The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1859-11-11

W MI a'tic'e OF lho Appeal, OF the
same city, in regard to tho responsi.
bility Of Douglas and the Democracy
for the present agitation, gives the
following pertinent reminiscen cns.
from its Southern point OF view:
II is certainly true Tint the En-.
quirer did charge that Douglns and
the Democracy were charyeable with
full share OF responsibility for the
late outbreak at liarper's Ferry, and
we not only believe it, but hold our.
selt hound to prove It. We presume
it will be conceded but for the aoita
ton of the slavery que,tion, Browns
attempt at raising an insurrection
among the slaves never would have
been made. 1.-THE question of slave.
ry had never entered into politics,
the scenes which we have lately
been called upon to record never
would have been enacted II this
be true, It follows as a necessary
consequence that those who placed
that issue upon the country nre re-
sponsiblo for the results which have
followed their action, however little
they may have iorcseen them -
Now, what arc the facts? In 1910,
Tor the first time.) pending tho
Presidential election of that year.
the Democratic members OF Con-
gress issued circular to the people
of the Southern states, urging them
to vote for Martin Van Buren, be-
cause General Harrison was an abo.
litionst. IL was made the main
issue in that csuvas. At the South
little else was discussed. The peo.
plc were told from avery stump that
General Harrison entertained views
hostile to slavery, and that his elect.
ion would eDdanger their property.
As a NECESSARY consequence, the
friends of General II ,rrison repro.
duced these speeches by the news.
paper paragraphs OF similar import,
at the North. II this issue was to
be made against him in one section,
they argued that it was right an
proper tor ihem to appeal to the
opposite sentiment IN the other
They did so, AMI that canvas made
more abolitionists in the space of
few short months than all the CARR.
sons and Giddings on the continent
could have made in fifty years
Here was the beginning OF those
painful divisions which have ever
since existed, with tho exception o.
one brief interval, between the North
and tho South. The feeling then
excited went on growing and SWELL
ing until 1850 In the memorable
Congress Of 1880, it had reached u
point which alarmed the boldest -
Fortunately for the Republic, "thcre
were giah.s in those days" and Clay
and Webster aud Cass, aided by "A
band OF patriots below them in tie
majority Of intellect, but not below
them in the fcrvur Of their patriotism,
came to the rescue of the country,
and saved it from the probable hor-
rors of anarchy, and civil war. III
the elections OF 1851 the people rati
fled the compromise they had made,
and in 1852. when the Conventions
uf the two great parties which divi-
ded the nation assembled to make
.heir nominations, both adopted the
compromise as an article of faith,
and boldly declared that it should be
perpetual. The wisdom Of this
course soon became apparent. In
the Presidential election which fol
lowed, the abolition vote had dwin
died down to number 30 small MS
to excite no other feeling than con-
tempt. In the Congressional elec.
tions Of 1858 the same results follow,
ed. Mems minds were satisfied
that the danger was over. From
one broad ocean to the other all was
peace. But in 1854 the appeals
pet candidate for the Presidency.
backed and sustained by almost the
entire Democratic party, saw fit to
reopen the hood-gates which had
been closed, and awake again strife
that patriots had fondly hoped would
never again disturb the land. In
that year the famous Kansas, Nebras-
ka Bill, with n clauso repeating the
Missouri Restriction, Was pa ssed.-
Abolition sprung into now and more
vigorous life, and boldly struggled
for the mastery Of the government.
Gan the Democracy. or can Mr.
Douglas escape responsibility for
this? They bad pledged themselves
not to disturb tho compromise OF
1850, and they did disturb it. Their
own records convicted them of false
hood, and when N rthern dcma.
gogues went among the people, and
had those records, when they appeal.
ed to,them and said. "Yon see we
cannot rely on Southern honor to
adhere to its pledges; you SEQ that
whenever they can obtain enough
OF Northern votes to accomplish
their purposes, they do not hesitate
to trample upon their most sacred
pledges; you see they have done this
thing in the very teeth of a party
platform adopted by them two wears.
and only two years ago,"cWhat
was the necessary resiltsl An al.
most universal shout was raised
swell, we have the power, and we
will take the regulation OF this
question Into our hands"
The scenes enacted in Kansas
tended to excite stiH further this
feeling O( hostility. Violence mnr