Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1861-01-03
United Safes Senator.

u0- idi 80 1s0PuuIiCdu uaJJIlty in ouA osoeo
Legislature not only ensures the election of
a Republican Senator, but has also had a
tendency to bring many candidates into the
field. The men whose names have been pre-
sented for the Office are generally good men.
well fitted to adorn that nigh position. But
of all the candidates, there is one, who, by
his abilities as Statesman, by his powers as
an orator, and by his great services to the
Republican cause. stands pre-eminent. That
man is David Wilmot, Many are aware,
while perhaps some are not aware OF the vast
debt which the victorious party that has just
carried Pennsylvania by ninety thousand ma
jority, owes to Judge Wilmot When the
repeal of the Missouri Compromise. against
the prayers and remonstrances of the united
North, demoralized and destroyed the Dem
ocratic party, leaving the opponents of sla-
very extension without party name or or
ganization it was through the wise counsels
and under the calm guidance of Judge Will
mot that order was brought out of chaos, and
the friends of freedom in this Congressional
District-ouce the Gibralter of Democracy,
as it Is now of Republicanism-were orga-
nized and united in one harmonious party.
Susquehanna county was the first in the
State to organize Republican party. and
in the first organization Wings and Demos
Gratis, in about equal numbers, united, for
getting old differences and amin osities, and
agreeing with their conjoined strength to re-
sist the dangerous aggressions of the Slave
| Power, What led the free-soil Democrats of
this region, SO far in advance of those in
other parts of the State, to sunder old party
| ties, and join in the formation of the Repubs
lican party? Their principles would natu-
rally have ultimately led them to il, but by
the sagacious and far-seeing counsels Of Da.
vid Wilmot, they were prompted to take the
! lead and form a nucleus from which has
grown the powerful and triumphant RepuD-
lican party Of Pennsylvania. We believe
that without the aid of Judge Wilmot we
should still have had strong Republican
party il Northern Pennsy ylvania; but we are
firmly convinced that his influence brought
to our organization thousands of voters that
would otherwise have been to this day array.
ed against US, either as part of the Democrat
ic party, or Of third party. Let, then, our
friends in other parts of the State bear in
mind, while they point with pride to the
great Republican majorities in Northern
Pennsylvania, that these are due in no small
degree to the personal influence and exer@
tions of David Wilmot.
But we would not urge any mans claims
to high Office merely on account Of services
rendered to the party, however eminent. :
Judge Wilmot has other and still stronger
| claims to consideration. His intellect is Oi
the highest order, clear ssgacious and prac.
tical. We have heard the slavery question
discussed by many distinguished speakers,
but we never heard any who brought to the
discussion of the subject SO many original
ideas, so many evidences of profound thought
and a statesman-like consideration of the
whole question as the author of the Wilmot
Proviso. His knowledge of national ques-
tions, his eloquence as speaker, his bold
ness in advocacy of right, and his eminent
services, alike point to him as the man for
the hour. Pennsylvania has made some wo-
full mistakes, in days past, in the selection Of
men to represent her in the Senate of the
United States, but by the election of David
Wilmot to that position she would do herself
! honor and the whole country a service.
Those who advocate the claims of other
candidates generally seem disposed to treat
Judge Wilmot fairly, acknowledging his
great services and eminent abilities /; but a
| few are inclined to make old party connec-
| tions the test of merit. and the basis of ad-
| VdDC6ucuL 1tOpuUiiOdu &dblLa-
! rion. Such course would be both unwise
aud unfair. The Republican party derives
| its strength from a union of men from all the
old parties. 1t is composed of men having a
common political faith on the great questions
of the day; and what these men formerly
thought, on other, or even the same questi-
OILS, is wholly foreign to the inquiry concern
ing their fitness for Office. What are they
| M
fairly and with the ability to represent forci-
bly, che principles of the party9 In Judge
Wilmot's case, the answer must be most em.
phatically in the affirmative. He is recog-
pized throughout the Union as one of the
most eminent exponents of Republicanism.
Those old fogies and eleventh hour Repub-
| licans, who have been at last borne by the ir-
resistible tide of public sentiment into our
ranks. ought not now to set themselves up
as the only genuine representatives of Re-
publican principles, and undertake to control
the organization which they had SO little to
do in forming.
The leaders of the Republican movement
the men who showed the ability and courage
of David Wilmot in the hour of doubtful
conflct-are not to be displaced by the fossil
leaders of defunct organization, so soon as
the victory has been won by u.s. The men
whose leadership kept the Whig party of
Pennsylvania in minority for quarter of
a century, are not the men to step In at this
time and undertake to guide the course of the
Republican party. The vital principles that
underle the Republican organization must
be maintained, and any attempt to change
cur platform to that Of the old Wing party
as some of these old fogy politicians seem
desirous of doing-woud. if carried out,
most certainly break up the Republican par
ty and reduce it to hopeless minority. To
abandon or subordinate the great and vital
ideas that have entered into our late tri-
umpb, would entirely break Us up, and re-
store the domination of the Slave Power up
on stronger basis than ever before. The
fate which has successfully, and from mainly
the same causes, befalIen the Wing, the
American. and the Democratic party, would,
assuredly and quickly, bfall the Republican.
1t is the coincidence Of our platform with the
sentiment of the Northern people against
slavery extension, that has given us our
strength and elected Republican Presi-
dent; and when we abandon that platform,
the days of the Republican party will be
speedily numbered.
The election of Judge WILMoT to the SEN
ate would have political sigifcance that
could not be mistaken or misunderstood. 1t
would be an assurance and guarantee to the
country that Pennsylvania had taken her po-
sltion on the great questions at issue in the
late election, deliberately, and that it would