The Placer herald., 1856-05-03
Communication from Mr.. Crocker.
AUBURN, APRIL 25th, 1856,

April l0lH Heaued. ~ Nofu 10 lne w lSe
But your remarks in relation to republican,
ism gives an erroneous view of that party -
You style us "agitators," as though that was
cause of reproach. Yet in this respect the
democratic party are, and for years have been,
the greatest agitators on the subject of sa-
very in the nation. They have been dill
gently agitating the pro-sluvry side of the
question, until the people have been com
PEELED, in pure sef-detence, to organize par
ty to oppose them on this subject To prove
these facts we need only briefly refer to his
tory.
The democratic party first adopted the
2lst rule in Congress, striking down the sa-
cred right of petition for the benefit Of sla-
very. Then the slave power demanded the
annexation Of Texas, that slavery might be
strengthened, and the democrats annexed it
for them. Not satisfied with that, they got
up a war with Mexico to get more land for
savery-then they passed fugitive slave
law, of the most odious and constitutional
character, to aid slavery-and then, to cap
the climax of all, the democratic party re-
pealed the sacred Missouri Compromise to
open the door for the extension of slavery
All this and much more has this party done
to aid, encourage and extend slavery. Dem
orratc papers in the meantime have been
filled with defences of slavery, holding it up
as a national democratic institution. They
have elected to office the most ultra slavery
have refused to recognise, as sound demo-
crats, those Of the party who refused to sane
ton this policy. They have done all in their
power to convince the people that the great
mission Of the democratic party is to foster
and extend slavery-and that party now
stands before the world as the great champi-
on of human slavery. They have thus con-
Quoted the most stupendous system of "agi
tation," all in favor Of slavery, this nation
ever Witnessed. Democratic papers, speeches
reports and Presidential Messages, are con
tinuay filled with the SUBJECT. And yet in
the face of all this they have the audacity to
denounce the friends of free institutions, who
ho"o hoo" co,,-pcica to dio' us 'llc SUBJECT IN
selfdetence, as "agitators" With them it is
the heighth of patriotism to "agitate" in fa-
vor of slavery, but rank treason to say a
word in favor of free institutions Such is
the party you ask the "bonc and sinew of the
country" to sustain.
The republicans deem this repeal Of the
Missouri Compromise, a most handed
outrage. The South had received the full
benefit of that compromise, but when the
time had arrived for the North to receive her
share of the territory under it, the democrat
ic party, at the sacrifice of every principle Of
honesty and good faith, stepped forward and
deprived her of her rights under the compact.
This act of gross injustice, aroused the "bone
and snew of the country" and the result was
the organization in the summer of 1854 Of
a republican party, founded upon the princi
pie of determined opposition to the exten-
sion of slavery. At the very first election,
so popular is this principle, they elected 10
staunch republicans to Congress, the demo-
Gratis electing 70. while the know-nothings
have about 35--and this is now the relative
strength of the parties. The republicans
therefore, are now the leading party in the
nation, having majority in the House Of
Representatives over both other parties.
We 90 back for principles to the Ordi-
nance of 1887, adopted at the very organi-
zation of our Union and sustained by WASH
inpton. Jefferson, Madison and their colnpa-
triots. This very question, whether slavery
should be permitted or prohibited in the ma
tional territories, then came up for the first
time, and although nearly all the States held
slaves, yet our revolutionary fathers, deeming
it pernicious system, adopted that ordinance
ted, forever prohibiting it in all the territory
which then belonged to the country. That
Ordinance gave peace to the country on this
| veXed question, am. we are satisfied that the
founders of this republic, adopted the wisest
policy on this subject. We propose to adopt
their policy and follow in their footsteps, and
AS it did not dissolve the Union then, We
know it will not now. They are good
enough democrats for US, and as long as we
have them for guide, we are unwilling to
follow after Pierce, Gushing a. Co. The
great mass Of the democratic party mean
right, but they have been led away from the
sound constitutional principles of Jefferson
on this subject. by the flimsy sephistries OF
Douglass and Others Of the same stamp