Washington telegraph., 1856-04-30


and elsewhere in the North, who had de-
clared anti-slavery to be part of the Ma
tional American creed as having done
so without authority, and SO perverted and
prostituted the organization to improper
purposes.
| Met by an unanimous resolve on the
part of Northern members to have a de-
claration that she Missouri Compromise
ought to be restored, aided in establish
ing the 18th article Once upon it, and
deeming it eminently right in principle,
1T became impossible for me to abandon 1t,
or consent to its modification. When 1T
was struck out, Withdrew from the Coun-
ell, and destroyed my credentials as del
egate to the Nominating Convention, in
which refused to take my seat
The American party south cannot stand
on the new Platform. 1t must aaecessari-
ty repudiate it. On it, it would not car
ry a single county anywhere.
1t is said that the men nominated are
Platform enough. That might be so if
we had no Platform; if they were on no
Platform if we had never lad a Plat
| form.
1t is said that the new Platform is sub
stantiatky the same as the old one. Then
how came it to be offered by Free-soiler
from Illinois, who declared, after it was
adopted; that he would vote for the ad-
mission of no State permitting slavery !?
Ii it suits him, it cannot suit me.
1t is not substantially the same. 1t
was framed in Washington, to get rid of
the 18th article. 1t was offered and adop-
ted for the purpose in Philadelphia; and
we may as well look it in the face. 1t
yields up all that we fought for and gain
ed the June before.
And now as to the candidates. That
may not be misunderstood, let me say that
l was always a Whig, until L joined the
American Party. l was a supporter of
Mr. Fillmore's administration. L was in
dignant when he was thrown aside for Gen.
Scott. What l thought of him then, l
think now
But when we formed the American par
| ty, we assured our Democratic friends who
joined US, that it was not meant to be the
Whig party in disguise. They joined US
in that belief. On my motion, my State
Council declared that the nominee for Pres
ident ought to be Northern man, whose
antecedents had been Democratic. was
playing fairly.
The old Wing organizations are reviviug
all over the country. The old Whig COM
mittees and clubs are alive and astir again
Our Democratic brethren will say that we
have deceived them, and that it is the old
Whig party in disguise. think that 1t was
not fit and proper to nominate man who
had been SO deeply identified with the Wing
party-a Whig and nothing else l do not
say it was bad faith to do it. do not so
even insinuate but do say, that. if had
aided in such nomination, | shoald have felt
that my Democratic brothers had some light
to complain of me.
They do feel, all over the South, that
they have been trapped; and, my word for
1t, they will not stay in the trap. The new
Platform warrants them in leaving the par
ty, and the Wing nomination viii urge
them to do it ; and they will 90 back to
their old filth, if the matter is left as it is.
Southern Democratic Americans can
neither stand on the Platform, nor support
the candidate.
! No Southern American can successfully
defend the Platform
! What is to be done? Shall we disband ?
Shall We merge in the Democratic party :?
l, for one, say No. 1t would be too lame
and impotent conclusion; and many of
their Northern allies are no more reliable
than ours. We are not yet ready to give
up our American principles. We have sat
with Free-Soilers long enough.
| Let then the State Councils Of the sew
eral Southern States at once assemble and
deliberate. 1t is high time we were doing
so. Let us lay down one Platform for all
the South. going upon the subject of slave
ry no further than the 18th article went !;
In order that the conservative men in the
North may stand upon it with US. Do. not
let US force them from US. They will stand
on that article, if we will be true to our
selves. Let US not ask them to do more,
and that which they cannot do.
Then let us place candidates on that plat
form. IF we think we cannot succeed with
a candidate who endorses all our views, let
us take a Democrat who has been tried
and always found true to the South and the
Constitution, at home and in the councils of
the country. Let US say to the country, we
are willing to wait for the success of our
American principles. The first thing to
do, is to give our country quiet. We will
take this man. trusting to his antecedents.
We ask of him no other pledges We will
trust to his American feelings and instincts
to do justice to those. who, like him, are
American born, confident that he will not
6ll the offices of the country with foreign
ers, to the exclusion of those born on the
SOIL
Let us place this Northern Democrat, one
like Bayard and DuGuesclin, without fear
and without reproach. and Southern Wing
of our party, at once before the country,
and rally to their flag the conservatives of
the Union.
| We need not fear that our American
principles will not succeed in the end
Unembarrassed by other questions. the
American instincts of the people will in
time make them victorious everywhere.
Or, If that does not suit our views, let us
In of