Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1860-05-09
The Charleston Convention.

TIE United Democracy at the Charles
ton Convention have broken to pieces
The Northern Douglas division have adj
journed to meet at Baltimore on the Sth of
June, when we shall see another specimen
of harnaoniOuSC9 action. The seeding
fre-eaters hold on at Charleston, and will
probably nominate an Independent candi.
date either before they adjourn, or at some
future time. The hand writing on the wall
IS now plainly to be seen. and the great
Democratic party will soon be among the
things that were
The State Journal thus comments:
The contest for political ascendency be-
tween the free labor element and the slave
r. interest of the country assumed a new
aspect in the disruption of the heretofore
united Democracy at Charleston. That
party his claimed to be the only national
party, and through its agency, the slavery
interest, during the past eight years has
controlled the administration of the nation
al government. Secure in the power thus
obtained, its exactions have been oppres-
sive. and have resulted in the loss, to its
allies, of political ~ascendency in almost
every free State in the Union. When,
therefore, it demanded at Charleston a dis
tinct re-afirmation of the principles upon
which the two last democratic administra-
tons have been conducted, the northern
delegates to the Convention recoiled with
alarm from such q suicidal step. Yet they
could do nothing without southern support,
and they proposed a compromise. They
were willing to yield to the demands of
their southern associates provided the con-
cessiOn could be made under cover of a gen
eral reference of the whole subject of slave
~ in the territories to the Supreme Court.
In this way. it was thought the free-labor
interests of the north would be pacifed
and its watchful jealousy appeased. BIT
slavery demanded something more definite.
and this the northern delegates refused
Hence the secession of the southern States
from the Convention.
The above we believe to be a fair state
ment of the controversy at Charleston,
which resulted in the disruption and divis-
ion of the democratic party into two sec
tiOnal fragments. The breaking up of the
democracy is an event which intelligent OBJ
servers, who were not blinded by party
zeal and prejudices. have long an~ticipa-
ted. Consequently, the country is not sur
prised at the result at Charleston. Such
a result, sooner or later, was a foregone
conclusion.
In a republican government the predom-
mating element must in the end prevail
In this conf deracy of free and slave re-
publics, the former preponderate largely, in
population, wealth, enterprise, vigOr, and
in the variety and Importance of their in
dustrial interests. Their ultimate prepon-
deranee in the government, therefore, is a
logical necessity which has only been tenn
pOrarily averted by the consolidated policy
of the slave states, which have acted as a
unit-leagucd with the democratic masses
of the free states. A few years ago. dem
ocracy was the controlling political power
in nearly every free State; but it has been
forced to yield to the necessity that con
trolls majorities and is now comparatively
a small minority in the North, struggling
for its very existence. Its league with the
slave-labor interest against the free-labor
interest has made it ~omnipotent in the
slave States, which are constantly retrogra-
ding in political influence and power, but
has left it helpless and pOwerless in the
free States, which are rapidly. advancing to
a permanent ascendency. Hence 1t has
ceased to exist as 4 national organization.
In this catastrophe the Democratic par
tv has been overtaken by the same resist
tide OF r9pu,dF een iment which sub,
the old Wing parS5JT, and STRANGE
the American organization before its sails
were fairly spread. 1t has only ridden out
the gale a little longer than they, and its
wreck is none the less complete and hope
less /