The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-03-11
LECoMPTON DEMONSTRATION ne sbLID
MEN" OF NEW YORK. ~

politics. In the Deglnnlng Vi Tue he' Oiuttcbaty
war, it was q ho;.bed of the rankes Toryism,
and, to-day, the majority of it's Poop e, We sup
pose. are as Indifferent or hostile tC the seita-
ton Of fundamental questions of Ris ut, as they
were in 1916. As class, the stpp-keepers
and merchants of that city are acute. energetic,
snd Caring, in pecuniary enterprise. but they
live and move in the atmosphere of Manmon,
and regard al questions from the trsder's point
Of view They take little interest n any art,
science, or politics, further than it may affect
their pursuit of wealth; and they build fine
houses, buy splendid pictures, form great libra
ries, not from a love Of comfort, t@te for the
fine arts, or passion for letters, bus to make
a show of their riches. Whatever Oh scks Trade,
or tends to divert public attention Pom bdying
and selling to questions involving. higher in
terests than can he calculated in 'sollars and
cents, awakens their displeasure, az is sure to
provoke their opposition. That the should De
hostile to Slavery agitation 10 qu te natural.
They not Only care nothing for tho slave, but
they care nothing what Power controls the
Government Of the country, or how At exercises
control, provided they be assured of briss trade,
and ample profits. Secure 10 then their per
cent, and they would be as quiet und y Despot-
ism as a Democracy. They would .thapk God
for Napoleon, if they thought such ad:spensa-
ton necessary to extend and give fecurity to
their markets.
In 1850, they sustained the Comlromise and
Daniel Webster in 1852, voted for Frsnklln
Pierce; in 1854, acquiesced promptly 20 the
repeal of the Missouri Compromise; in 1856,
voted for Fillmore or Buchanan IN 1851, they
endorse the Lecompton Felony, and insia; that,
if sanctioned BY Congress, it will bring peace
to the country, and prosperity to Trade.
That such men should regard slaves as prop
erty in the same sense that horses aid oxen are
property that they should be perfectly indit-
ferert whether slave labor or free l.,bor prevail
in our Territories that they should look with
equal pleasure on the admission OF slaveholding
and free States; that they should rjoice to as
sumo that the Supreme Court has decided that
Slavery exists in all our Territories, beyond and
above the power Of Congress and the People
thereof; that they should build or conuiVe at
the building of, vessels to be employed in the
African slave trade, and show no hostility 70 the
repeal of the law sUppressing that iafernsl traf
ic; that they should contemplate with COM
placency the extension Of sl.vehoiiing ipstitu
tons, by the annexation of Cuba f.nd the SUBJ
lection Of Central America, booking upon such
acquisitions as opening new f,cilitss tor Trade;
will surprise no one who understands the SUI
preuacy of Mammon Worship in. New York
city. "
We speak of TIE shop-keet,ing, fading, ship
ping, stock jobbing, aud sp, culatAg classes:
there are individuals OF ho}or, iftegrity, and
elevated We've, belonging to them or some Of
them, bu; they are exceptions.
These remarks are suPge led b, the resolu-
tions passed at great meeting il New York,
on the evening of the 4th, called BY over three
thousand Of the "solid men, AS THY arg styled,
of that city, in support of the 34ecofpton Fraud.
We.print the resolutions, iutegpos 0g in brack
cts such comments as seem npprol riate.
"Res0lred That the Territories SO the United
States, having been PURCHASED by9de common
blood and treasure OF the whole r ople are the
common properly of the people the several
5 ates, and every citizen, IRON every section Of
the United States, is entitled to CT er up.n and
enjoy them, with or without his properly in
slaves, az he may prefer; that Tho principle of
coed faith, fair dealing, and fratt rnal s5lga'
ton, again and again reiterated By the UamOc
rscy Of the city OF New YORK, We rEjcice 70
say, has, by tie decisions OF the SGpreme Court
OF the United States, ceased to he thg mere
principle of party, and has becorSe the4stab.
lishtd principle of the Government"
The Supreme Court has made no decision
Of tae kind majority Of the judges hsq given
au exrajudicial opinion that INSTRUMENTATION
Of NE United S ates recognises 81 5ves ps prop
c;tg that slavee may be carried isaO an held as
property ia any Territory of the Vbitet;; States;
and tha. neither Congress, nor ID. Legislature
or People Of Territory, can prob bit the hold
ing therein of such property" This extra
judicial opinion, volunteered By Pro-Slavery
Judges, TO aid the cause of Slav ry, is gladly
accepted by the Democracy and solid men
Of New York, although in 1854 Il " swore that
he People Of Territory had thi righk TO de-
eide upon their own institution Now they
swear by the g decision" as they lyle 1t, of the
Supreme Court, denying this rigl
Re8o}oed, That the Democra' c party, de.
voted to the growth and expansio of the Con
fsIeracy, and believing that local conc erns are
Ses. administered by these who ;Eey most
affect, halls with Joy the advent If thu period
when any Of the Territories s er sitle5, By the
advance Of It's population ard re ours es, TO be
Introduced into the gre at brOtherb od of States.
and enter upon the career Of self government;
and, IN the opinion of the Dem Scraeg, every
Territory is thus entitled TO adj lission upon
presenting TO Congress a Constr ;utior which
shall be republican in torn, snd with or
without Slavery, as the people Of 81 ch Territory
shall determine"
:. T" With OF without Slavery perfectly H.
diFcrent-and Why not? Supposi Cuba be &C.
quired, trade will be enlarged, aSd there will
be an Increased traffic too in sla~es, requiring
az increased number of clipper-bI;ilt elagers
"Resolced, That the people of Bansi!s are en-
titled to Immediate admission into the Union.
upon their Constitution now before Congress.
FOE the following reasons:
"Becspsa the Constitution is Republican in
FORM aud thus fuifl5 the only condition 10
admission required by the Constitution of the
United States"
The "solid men," the traders, must read
the Constitution again. Where is such con.
dition repaired? Are they RICH. certain that
t}le Constitution of the United States requires
any such condition at all? Or, supposing that
BE- implication that condition be required, is it
the only one, AID, if fulfilled, is the act of ad
mission imperative on Congress? May not
Congress require other conditions, such as in
Its judgment shall be deraande! by justice and
the interests of the Confcderacy?