Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-02-02
Che Anti- 5laperp Buele.
Prom the Ohio Columbian.
A TRAP TO CATCH GUDGEONS.


The 9Th of January has come and gono; i,
brought with 1t q number of men to this city whu
delight to call themselves the Democracy and
who class all outside of their organization US the
foes Of Democracy. AS we announced last week,
the proceedings were all cut and dried by the
managers, and were showed through the Conyen-
tion by the combined efforts of the ofice.hoders
Of the General Government and the Miami Tribe,
q secret political association in Cincinnati, which
aspres to control the politics Of the State We
copy ON our fourth page the Journals report of
their doings to which we ask attention. There
were many good men in the Convention who
estmab.e us citizens, and in private life worthy of
confidence and respect; but their influence was
overpowered by the combined pressure of the Office
holders and the Miami Tribe. As this the
gathering of an influential political party, pro-
pose to furnish the readers of the Columbian with
q full and clear statement Of its position and pur-
poses, that they may be able to understand their
scope and bearing And, if it be objected that we
exceed our duty in dssecting the proceedings. of
an opposing political party, we reply, in the words
of the noble old Roman, II am a man, and moth
ing which interests humanity is alien to me-
Many honest Democrats will read the Statesmans
version of the proceedings of the Convention, and
because things look right on the surface will sup
ton.
Before proceeding to remark on the resolutions
adopted, we will premise that the leading organs
of the party, prior to the meeting Of the Conven-
ton, protested against the passage of what they
called the saddle.bag resolution about Slavery,
which had been adopted by every Democratic State
Convention since lS4S. The resolution in
these words:
Resolved, That the people of Ohio, now, as
they have always done, look upon Slavery an
svil, and unfavorable to the development of the
spirit and practical benefits of free institutions;
and that entertaining these sentiments, they will
at all times feel it he their duty to all pow
a r piy ~ M
pact, to prevent its increase, to mitigate, and final
ly eradicate, the evil"
This resolution, so mild in its terms, so eminent
ly just in lis sentiments, was deemed offensive by
Southern Democrats. Last year it was crucifed
between a resolution endorsing the Baltimore Plat
form and one gluritying the Pierce Administrations
but this did not satisfy the spirit of despotism.-
The South protested against it; they demanded
that it be expunged; the crack Of the slavedrverS
whip was heard and the once noble Democracy OF
Ohio erouched in the dust. This resolution has
no longer place in the Democratic Platform
Significant omission The Services who controlled
the Convention surrendered at discretion, and now
we trust the demon of despotism is appeased. 1t
may hence lie inferred that the boasted Democracy
OF Ohio do not now look upon Slavery as an evil;
that it is not, in their view, untavorable to the
spirit and practical benefits of free institutions,
and that they will not Eat all times feel it to be
their duty to use all power clearly given by the |
terms of the national compact, to prevent its i'll
crease to mitigate. and finally eradicate, the evil.
Let Anti-Sluyery Democrats note well this Omis-
sion 1t indicates that Yroslaveryism affects the
ruling influence of the marty to the core, and thai
they are willing to cOncede all the Slave Power
may see fit to demand. Let them remember also,
in the words of F:atcis p. Blair, a Democrat and
a Southern man, that Every conquest OF this ele
ment of discord, which has 50 often threatened
the dissolution of the Union, increases the danger.
Every concession Of the Free States invites inva-
sion" Unless we greatly mistake, this surrender
of the Ohio Democracy will condemn 1t to very
dark corner in the political history of the State
There is another significant OMISSION The Free
State men in Kansas who struggling against
the efforts of hordes of Slavery propagandists to
fasten Slavery upon them, receive no word OF sym
pathy or encouragement in the resolutions. 1t is |
true that individuals in the Convention spoke open
ly against the Outrages OF the border ruthans,
but the Convention itself was dumb.
Our idea of Platform is, that it should be, like
Treaty, clear, cencise and explicit without cru
dities, redundancies or antiquities. Its fuunda-
tion should be in the eternal principles of Truth. |
Justice and Right. If it is not it will be like the
structure of the foolish man who built his house
the sand, Of which mention is made in scrip
ture: "And the rain descended and the floods
came. and the winds blew, and beat upon that
house; and it tell; and great was the fall of it,"
Let now look ut the Platform adopted
The committee on Resolutions, with entire una
nimity on the engrossing questions of the day,
present the creed of the Democracy of Ohio as
follows:
lst. Resolved, That Slavery (bcing the creature
of positive law, cannot exist without it, is I. do
mestic Institution, and that Congress has neither .
the power to legslate it into any territory or State
to exclude it therefr0m, but to leave the people
there eof perfectly free to form and regulate their
domestic institutions in their own way, subject on
ay to the Constitution of the United States.
This is the first resolution as IL passed the Con-
rention and was thus published in the Statesman
of the 9th inst. But the same paper of the 10th
publishes i: again, with the omission of the words
in brackets. What right the editor had to tamper
with and eliminate the solemn resolution of Dem
ocratic State Convention, he can probably explain.
We commend to him the task. This resolution
completely repudates the action Of Jefferson in
the famous Ordinance of 1887, by which Slavery
was forever excluded from all the Territories then
owned by the United States, and denies the au-
Ehority of Congress to exclude this curse from q
Eesritory-and the men who pass this resolution
claim to be the disciples of Jefferson The rights
of Freedom and Free Labor must expect no aid
from the Democracy of Ohio and freedom in Kan
may be overpowered by 5angs of pro-slavery
.emissaries, and the boasted Democracy of Ohio
have no words of rehuke for the outrages Ah, |
but says one, If we conceded the claim that Con-
gress has power to prohibit Slavery in territory
do we not necessarily imply that Congress may es-
tablish itf BY no means. Because our Legisa-
trro has power to prohibit stealing. does it
Bariy follow that the Legislature may legally Lu-
thoriIe and establish stealing one of our pecu-
cajiar institutons'i Answer us that.
Ia order to understand clearly the height from
which the Democracy of Ohio have fallen, and the
abjectnsss Of the surrender which this resolution
exhibits it will be necessary refer to the reson
tion adopted by the Legislature a few years ago.
by the aid of Democratic votes, instructing our
Senators and Representatives in Congress to vote
for the prohibition of Slavery in the Territories of
the United States. Ohio was not alone in this ac
tion. The Legislature Of every free State and one
Slave State. Delaware passed similar resou
proper, now il ia declared to be political heresy
the will O. the wisp doctrine of Squatter Sover-
eighty is exalted to the chief place in the creed of
The party. while the slavery prohibition Of Jefer-
sen is thrust away into coffin.