Washington telegraph., 1856-04-30
CAPTAIN PIXIES POSITION.

Called upon as we are, by our neigh
bors of the Democrat, to produce Captain
Pixies circular in our columns, we do so.
The intimate personal relations which
have existed between the senior editor of
the Telegraph and Captain Pike, have
made him 10th to take issue with him In
this public manner. The grateful attach
ment which he acknowledges towards
Captain Pike, the fruit of favors bestow-
ed by him, and of the pleasant inter-
course which has marked their acquaint-
anee, are themes upon which Mr.. Etter
loves to dwell, and which, in themselves,
are evidences of Captain Pixies worth as
a man. This tribute may be worth moth
ing, but is called for. 1t is also well
known that Mr. Etter differs with Capt
Pike in his views in regard to the nature
of the present Platform, and the abroga-
ton of the 18th section of the Platform
of June last
Speaking with due Difference to the dis
tinguished gentleman whose name heads
this article, we are of the opinion that
the points to be considered in the exami-
nation of Captain P-'s circular, are, not
the mere questions whether the 18th sec
ton of the June Platform of 90, and the
corresponding section in the Platform Of
February, SO, are identical in terms; and
whether, by a very plausible process of
ratiocination, the latter section may be
made to appear to defraud the South of
her guaranteed and constitutional rights ;
but whether, in its real nature, looking to
a recognition of every right the South
can call her own, under the constitution,
and depending upon the operation of the
patriotic, national and conservative intel
ligence of the National American Party,
the South as well as the North, and the
North as well as the South, may not safe
ly rely upon the provisions of the new
Platform, and the principles therein en-
bodied. To prove the propositions con-
tanned In the latter questions, will be to
do away with the objections raised by Capt
Pike
The substitution to which Capt. Pike
SO strenuously objects, is in the following
words:
"6th. The unqualified recognition and
maintenance. of the reserved rights of the
several States, and the cultivation of har-
mony and fraternal good will, between the
citizens of the several States, and to this
end, non-interference by Congress with
yidual States, and non-intervention by
each State with the affairs of any other
State"
We trust we shall not be deemed pre-
sumptous if We advance the idea, that the
party which aims at "the unqualified re-
cognition of the reserved rights of the sew
eral States" aims at more than has been
Gone by that wing of the opposition party
at the North, which accepted the Nebraska
measure, because it opens hitherto protcc-
ted Territory, to the Infringement upon the
very right, which is here referred to-for-
the paramount reserved right for which
the Southern members Of the February Con
vention contended, was the right to carry
slaves into whatever Territory should be
adapted to that institution aud had been
acquired by the expenditure of blood and
treasure in common; and it must follow
that if this right to carry slaves to certain
territory be reserved right, 1T is in
the very TERMS Of the February compact
reserved" allowed and admitted to the
South. To argue otherwise is to argue faith
lessness to their constituents and reckless
disregard of their real interest, to the very
large majority of southern delegates. who
participated in the labors ofthe Convention to
the close. 1t is moreover to impute to the
Northern friends of the present organ.
ization, motives which doubtless they would
prefer not to have ascribed to them;-and
it is also to assert In terms that the bolters
from the Philadelphia Convention were
blind to their own interest and did not know
when they had secured that at which they
aimed. Now as corollary to the recogni.
tion of the reserved rights" referred to
above, We find that the Convention in the
same section of the platform referred to, de-
clares, that one of the objects of the organi-
cation of the American Party, is 'the cult
walton of harmony and fraternal good will
between the citizens of the several States
to this end''-what?-'. non interference
BY Congress with questions appertainine
solely to the individual States The rich,
to regulate her own domestic concerns by
every State. was contended for in the Phil.
adelphia Convention-the validity of the
power of Congress to legislate in regard to
slavery was denied, and an expression of the
denial-the public denial-of the validity Of
that power, in Congress, was called for and