The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-11-11


patriotism, nationally, liberality, courage. That
was folly The standard of public virtue must
be low indeed where opposition to such an in
fanny is thought to entitle a man to an apothe-
osis
Those gentlemen acted very well-like SEN
sible and patriotic men; but are good sense
and patriotism political principtese Did Pro
tectionists in former days vote for sensible and
patriotic Free Traders? Was it customary in
former days for Democrats to rally under Wing
leaders, because they happened to perform some
generous deed? The world of politics has not
hitherto been governed by the affections,
Alas while Representative Marshall in the
House was opposing the Lecompton Bill, he
was laboring to vindicate to his constituents his
pre-eminent ProSlavery orthodoxy; and Sena-
tor Bell took care, while denouncing the vile
thing, to magnify his loyalty to the Slave Inter
est of the South, for whose benefit that very
thing was devised Any of these gentlemen
would have felt wounded had he been claimed
as harboring the slightest sympathy with Repub-
licans or their Principles Extravagantly as
they were lauded, their courage was not equal
to their conviction: They did not dare to vote
for the rejection of what they knew to be
Fraud. The utmost they would consent to do
was, to give the people of Kansas chance to
reject a Constitution which they themselves
ought to have branded as an infamy. And when
the Republican members, after having voted
directly against the measure, seeing that 1t must
pass, unless they would unite in the support of
the Crittenden-M Montgomery amendment gave
their votes reluctantly for that proposition,
some of those very gentlemen disingenuously
charged them with having surrendered their
doctrine of the power Of Congress over the Ter
ritores, and embraced the Principle of F" Popu-
lar Sovereignty" This was VIGOROUSLY false {:
everybody knew that the case was exceptional
that it would be unfair to draw it into prece-
dent-that the Republicans voted for the amend
ment, first, because it afforded the only chance
for saving Kansas from Slavery, secondly, be-
cause they knew that, were the Constitution
submitted to the People of that Territory, 1t
would inevitably be rejected; and that they did
not dream of conceding or qualifying single
principle on which they had been acting.
But, the politicians, who regard politics as
a struggle betweend the ms and the Outs; those
who tremble with apprehension at what are
styled sectional issues those who still hnger
over the traditional glories Of Democratic and
Wing conflicts, and devoutly look for a resurrec-
ton of old issues and those who think nothing
of Principle, but everything Of success, fancied
that they saw in the Douglas feud, the Critten-
den and Bell demonstration, the estimation
placed by Republicans upon the services of those
gentlemen, and the conduct of the Republican
members in relation to the Crittenden amend
ment, grounds for expecting general rally
of all the Elements of the country disaffected to
the Administration kind of nondescript
Peoples Party. The Republican Party was to
be ignored, but its adherents were to be
gratiied with tremendous resolutions of con-
demnation against the Administration for its
sectionalism and its Kansas policy. Pop
ular Sovereignty" or the policy of allowing the
People Of Territory to admit or reject Slavery
for themselves, was to be endorsed, so as to sat
isfy Douglas and Forney on one side, Critten-
den anG Prentice on the other. National men
of all sections were to be conciliated by the ex-
clusion of sectional issues. Americanism was
to be satisfied by pledges to maintain the purity
of the elective franchise. The Tariff Interest
was to be secured by declarations in favor of
Home Industry. The timid, the conservative,
the prejndiced, were to be propitiated by thrust
ing aside such veterans in the recent conflicts
as Chase, Seward, and Hale, and giving promi-
nence to Crittenden, Bell, and other National
statesmen" 70
Early last spring, the movement was formally
initiated in this city By circulars sent out all
over the Union, by well-known Old Wing,
recently an American. Then followed the
great meeting at Philadelphia, in June, and
eddy til view to the Inauguration of a
People Party An earnest call was made
upon o her States to do likewise. The Phila-
delphiaenewspapers of certain stamp abound
ed in discussions on Nationality" the folly of
section j issues, the necessity of grand rally,
to save the country from the ruinous measures
of Buc4anan's Administration. The Ne,c York
Tribu gave countenance to the policy of the
mover ,nt, and a strenuous effort was made to
carry Il out in New York State, by union OF
the Republican and American Parties, on a
mixed !. State ticket, with Platform, from
which was seriously proposed to exclude any
reference to Slavery, except a general ndef
mite expression Of sentiment in favor of its
non-extension. Had the project succeeded
there wpuld this day have been no Republican
Party "a that great State. The late election
would gave been without a definite meaning
The petition of the members of Congress cleo,
would lave been involved in doubt. The cause
of Freedom would have been betrayed; tn,
founda ion would have been laid for Protec
zionist, Conservative, American, Compromis'
Party, which would finally have embraced Mil
lard Fillmore, and repudiated William H. Sew
ard f'e
The miserable scheme failed. The Repub
hcan Convention reafirmed the Principles O
the Psrty, nominated a genuine ticket, tn,
Party vent into the canvass on its own Princi
pies, and the result shows that it commands
large majority of the voters of the State
To put the issues beyond all doubt, Mr.. Sewarc
took occasion, short time before the election
to deliver two speeches, which were quickly re
published throughout the State, re-stating an,
reinforcing, in bold and eloquent language, tn
Principles and purposes of the Republican
Party. The demonstration was timely. 1t wa
an extfhguisher on the scheme of People
Party Politicians in this District, who hal
studied the signs of the times in Philadelphia
and Learned from the columns of the Tribune