Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1857-06-20

NATIoK, June Is, 1857.
Messrs. Editors The Spy, by correspondents
/ and BY editorial articles, has commented with
great severity upon the motives and policy of
members Of the Republican party, who felt i'm
PEELED by an imperative sense of duty to advise
the Republican State Convention of last wear to
avoid controversy with the Fremont Americans,
by adopting their State ticket or by making no
nominations at all. Their motives, policy, and
action have been commented upon in the SDV and
some other Republican journals in language. not
only calculated to mislead the people and place
them in false position, but to wound their SEN
siblities as men. Their policy is pronounced
corrupt and dishonest-their motives selfsh-and
their action tTeacherous to the Republican party
The accusation against these gentlemen is that
they sold out the Republican party last year"
For months they have borne in silence these
ehldlngs, reproaches, accusations, and censures,
conscious that they were actuated by profound
sense OF duty to the cause of human liberty in
America-by an ardent desire to secure, in the
expressive words of the Philadelphia platform,
:. the utilization operation of men Of all par
ties in favor of the prohibition of slavery in the
territories of the United States-conscious also,
that their policy was in complete harmony with
the general policy OF the canyass-that it had the
sanction of the National Commttee-the warm
approval of the public men of the Republican par
ty in Congress and in other States, of the entire
Republican press and the whole body of the Re
publican party out of the State and of their gal.
liant leader, John G. Fremunt-that it was en-
| dorsed by the Convention and more than one hun
| bred Observation-Disclosures freemen. They have
| silently borne these assaults, hoping that their
| political associates with whom it was their pain
full duty to differ, would finally do justice to their
| motives, if they could not approve their policy =
| But time, instead Of modifying the views of some
of their associates, seems to have intensified their
hostile feelings, and those feelings are now being
| poured out in harsh, unjust, and cruel
| tons upon the heads of men whose only offence
was sincere and honest effort TO unite the OPP
ponents of slavery of all parties, in Massachusetts
| and in the whole country, in the cause of free
| dom, by eecting John Fremont President of
| the United States.
But these gentlemen, so severely censured, by
| some of their political associates, for imporng
| the Republicans for the sake of peace and unity
! among the supporters Of Fremont and Dayton,
| by sacrificing act, are sustained by the prond
| consciousness of duty performed by the public
men, and public press, and the entire body of the
| Republicans out of the State. l venture the as
sertion, thatnot one hundred men OF the twelve
| hundred and thirty thousand of other States
which voted for Fremont, can be found to cen
sure their motives or condemn their policy. That
act was enthusiastically hailed by the supporters
OF Fremont as self-sacrifcing and magnanimous
act, worthy OF the applause aud imitation Of the
opponents Of slavery. l haveseen in other States
many an eye beam with Joy and hopeat the men,
ton of the self-sacrihcing conduct of the Repub
hcans of Massachusetts,, and heard thousands of
voices enthusiastically applaud that noble deed.
intention, and the general approval of friends
does not shield the bosom of sensitive man from
the pain occasioned by the accusations of other
friends even when he is fully conscious that the ac-
| cusations are wholly unmerited. If ever per
| formed an unsefsh act, self-denying deed,-it
was when l advised my Republican friends for the
sake of the cause in other States, to avoid con-
troversy with the Fremont Americans of Massa-
| chusetts- The severe eensures of some of my po-
| litical associates, upon the action of the Com
all 7 knn 70 h.
caused me much pain. | can receive the fierce
denuneiations of enemies unmoved but | have
little of that spirit, which can receive without
painful emotions the reproaches of personal or
political friends.
now propose to viudicate my action-to state
the motives and reasons which impelled me to ad
wise the adoption of the policy of last year.
shall speak only for myself, and in doing so I
shall utter no reproaches upon those political
friends with whom it was my fortune to differ
Many of tn EN- have been true and tried friends
and shall not censure them-I simply intend to
vindcate myself. E
The policy advocated at and adopted by the
| RepubfcanConventonla last year was in entire har-
mony with the general policy of the campaign
! That policy was in the language Of the Philadel-
| phia Platform, policy of q6fltatioa and co.
| operation of men of all parties hOiceUer dtfering
| IN other respects, in support of Z" the pooer and
Imperative duty OF Congress, f" to prohibit Slay-
| cry in the territories and to admit Kanzas into
the Union as free state. The Convention which
made the Philadelphia Platform and nominated
| Fremont and Dayton was not Republican Con-
vention, 1t did not call itself Republican Con-
vention. 1t was called by Republican Commit
tee as Convention of '.the PEOPLE of the Unit.
ed States without regard to past political differ
enees or divisions, who were opposed to the re-
peal of the Missouri COMPROMISING the Policy
of the administration--to the extension of Slay.
| cry, and infavor of the admission of Kanzas as
free State This call of Peoples COnven-
ton instead Of Republican Convention, was not
| accidental. 1t was a deliberate act, a policy
adopted after full and mature elaboration 1t
| was not matter of choice. 1t was an act Of du-
| ty, growing out of stern political necessity.
| The sentiment of opposition to the extern
! sion of slavery and the policy of the admins
| tration in regard to Kansas, was strong in the
| free States, but it was an unorganzed sentiment
| When the call for a National Convention of the
people was issued, less than one sixth of the legal
voters of the free States were embodied in the
Republican organization. The Republican party
had no organized existence in New Hampshire
New Jersey, Indiana and California In Rhode
Island, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania, the Re-
publican organization was Insignificant in num-
beis; Pennsylvania had hardly distinctive
Republican Organization, and the Republican
party in Rhode Island numbered less than three
thousand and in Connecticut less than ten thou
sand. The shadow Of recent defeat rested upon
the Republicans of Maine, Massachusetts and
New York. In Ohio and Illinois the Republi-
Slavery Americans. By the WISE moderate and
healing counsels OF Governor Chase, the Repubi-
cans of Ohio were rapidly absorbing the Anti
Slavery Americans, Vermont, Michigan, WIS
| eonsin, and Iowa were the only purely Republ-
can States The Republican Committee. in view
OF the divided and unorganized condition of the
! opponents OF slavery extension, and after full
andfree consultation with the Republican, Ameri-
can and Wing members of Congress- who by
uniting in the election of Mr.. Banks set an
example to the country, of utilization and co.
| operation," summoned the people, Republicans.
Americans, Whigs and Democrats native horn
and adopted citizens to meet in council at Phil
adelphia. The Convention assembled in the
spirit of this broad and generous invitation.
1t acted in that spirit. 1t did not claim to be
Republican 1t did not assume the Republican
name. 1t accepted the grand central idea of
the Republican party, and appealed to men of all
parties to "affilliate or cooperate in the sup
port of the idea. Having accepted the Repubii.
can doctrines it received from the spontaneous
voice Of the nation the Republican name, and
when the contest closed in November most of
the thirteen hundred thousand supporters of John
Z. Fremont were proud to bear the Republican
name, and to be identified with the Republican
organization.
In Congress, in the call for the Convention.
and IN its words and acts, the policy proclaimed
was policy of concession and conciliation-of
forbehrance and self-sacri6ce. Success could
only be hoped for or won by the broadcast tolera.
ton, the most complete harmony, unity, and CO.
operation. In New Jersey aud Pennsylyania.
success even depended upon securing the co-op.