The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1856-02-16
rHE rwEIErH SECTION.

Americans in several Of the southern States whe Their their
organization ought not 10 aationaizs itself by expungng
the twelfth section from the Philadelphia platform This
ball put in motion by Mr. Bolts of Virginia. and ne
has the satisfaction Of being sustained by quite number
Of know-nohings in his well in other southern
States That the full import OF the proposed reform may
be better comprehended we deem appropriate time TO
repubsh the section which the southern know-noth-
ings are wrangling. it's as follows;
"xI The American party having arisen upon the ruins
and In spite Of the opposition, Of the whg and democrac
parties cannot be In responsible for the oonoh
violated pledges OF either And the systematic
agitation of the slavery question by those parties having ee
waited sectional hostility into positive element Of political
power and brought institutions into peril IL has there
FORE become the imperative duty OF the American party TO
nepose for the purpose giving peace to the country and
perpetuy to the Union And experience has shown II
impossible TO reconcile opinions extreme those which
the dspntants and there be dhonor in
submitting to the laws, the national council has deemed II
the best Of justice and Of future peace 70
abide By and maintain the erng oes upon me subject 81
slavery final and conclusive settlement Of that subject IN
| spiru and % substance.
And regarding the highest duty to their opinions
upon subject important in distinct and unequvoca terms
hereby declared the of this national council that
Congress possesses under the constitution to eg
upon subject of slavery in the States where 1t does
may exist exclude any State from admission into the
Union its constitution does does not recognise the
institution Of slavery part OF its social system and ex
pressy pretermng expression OF opinion upon the
power of Congress establish prohibit slavery in
Territory is the of the national council that Con-
ought egate upon the subject of slavery with
in the Territories of the United States and that inter-
ference by Congress with slavery 1t exists in the District
OF Columbia would be violation Of the spirit and intention
Of the compact by which the State of Maryland ceded the
District United States and breach Of the national
| faith" #.....
| When this section adopted by the southern dele
gates in the Philadelphia convention expressed our
surprise that any body of southern would so far hui
initiate themselves agree TO rest their claims to
tonality upon unsound foundation The only apol-
ogy that could be made for the concessions to sectional
ism made in it that it rendered by the southern
delegates a compromise. But this poor apology
lost all of its virtue when the northern or abolition por-
ton of the convention refused accept it common
platform As bad however, as this section is it is still
national for the followers Of Mr. Bots and they
waging of extinction against it. We think there
ought to be division amongst southern in unani-
mously ordering black lines to be drawn around it,
4 We will enumerate several objections which ought to
insure its unanimous reputation, its radical reorma-
! ton;
l. 1t sets out with double alsebood in saying that the
American party has arisen upon the ruins and in spite OF
the opposition, of the wing and democratic parties"
q III was uiscredtaDle ana lnexcusaple concesson u
abotonsm admit that the Nebraska bill and the repeal
Missouri restriction obnoxious acts or violated
| pledges"
u 3. 1t neither brave nor just to screen themselves
who had all been wings democrats from responsibility
behind the of Americans.
4. 1t the agitation Of the slavery question by
abolitonsts and falsely throws the responsibility upon
the democratic and whig parties
s. 1t not by any clear that men who believed
the Nebraska involved violation of pghted faith
could honoaby agree to abide by and maintain its pro-
visions final settlement.
0. II fatal surrender Of the groundwork of true
nationality to expressly pretermt opinion to the
power of Congress prohibit establish slavery in the
Territories
If these several objections we'll taken land
they are the clauses containing them ought to be
expunged and then the section would be substantially the
platform of the democratic party 1t would place southern
know-nothings truly national grounds, and qualify
them latter abandoning their illusions to foreigners and
Catholics) to make good democrats. But IT, fear
the of them have such unconquerabe aversion
democracy forbid the hope of their embracing it,
still trust that in the coming contest common flag
will float over them and the democracy and that 1t
will be inscribed, THE UNION MUST PRESERVED" We
hope the lesson taught in the election Of black republic
can Speaker will not be forgotten.
At the risk of being considered ocous venture to
hold up to the Philadelphia convention to assemble
the example of the champions the order in the
House of Representatives during the protractcd struggle
for Speaker The persistent efforts Of Messrs Marshall
Walker and Zolicoer elevate the standard OF Ameri-
can nationality ought not to be os upon the grand
onal council Who did not admire the perseverance, with
which their candidate for Speaker lifted from the very
bottom of sectional wmotprovisoism to the high position
of disputng the consu,onality Of the Missouri Compro-
mise and by process sought be elevated above such
statesmen as Richardson and Stephens whose nationality
never questioned until these leaders Of Americansm
deemed II necessary place Mr. Fuller platform
more exalted than that Of the democratic candidate.
What an achievement II TO make sound nation
al candidate for Speaker out Of a man who in ls49
wrote 81 am in favor OF free soil free Speech free
labor and free men, being Wilmotproviso up to the
huh and utterly opposed to the extension OF slavery We
say nothing sudden giving way which took place
when the FINAL struggle between Messrs Banks
and Aiken II Mcsss Fuller and the few northern national
Americans who permitted Mr.. Banks be Speaker were
unable to keep their courage screwed up the point of
nationality to which, the preceding day, II bad been
elevated will not be suspicious insuuate that
the southern Americans who did support Mr. Aiken were
not in in their previous efforts TO pationalze
their organization.