East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1860-08-02
The Democratic National Committee
TO TIE
Democracy Of the United States.
DEN. NATIONAL EXECUTIVE Con-. Rooms ]
Washington City, July l6, 1860.

Washington City, July 10, 1860.
FELLOW CIrIzENs-The undersigned
have it in charge, at the instance of I'll,
National Committee of the democratic
party, to address you some words of ex
pianation and counsel. You are all ad
vsed, by this time, that minority OF
the delegates seeded from our regular
national convention at Baltimore, and
have proposed John G Breckenridge and
Joseph Lane as their candidates for the
Presidency and Vice Presidency of the
United States. 1t is an occurrence with.
ont example in our history; and for the
consequences which may cnsuc-involv-
ing, possibly, the existence of that Union
which our fathers besought us constantly
to maintain-there is grave response
bility somewhere. If the responsibility
be upon those of US who have adhered
to the ancient organization of the demo-
cratic party, whose banners now display
the honored names Of Stephen A. Doug
las and Herschel V. johnson as the reg
ular democratic nominees, we can but
protest, in all sincerity, that we sought
no unjust advantage of our seeding
brethren, and have erred, if at all,
through mere misjudgment. 1t appears
to us, however, upon careful and delib.
erato review of all that transpired at
Baltimore, as well as at Charleston, that
the supporters of Breckenridge aud Lane,
in violating the settled usages of the
democratic party, and in abandoning the
regular democratic organization, have
taken the whole responsibility upon
themselves.
THE QUESTION OF SLAVERY IN THE TERRII
TORIES.
Before proceeding to a narration of
the disturbances in our national conven-
ton at Charleston, and afterwards at
Baltimore, we deem it necessary to ex-
plain the past conduct of the democratic
party with regard to the difficult question
of slavery in the Territories of the Uni
ted States. This question rose distinctly
for the first time when the House Of
Representatives, on motion of Mr.. Will
mot, of Pennsylvania, August IL, 1916,
added proviso to the bill appropriatiug
money in aid Of the negotiations for
peace with Mexico, in the following
words
provided, that as an express and fundamental
condition to the acquisition OF any territory from tho
Republic of Mexico by the United States by virtue
OF any treaty which may be negotiated between thcm
and to tho use by the Executive, of tho moneys
herein appropriated, neither slavery involuntary
Ee.yituie shall exist in any part OF said terri
tory except for crime; whereof the party shall first
10 duly convicted"
The bill was lost, in the Senate, by
reason OF a controversy upon this par
ticular clause; aud 50 the very introduc-
tion of the question into Congress, by
Mr.. Wilmot, resulted in defeating bill
Of the utmost importance, embarrassing
the Executive in the midst Of foreign
war, and in prolonging that war twelve
or eighteen months, expendIng the treas
urc of the nation, and sacrificing in sub
scqucnt battle the lives Of SO many of
our countrymen.
We need not pursue the alarming agi-
tation thus mischievously commenced; an
agitation which defeated Gen. Cass, our
nominee for the Presidency in lS4S, and
at last, in 1850, brought our Union to
the verge Of dissolution. That catas-
trophe was avoided, however, by the
frmness and wisdom of the democratic
party in Congress and throughout the
country, aided by the most eminent
cheftains Of the whig party; and the ba-
sis Of settlement then agreed upon, and
afterwards unanimously affirmed by the
wing as well as the democratic national
convention at Baltimore, in 1852, was,
that Congress should not intcrpose its
authority, under any circumstances,
whether to prohibit or introduce, abolish
or maintain, the institution of slavery
within the Territories. A total exclusion
of the subject from Congress, thence.
forth and forever, was the olive branch
held out and accepted, North and South,
by the two great political parties into
which the American people were then
divided. We say, fellow citizens, that
the North and South alike accepted that
settlement, because not only did agitation,
and discord cease, but as we'll the aboli-
tiou party at the North as the secession
party at the South became almost ex-
tinct.
In January, 1854, at the first session
of Congress under General Picrce's ad-
ministration, a necessity arose for the es-
tablishmcnt of Territorial governments
in Nebraska and Kansas; but fearful
obstacle seemed to lie at the vefy thres-
hold. The act OF Congress, approved
March 6, 1920, sometimes called the
Missouri compromise, prohibited slavery
in all the domain over which these two
Territories extended. Obviously such
an enactment was inconsistent with the
principle adopted in 1850, and ought
then to have been repealed by name
Bat it had not been repealed, and, though
never operative in fact, had acquired all
the authority Of age, and of the many
eminent statesmen who, waving their
scruples in regard to its constitutionalty,
had accepted il as the determination Of
another controversy which, in 1920, bade
fair to rend the Union asunder. The
difficulty seemed, at first, insurmounta-
bio, inasmuch as the repeal of the Mis-
souri act might renew the agitation
qucllsd in 1850 whereas, upon the other
hand, to leave such an act of Congress
in existence would bc an abandonment OF
tho very principle through which that
IL. A a