The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1859-04-08
DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION.


are invited to assemble in State Conven-
ton at Harrisburg on Wednesday, the
18th day of April, 1859, to consult upon
the .propriety Of adopting measures to
vindicate the name, fame and principles
OF the democratic party, outraged and in
suited by a convention assembled at the
State Capitol on the 10th March:
To resist the high handed attempt of
the federal administration to dictate po-
litical creeds to the people;
To protest against the war of consoli-
dated federal despotism upon State SOW
ereignty and State rights;
TO re-assert the great principle of pop
ular sovereignty and non-intervention as
well in the Territories as in the States
non-intervention by Congress with slave
ry in the Territories. and non-interven-
ton by the federal Executive with the
franchises of the people of the States:
To re-endorse the old fashioned creed of
the democratic party, repudiated and
trampled under foot by men claiming to
represent the party.
This savors very strongly of open re-
bellion. 1t may be that the late Conven-
ton acted unwisely in refusing an act of
amnesty to Gov. Packer and his anti-Le-
compton followers. We cannot under
take to say whether free pardon upon
the Lecomption question, coupled with
treaty of peace and of cooperation upon
the Cuba and financial policy of the Pres
ident, would or would not have harmon
lied these distracted democratic factions
of the old Keystone State. Perhaps the
experiment would have failed; but there
are many shrewd politicians who will say
that the experiment should at least have
been tried. Dealing with the matter,
however as we now find it, we are led to
inquire: what is the real meaning of this
boilers convention, and what will most
probably be the consequences to the DEM
ocratic party, local and general?
1t will not be denied that the election
of Mr.. Buchanan in November, 1856, to
the Presidency, turned upon the local
Pennsylvania October election of that
year. After the most extraordinary ex-
amples of democratic harmony, zeal, en-
ergy, organization, discipline, activity and
iberality, ever exhibited in any political
campaign, that decisive October election
was carried in favor of Mr. Buchanan by
the slender majority of some two thou
sand votes upon poll of over half mil
lion. But the result settled the question
upon the Presidential issue. How stands
the matter now? Pennsylvania, recover
ed by the opposition last fall through the
rebelfious course of the anti-Lecompton-
ties OF the democratic party, must be con-
quered by this party before it can expect
to enter the campaign of 1860 with any
prospect Of success.
But just at this critical point we are con-
fronted with this call of the popular
sovereignty" rebels for separate State
Convention on the 18th of April-a move
ment which may be considered equiva-
lent to the continued occupation of Penn
sylvania by the opposition in her next Oc-
tober election, and by maiorities perhaps
as decisitive as those of October last
The question next recuIs: what will these
democratic bolters gain from this result
the answers that they expect thus to COM
pass the balance of power against the
Southern fire-eating democracy in the
Charleston Convention. A small faction
thus in Pennsylvania may be competent
to say to the party at Charleston: "Nomi-
nate our man, or adopt our popular sove-
reignty platform, and we will give you the
vote of Pennsylvania; refuse the one or
the other concession, and we will give you
the benefit of another democratic split
like that of lS48.1 fi A.' a
In this view of the matter this call for
this State Convention of the Pennsylvania
democracy opposed to the Territorial pol
icy of the administration, and so on, is
nothing more nor less than significant
preliminary movement of the faction con,
cerned for 1860 Upon this point, too
as it is universally understood that Mr.
buchanan, in no event, will be candi.
date for the succession, and as it is among
all parties generally believed that some
Southern ultra pro-slavery and free trade
man will be nominated at Charleston
the intelligent reader, upon these pre-
misses, will be at no loss to discover the
next step in the programme 1t will be
tho separate organization Of the popular
sovereignty democracy-of Pennsylvania
and the North upon ticket of their own
which may result in the election of the