Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1857-09-24
Resolutions on Sla.
very and the State Rights

Democratic Resolutions on Sla.
very and the State Rights
The Democratic Convention, which as.
sembled at Columbus, January 8, 1s4s,
adopted the following resolutions concern
ing Slavery and State Rights:
81. RESOLVED, That the people of Ohio
now, as they always have done, look up
on slavery as an evil, and unfavorable to
the development of the spirit and practical
benefits of free institutions, and that enter
tanning these sentiments, they will at all
times feel it to be their duty to use all
power clearly gwen by the terms of the
National compact, to prevent its increase, to
mitigate, and finally eradicate the evil: but
be it further
so. RESOLVED, That the Democratic par
ty of Ohio do at the same time fully recog-
nize the doctrine held by the early fathers
of the Republic, and still maintained by
the Democratic party in all the States,
that to each State belongs the right to
adopt and modify its own internal affairs,
to hold and maintain an equal and indie
pendent sovereignty with each and every
State, and that upon these rights the Ma
tional Legislature can neither legislate nor
encroach."
The same resolutions, reported by A.
P. Edgerton, of Defiance county, were
unanimously re-adopted as part of the Dem
ocratic platform by the Democratic Con-
vention of 1850; and again upon the re-
port of John A. Corwin, of Champaign
county, by the Democratic Convention of
January 8, 1852: and again, on the report
of Mr.. Layman, of Washington county, by
the Democratic Convention of 1858.
1t is worth nothing here that the Balti-
more Platform, on which Franklin Pierce
was nominated for President. in May, 1852,
was diametrically opposed, SO far as slave
nv was concerned, to the Ohio Platform,
and, Immediately after the election of
Pierce, an effort was begun to induce the
Democracy of Ohio to recede from the
high and Independent position which had
been taken; and, at the Convention of
1853, which was just after the election of
Pierce, but before his Inauguration, H. J.
Jewett, of Muskingum, moved to amend
the State Democratic Platform by adding
the resolution of the Baltimore Platform.
This motion produced much excitement
F. D. Kimball, of Medina, moved to lay
the motion upon the table, which motion
was carried. Sanders N. johnson, of
Brown, then moved reconsideration Of
this last vote, which motion R. ]. Atchison,
of Carroll, moved to lay on the table,
which last motion prevailed by vote per
counties of yeas 169 to nays 14S. Thus
the Democracy of Ohio fatty refused to
surrender their anti-slavery faith, or to
compromise it by an Endorsement of the
Baltimore Platform.
The next year, January g, 1854, the same
anti-slavery resolutions, reported by G. W.
Houck, Of Montgomery county, were again
adopted by the Democracy Of Ohio in a
Convention assembled on the Sth of Janu-
ary, 1854. But the ofice-holding and
pro-slavery faction now succeeded in foist-
ing into the platform, on motion of Con-
ner of Wayne, a resolution indorsing the
Baltimore Pro-Slavery Platform.
The year following, on the 9Th of Janu-
ary, 1855, the same resolutions were again
affirmed; but now the Retrogressives SO
far succeeded that the sense and import of
the resolutions was practically nullifed by
two other resolutions in the same platform,
one of which declared the Baltimore to be
clear and distinct declaration of the politi-
cal principles of the Ohio Democracy, and
the other indorsed the administration of
Franklin Pierce.
Once entered on this downward career,
it was not easy to stop. The next Con-
vention, January 8, 1856, expunged alto
gether the old inti-Slavery resolutions, and
the next August, 1857, denied the State
Rights Faith, and indorsed the Dred Scott
decision.
1t is remarkable that as soon as the anti
Slavery platfrom was corrupted by the in
dorsement of the Baltimore platform, the
Democratic party was defeated, and its his
tory since in Ohio has been succession of
defeats.