The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1860-09-13
REPUBLICAN. AND ANCIENT
DEMOCRATIC DOCTRINE.

The modern democracy has no scruples.
and unblushing impudence, in denying well
known political aud historical facts, Many
honest but not well.informed men are thus
imposed upon and TO contradict these d, mails
we are frequently compelled to reiterato state
mcnts that have been again and again proven
to be true by reference TO competent author
tiles. For instance, we have asserted fre-
quently that the democracy of Ohio, in the
days of its purity, occupied q position of even
more radical hostility to slavery, than that
now held 10y the Republicans We have
been surprised, recently. at denial of this
well known fact, and hence we resort to the
proof Of cur assertion.
The Republican doctrine in relation to Sla-
very in the States and territories, as pro.
claimed every day, is that slavery is an evil.
the extension of which to the territories. will
be opposed, but there will be no interference
with it in the States in which il exists. The
rights OF the saveholding States will be res
peccd bv due observance and fulGlment of
all constitutional obligations and guarantees
while At the same time the rights of all the
States, "and especially the right of each
State TO order and control its own domestic
institutions according to its own judgment"
will be carefully guarded and defended from
encr oachment
| Now let us compare this position of tho
Republicans of 1860 with that of the Demo-
Gratis in l8l9. In the Ohio Statesman of
Monday, January 10Th of that year, we find
the official proceedings of the Democatio
State Convention of the Oh inst, in which
among other resolutions reported as having
been unanimously adopted by the Convention
are the following:
m5 h. ReSoiuei, That the people Of Ohio,
now as they have always done, look upon the
institution of slavery in any part of the
Union, as an evil un(avorable to the full de
velopment and practical benefits of free in.
stltutlons; AMI that entertaining these sem
timents, they will at all times feel it to be
their duty to u all power, clearly given by
The terms of the National compact, to pre-
vent its increase, to mitigate, and finally to-
eradicate the evil. But be il further
10Th. Resolved That the Democracy
OF Ohio do, at the same time, fully recognize
the doctrine held by the early fathers of the
Republic. and still maintaned by the Demo-
cratic party in all the Safes, that to each
Safe belongs the right to adopt and modify
its own municipal laws; to regulate its own
ntel nal affairs; to hold and maintain an
equal and independent sovereignty with each
and every other State, and that upon these
rights the National Legislature can neither
leglsate nor encroaoh"
We ask our Democratic readers 10 give
these resolutions of l848 their candid atten-
ton. They need no Interpretation from us.
They are plain and out spoken, free from
cquivocation. They assert as the Republi-
can party now asserts, that the institution of
slavery is an evil. and unfavorable to the full
Development and practical benefits of free
any Republican has gonc' "d' in decIar. sun
ing the purpose of the democracy, not only
toprevent its increase" but "fiaally to erad-
icate the evil that is, not simply to lop
off its branches and TO circumscribe the soil
upon which It shall grow, but to pull it up by
the roots. That was the unanimous deter
mination of the democracy of Ohio, as rep
resented in Convention on the 8:h of fJanuary,
l848. The Republican doctrine of to-day ia
not so ultra rs was the democratic doctrine
twelve years ago; yet that which was sound
democracy then is called seclionalism now,
But we have more democrats authority 70,
the truth and justice of ofRepublican principles
, The Democratic Legislature of Ohio, on the
25-h of February, 1913. passed the follow
ing resolutions.
"ReSoired BY the General Assembly O
the Safe of Ohio, that the provisions of The
ordinance of Congress Of one thousand sever
hundred AMI eighty-seven, so far as the same
relates to slavery, should be exfended to an,
territory that may be acquired from Mexico
: by treaty or otherwise"
This resolution passed the House yeas A
: nays 8; and it passed the s nate by yeas 90
nays 9. 1he clause in the ordinance refer
red to in the above resolutions is as follows:
cart. g. There shall be ntf her SLAYER,
;, nor involuntary servtude in the said Terrific.
: ry, otherwise than in the punishment O
!. crimes, whereof the party shall have beer
duly convicted"
And in order further TO show what was the
4 sentiment Of the democratic legislature of Ohio
9 at that tme we need only to refer to the fur
. ther fact that when this subject was under
consideration in that body. a motion wa
made in the Senate that he question of slave
ry in the territories BE LEFT TO THE DEcIssIoS
OF THE PEOPLE THEREoF, which was voied do,cn
by nearly a two thirds vote--yeas 10; nays
. IL. lttherefore appears that twelve years ago
The Democracy Of Ohio we're opposed to the
! doctrine Of popular sovereignty. even wi hou
the disabling supervi ion of Dred Scot
Supreme Court, Truly, they have greatly
changed since thCn We Leave cur reader,
to measure the distance that separates dem
5 ocracy in 1850, from the democracy in 1s49
: 1t is a long road to travel and we have no in
, clination to set ont upon such journey tbi
, hot weather. o. S. Journal.
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