The Portland daily press., 1862-08-22

| >"uoS Vi ehS iCoShiou, lllc cOOueT VIII lneV
cease to be cajoled, cheated and misled by a
mere name-a name linked with many pleas
ant associations, but as destitute of its original
significance as darkness is oflght.
Look at the recent Democratic resolutions
and speeches. The opprobrious burden of
them all was "aboltionism' and abolition
ists." These are the only evils visible to the
class Of politicians who controlled that BODY
ofquestionable patriots. Look at the only
speech of the occasion-the one which was
praised by the party organs that did not dare
to publish it-and what do we find? We find
these propositions: that the war was caused
by abolitionists; that it was entirely unneces-
sary; that the rights of the South-slavehold-
ers-were denied to them: that concessions
should have been made to the South. and such
concessions would have prevented war; that
the government is now administered by knaves
and fools; that Lincoln is tyrant and usurp-
er; that the Constitution and the laws are dis
respected by the administration, and so on to
the end of the chapter. there is any truth
in the allegations of that speech and of the
resolutions of the Convention, and if there is
force in logic, and moral obligation still sur
wives, then it follows that the war should at
once cease; that restitution should be made 10
the South for wrongs committed against her ::
that the rights heretofore denied should be
promptly granted ;-and no intelligent person
will long need to read or think to become con-
vinced that the rights referred to is the right
n pxtan6 ell oil h.
belonging to the o. S., in opposition to the
will of the people residing in such territories.
The Breckenridge platform laid it down as a
fundamental principle, that slavery should be
protected in the Territories by "auMe depart-
ments Of the gorernment."
We say, if the Democratic Convention and
its oracle are correct,-that the rights of the
South have been denied, and that this denial
has caused the war,-then moral obligation
demands that the war should be at once put a
stop to by granting those rights, and by con-
ceding to the South all she demands: and this
is the exact position of the Democratic party
as represented by the late Convention, If there
is any force in logic, and If, as we have before
said, sense of moral obligation still survives
But we shall be referred to the following
enunciation, put forth in the forefront of the
recent Conventions platform:
Resoired, That the purpose of the Democratic par
ty is the restoration of the Union as il was and the
preservation of the Constitution us it is
Now for single moment put critical eve
upon this resolution. Who is it that spur
poses" to preserve the Constitution as it tsp,
Isn't it the same men whorecently elamored for
the adoption of the Crittenden Compromise.
which proposed to charge the Constitution so
as to give very marked additional privileges
and guarantees to slavery? There is no mis-
take about it. These men, now so fierce for
the Constitution as it is, are the very men who.
for two years, have been demanding changes
in the Contribution. These very men only
last year, in Winthrop Hall, in their resou-
tions, demanded Convention Of all the States
on purpose to amend the Constitution. On
the very last day of the last session of the leg
islature, their Candidate for Governor offered
and advocated resolution to dpprore a
change in the Constitution proposed by the
last Congress; and yet they come forward
now, and with brazen effrontery that would
do honor to Lucifer himself tell the honest
people of Maine that their purpose is ''to pre-
serve the Constitution as it isr
But mark this language carefully. Preserre
the Constitution as IL isl 1t is not the mission
or purpose of the party to preserve the Con-
stitutton. but TO presesve it as IL is: that is,
to resistldU changes and amendments Having
failed to change il SO as to favor slavery still
more than it now does, they set themselves to
oppose all changes adverse to slavery! The
present war is likely to make sad havoc of the
slave institution. 1t may be desirable to so
far modify the fundamental law as to strike
from it a provision that should never have
marred it; that provision which makes slave
property an element of political power, by
making five slaves equal in political power
in the House of Representatives, to one free
man. We say, the voice Of the people may de-
mand the abrogation of this provision of the
Constitution, and the Democratic party of
Maine have declared in advance that it is their
purpose to resist such an amendment, and to
hold on TO the Constitution as il is. And why
shouldn't they? Slavery is the source from
which they expect power. At Charleston it
has avowed that the slave States were the on
ly reliable Democratic States; and they were
rendered not only democratic but reliable-in
the same in which those terms were used-by
slavery and slavery alone.
Loyal men go for the Constitution; not sim
ply the Constitution as it is, but the Constitu-
ton as the people may make it. We 90 noo
for the Constitution as IL is,but we go for spre-
sercing" it as IL is, only till fitting time shall
come to remove from it whatever is offensive