Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1859-08-06
-Fr.~+h. Ds.rUt. Pres rr.UU.
A Hard Dose for Old Whigr.

and, as party, demand either its repeal or its
notification. This ground was taken in the
Ohio State convention last week, where, among
other things, "they demand the repeal of the
fugitive-slave act Of 1860, as II is subversive
of both the rights of the States and the IIber-
ties Of the people, and a. contrary to the plain.
est duties Of humanity and justice, and abhOr-
rent to the moral sense Of the civilized world.
The back republican party is composed large
ly OF those who formerly acted with the whig
party, and we must acknowledge tO curiosity
TO know how this new test Of faith will be re-
ceived by such. Will they acquiesce in Il, OF
will they rebelH AS wings they acquiesccd
in this very law; it was endorsed In their
platforms, and supported by their orators and
their press. Are these very men now to stul.
tify themselves and their action Of former
years by giving even q tacit acquiescence in
this concession to the rampant Ab0litionism ni
the party with which they are now actingi
II IL well known that the abolitiOnists Of the
Western Reserve demanded this action from
the State convention, and il dare not be re.
fused. It was these very abolitiOnists who in
1874 defeated Henry Clay, the great leader
Of the wings, and now the wings Of to-day arc
asked to give over almost the last remnant oi
their conservatism to please them. Will it be
done?
The whole black-republican party of Ohio,
wings and all, are now made to demand the
repeal Of this law. Let us see what was the
action Of the wing party in former days. In
their national platform in 1852 was the fol.
lowing resolution:
"That the series Of acts of the Thirty first
CoMgress-THE ACT KNOWN AS THE FUGITIVE
SLAVE LAW lScLUUED-are received and acqui.
esced in by the whig party Of the United
States ns a settlement, an principle and sub
stGncc, Of the dangerous and exciting ques.
tons which they embrace; and, 80 far as they
are concerned, We will maintain them, and
insist upon their enforcement, umil time and
experience shall demonstrate the necessity o
further legislation to guard against thecvasou
Of the laws on the one hand, and the abuse Of
their powers on the other, not imp%iriMg their
present efficiency; and we deprecate all further
agitation Of the questions Aus SettLtd as dan
grrous to our peace, and will discOuntenance
all efforts to continue or renew such agitation,
whrnFrer, Whererer, or hOwercr the attempt
may be mdde: and We will maintain this sys.
tenn as essential to the nationality Of the Whig
party mud the integrity of the CniOn."
Tie law was passed under whig Admin.
istration, signed by whig President, and ad
vOcated, in Congress and out, by Henry Clay
and Dauiel Wrbster-both good whig author.
ity in their day. It was voted for by as many
wings as Democrats, among the former Ol
whom we're such men as John NJ. Berrien
John Bell, George E. Badger, Willie p. Man.
gum, John A. Pearce, Humphrey Marshall
Edward Stanley, the late black'republican
candidate for governor in California, and by
Wm II. Bissell, now governor Of Illinois,
Daniel Webster touched the very pith Of the
thing in q speech which he made in the SEN
ate in the summer Of 1850, when the bill was
under discussion: The principle of the res
titution of runaway slaves" raid he, "is moi
Objectionable, unlcss tic C0nstituti0n is Oh
jectiOnG6Ie. If the Constitution is right in
that respect the principle is right, and the
Ldn prOriding for carrying it iatO effect Il
right" And again at Buffalo the next year
he used the following language:
al was in Congress when the law was pro
posed. was for proper law. hadindecd
proposed different law. l was Of opinion
that . summary trial by jury might be had
which would satisfy the prejudices Of the peo'
pie; but left the Senate, and went to another
station, before the law was passed. Now
al character, to say to you, and to all, that the
law Of 1854 is decidedly more favorable to the
fugitive than Gen WashingtOn's law Of 1898
and tell you why In the first place, the
present law places the power in much higher
lnnds-ofindepende judges Of the supreme
circuit courts and district courts, and commits
Sioners who are appointed to Office for thriI
law learning. Every fugitive Is brought be-
fore tribunal Of high character, Of eminent
ability, of respectable station.
"Do you find among all those persons who
oppose this fugitive slave law any admission
whatever that any law ought to be passed tC
carry into effect the solemn stipulations Of the
Constitution Tell me any such case Tel
me il any resolution was passed by the con
vention at Syracuse favoring the carrying out
Of the Constitution? Not one The fact is
gentlemen, they oppose the wholc-they op
pose the wholc-nOt q man Of them admit
that there ought to be any law on the subject
They deny altogether that the provisions o.
the Constitution ought to be carried into Ct
feet. Well, what do they sayi Look at In,
proceedings Of the anti-slavcry conventions il
Ohio, Massachusetts,, and at Syracuse, in tn,
State Of New York. What do they sayH That
so help them Ged, no colorcd man shall b,
sent back to his master in Virginia. Dom
they say thati And for the fllfImcnt Of that
they pledge theirlivc, their fortunes, and thvi
sacred honor. Laughter.] Their sacred hon
Ori lLaughter They pledged their sacre'
honor to violate the laws Of their country
they pledged their sacred honor to resist thei
execution; they pledged their sacred homo
to commit treason against the laws Of thei
country! God bless them and help them win
pledged their sacred honor in such cause!
Such was the action and such were the ser,
timents Of the whig party seven, eight, an,
nine years ago. This action and these senti
mentS were universally received by ell thewhig
Of those days. Since that time the whig par
ty has been dissolved, and most Of those VIII
acted with It have united themselves with tn
black.republiCan party here at the North
which is under the influence Of the abolition
lists, as we SEE il plainly is in Ohio. Whu
are they now asked to do? Simply to declar
that "abhorrcnt to the moral sense Of the civ
ilized world" Of which they approved but
few years ago. This IN what they must do
they continue to act with the black k-republica
party; they must condemn their own actio
and vilify the men whom they have ever az
copied as the rightfIl exponents Of constitu
ti"nNl and governmental QurstionS. Is nc
: this likely to prove most too hard a dose Il
, the old whigsp Win not they now "discOur
} tenance all efforts to continue or renew th
agitation, whenever, wherever, or howevC
the attempt may be made" as they declare
in 1857
A few days since . barber offered rewar
of ten dollars for the best recipe for "instAn