The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1867-02-28
The Democratic Party and the
Late Rebellion.
tFIom lhs Nsw YeA rrIaune. y

From ihe New lch lrtounel
The circumstance that a member
Iof Congress is branded as a liar for
stating in his place that very many
Democrats were sympathisors with
aud virtual allies of tde late rebellion,
compels us to ask attention to certain
historical fac,s. If any one can con-
tradiot them to break their force, we
beg him not to hide his candle under
a bushel.
J. Secession was first inaugurated
in South Carolina, directly after the
DO 1ular choice of Presidential Elec-
tors, early in November, 1860, where
by tho Accession of Mr.. Lincoln to the
Presidency was assured. The men
who inaugurate6 it we're all Demo-
crats-that is, they had 7upporicd for
President Van Buren in lI40, Polk
in 1914, Cass in 1913, Pierce in 1907,
Buchanan in 1856, aud j q. Breck-
iuridge in 1860. There may have
been one or two exceptions, but we
know Of none. There was certainly
no Republican among them, whether
in that or any other State. And,
whatever their impulse to secession,
their pTetert for it was the triumph of
the Republicans in the choice of MIR.
Lincoln aforesaid.
2. Other States--at least ten of
them-followed South Carolina in her
so-called secession. Two or three
more pretended or were claimed to
have done so. In every instance,
this so.caIled Sc session was substan-
tally the act Of the Democratic party
o.s those States respectively. That is
20 sav the great body Of those who
ba6 previously ''run the Democrat
ic machine were carly and ardent Sc
cessiouists, while the mass Of the OPP
posite party w.ns either adverse or
iukewarm Tins, every Democratic
Governor Of Stale, those of Della
ware aud Kentucky excepted was at
the head of the hunt for dlsunion J
and, of the EXCEPTIONS, each openly
contemned all forcible resistance to
ihs movement. lria5
3. The Federal Government was
then wholly in the hands Of the Dem
ocratic party, save the House Of sep
resentatives was William PEN
nington, (moderate Republican, haV-'
ing at length been chosen its Speaker
by one majority. But in no single
did that Government op
pose an earnest resistance to seces
SION. President Buchanan in his
message of Dec. 3, 1860, squarely
proclaimed that Congress had no right
to use force to prevent the Withdraw
al of State from the Union, nor to
compel her to yield obedience to the
law. TO do this, be argued, would
be 10 make ioar on a State, which
Congress had no constitutional pow
er to do. (See American Conflict,
Vol L., p. 370) ae.
This proclamation Of national an
archy was backed by a formal opin-
ion from his Democratic Attorney
General, Jere. S. Black, who was af-
terwards his Secretary of State, who
affirmed that the use of armed men
to enforce the laws, in the existing
state of things, would be : Hwholly IL
legal" He further urged that an at
tempt to make seeded State fulfil
her Federal obligations "would be
be, ipso fdcto, an expulsion of,such
State from the Union" (The very
sophistry which VIC hear every day
from the Democrats Of 1867
4. During that memorable winter,
Democratic conventions were held in
several States--that, in this State,
(held at Tweddle Hall, Albany, Jan.
! 81, 1861, J being one of the ablest
and strongest that ever was convened.
But from none Of thGae conventions,
nor from the Democrats in Congress,
nor from the thousand TO fifteen hun
dred Democratic journals published
lin the country, was voice raised in
depreciation Of, or dissent from these
1 disorganizing doctrines. On the CON
trary, they were generally 70 echoed
land almost universally acquiesced in
1 5. Seven States having seeded be-
fore Buchanan's term expired, theiI
Democratic members vacated theil
seats in Congress. with very rare ex'
loepuvhA -. ..--. .S- anIt-DOino