The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-02-27

for when they went into canvass with
chosen leader, the result of the campaign,
no matter what it might be, always en-
deared to them the candidate whom they
had selected as their standard bearer. If
he was successful the great mass of the
people took it for granted, having conf
dence in him before they nominated him,
that he would discharge the duties of his
office as he should do. If he was defeated
they invariably rushed to him to see what
could be done in the way of sympathy,
kindness and support under the mortifca-
ton, greater or less, as it always was, of a
political defeat He (Mr. Van BUREN,
said to General Wadsworths friends
"Aimt you going to serenade him ?" 1t
was not for him to dictate to his political
opponents what course they should pur-
sue; but he remembered in the great bat
tie of 1910, after the Presidential election
| that year, when citizen of New York was
candidate for the Presidency, and was
defeated-as it was then supposed perhaps
finally, as it afterwards proved, undoubt-
eddy so-the warmest reception Of his life
was the one that the democrats of the city
and county of New York extended to him
when he landed at Castle Garden.
Through his whole life the thing that pro-
duced the strongest impression upon him,
and which he always referred to with the
greatest pride and pleasure, was the re-
ception given to him by the warm-hearted
and strong-handed democrats of the city
and county of New York, in that
stormy and tempestuous day when he re-
turned from Washington defeated, as it
proved, forever (Cheers for Martin Van
Buren.)
But it was not solely for the purpose of
reviewing past campaigns, but it was some
what with reference to the future that
they were assembled on this occasion. 1t
seemed proper for him to call their atten-
ton to the condition of the country and to
make some suggestions purely for himself
in regard to what he supposed it was his
duty to do. 1t was not the habit OF his
life to advise other people or to dictate to
them what it was proper for them to do,
for his own relations to the politics of this
country were most peculiar. Whenever
political campaign occurred he took as
active part in it as he was able to do
consistently with other engagements, and
there were few engagements that ever
stood in the way of his being actively en-
gagged in political campaign of any par
ticular Importance. But when the polls
closed he closed, because he never had
been, and trusted to God he never would
be, candidate for any political office.
After an election he had become, like most
people, a private citizen. He depended
upon the public men elected to office to
sustain the principles that he advocated.
If they did SO he was very happy, and if
they did not he exerted himself to turn
them out when their terms expired. He
was an active supporter of Governor Sey-
mour at the last election, although he new
err belonged to the same division of the de-
mocratic party with which Governor Sey-
mour was identified. lie (Mr. Van Buren,
always acted with Silas Wright, A. @.
Flagg, John A. Dix, Samuel Young and
Michael Hoffman, while Governor Sey
mour was identified with Governor Marcy
/ and Mr.. Corning. In other words, Gov
ernOr Seymour was national democrat,
and he (Mr. Van BUREN, was a New York
democrat. Governor Seymour was a
"hunker," while he (the speaker) was an
unqualified barnburner." He mention
ed this because in the remarks he was
going to make it would be very common
i for people out of the State to ascribe views
he entertained to other people than him
self.
He alluded to the fact that the first be
knew of Governor Seymour's message was
seeing it in the newspapers, and the first
knowledge he had of the appointments was
that the gentlemen had been selected who
filled with so much credit and so much
honor the various places assigned to them.
He never had the pleasure of seeing OF
hearing Cox and Valandingham who had
addressed the association, So that they
would understand that in what he had to
say he spoke for no body but himself.
Having made these Introductory remarks,
he asked his hearers to look little at the
condition of the country, and what was
the real difficulty under which We labored!
He did not think it was entirely correct to
say that slavery was the occasion Of the
unhappy difficulties into which we were
now plunged. He would be slow to be-
lieve that an institution which had legally
and constitutionally existed for eighty years
and which was perfectly understood by our
forefathers at the time of the Declaration
of Independence, that was we'll known
when they went through the seven years
bloody struggle of the Revolution together,
which was clearly appreciated at the time
the constitution was adopted, and which
had been recognized, confirmed and acqui-
esced in for eighty years, since the adop-
ton of the constitution, should within 8
few months have proved such an irrencon.
cllable cause of difference between the
non-slaveholding and the slaveholdine
States that they could not live together in
peace and harmony, as they had so long
and gloriously done.
He believed that the occasion of oul
difficulty was very different one, although
slavery had come very prominently forward
since it arose. He believed that at the
bottom of all our troubles lay deep cor
ruption in the officers of the government
and he was of the opinion that five coult
get rid of that, and put honest men in office
Whatever that political party they might
belong to-we would be able to restore the
government of the United States to the
form in which it had so long and so hap.