to utter bitter
TRADE against the American party, the very
party with which he openly declared himself
less than year ago.. What right he had in
that Old Wing Convention, we cannot con-
ceive--unless regarding the call for the Con-
vention as emanating in part from the Louis
vile Courier, he took it for granted -shnt any
man who ever had been a Wing, though twice
renegade since, would be made welcome in
this Convention. 1t has not been great
while since we noticed ahe formal initiation of
Hon. Archie Dixon into THE Old Line Democ-
racy. The ceremony took place at Demo-
cratic meeting in Henderson, which was adj
dressed by Gov. Powell, the leader of Ken
lucky Democracy, and Ex-Gov. Dixon, the
new convert. The meeting was called ex-
pressly to receive the last dying confession of
this Old Wing, to give him remission for his
past sins, and purify his soul for eternal in
tercourse and companionship with the saints
of Democracy. Mr.. Dixon had been waver-
ing before among parties, and his position was
apparently as uncertain to others as TO himself,
but at and after the Henderson meeting, he
was not only regarded by all parties as
Democrat, but he scas Democrat. As such
he had no right in this Lexington Convention
and there, rightfully or not, ne Violateo'a
solemn agreement and the courtesies of the
occasion, by abusing the American party
This abuse, at all events, comes with par
ticularly bad grace from Archie Dixon, who
ON the 18th of May, 1855, at Madisonyille,
Ky, made substantial American speech,
and thus ,plscehlhimsGn in. tise,ra1tIks of.the
American party. In that speech. heFthought
the foreign power was becoming formidable in
this country, and unless something should be
done to prevent foreigners from voting, "they
would gain the ascendancy in most of the
new States" He advocated the extension OF
the naturalization laws to twenty-one years
the keeping out of Office of such Catholics
as acknowledge the temporal power of the
Pope, &C., &c.
The American party had thus right to
claim Mr.. Dixon, and they did so. But Mr..
Dixon was only feeling around. Heprobably
thought his name had not inspired quite such
Dixon's services and political Importance de-
manded. He was perplexed, uncertain, and
wavering. The Democracy saw this, APP
preached him, and then followed the Hender-
son speech. Here is an extract from that
speech, which best shows how he was disposed
few months ago:
What can the Democratic party do? Has
it national platform and national party, a
platform reaching from Maine to California,
and a party standing on that platform from
one end of the Union to the other ? If any
one doubts, she points exultingly to the recent
elections in Maine, and says, behold the tri-
umph of national men standing on the Demo
cratic platform over Abolitionists, FreesoilerS,
and all the other vile factionists that have
lifted up their infamous hands in opposition to
the Constitution and the Union. She points
you to the national platform put forth by the
Democratic State Convention of Massachusetts,,
tothat adopted by the Democratic Hard Shells
of'New York, te the able and patriotic address
of the Democratic central committee Of Penn
sylvania, to the resolutions of the Democratic
State Convention of Indiana-and then she
points to her Cass Of Michigan, to her Doug
las of Illinois, to her Bright of Indiana, to her
Toucey of Connecticut, to her Jones and her
Dodge of Iowa, to her Thompson of New Jer-
sey, ner Broadhead Of Pennsylvania, and to
her Gwyn and Weller of California, and says
these are the men, who, in the Senate Of the
United States, risked all for the Kansas and
Nebraska bill, the Union and national princi-
PIES and now stand at the gate that opens to
the Temple of Freedom as faithful sentinels
with flaming swords to hew in pieces the
Northern Vandals that would destroy the
Union. I t-g
She Cthe country calls upon the American
party South, but, "alas they cry, we are too
weak to help you, we haye no power to save.''
She calls upon the Wing party, her once great
hope and support, and voice from the tombs
OF Clay and Webster calls around her all the
national men OF the country, and bids her lean
upon them, for they alone can save her. She
calls upon the Democratic party from the
North and from the South, and she spreads
out her national platform on which can stand
the national men Of every party and of every
State, and on whose shoulders she NAV lear
and weather the storm Of faction and repose ir
escurity.
And now this gentleman,-and he is a gen