The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-02-27
THE DEnOCRATIcP PARTY.
A Brief Resume tha. all People De
string TO be Historically Correct in
their Information ShouId Read.

Our nelgnOor OF the Wellsburg DEM
ocrat, published in his last issue a Ia
bored and long eulogy on the record OF
the Democratic party. We should like
the writer of that article, whoever he
is, to read the following paragraphs
from the New York Tribune in regard
to the same record:
The circumstance that a member OF
congress Is branded as liar for stating
IN his place that very many Democrats
were sympathizers with and virtual al
lies OF the late rebellion, compels us to
ask attention to certain histor ieal facts.
II any one can contradict them or break
their force, we beg him not to hide his
candle under bushel.
1. Secession was first inauRurated in
South Carolina, directly after the popu-
lar choice of Presidential Electors
early In November, 1860, whereby the
accession of Mr.. Lincoln to the Presi-
dency was assured. The men who in
augurated it were all Democrats-that
is, they had supported for President
| Van Buren in 1910, Polk in 1874, Cass in
| lS4S, Pierce in 1882, Buchanan in 1856,
and ]. g. Breckinridge in 1860. There
| may have been one or two exceptions,
but we know of none. There was GER
tainly no Republican among them,
whether IN that or any other State.
=
sion, their pretezt for it was the triumph
/ of the Republicans in the choice of MIR.
Lincoln aforesaid.
.. Other States-at least ten ofthem-
followed South Carolina in herso-calIed
secession. Two or three more pretend-
ed or were claimed to have done so. In
every instance, this so-called secessio n
was substantially the act of the Demo-
cratic party of those States respective
u. That is to say: the great body of
those who had previously "run" the
Democratic machine were early and ar
dent secessionists, while the mass of
the opposite party was either adverse
or Iukewarm- Thus, every Democrat
ic Governor of State, those of Della
ware and Kentucky excepted, was al
the head of the hunt for dtsunion; and
OF the exceptions, each openly con-
demned all forcible resistance to the
movement.
3. The Federal Government was then
wholly in the hands of the Democratic
party, save that the House of Repre-
sentatiyes was tied-Wm. Pennington
moderate Republican, having at length
been chosen its Speaker by one majori-
ty. But in no single department did
that Government oppose any earnest
resistance to secession. President
Buchanan, in his message of Decem-
Der 3, 1850, squarely proclaimed that
congress had no right to use force to
prevent the withdrawal OF State from
the Union, nor compel her to weld
obedience to its laws. To do this, he
argued, would be to make trdr on q
State, which Congress had no constitu-
tional power to do. (See American
Conflict, Vol. l., p. 37O.) This procla-
nation of national anarchy was backed
by a formal opinion from his Demo-
cratic Attorney General, Jere. S. Black,
who was afterwards hisISecretary of
State, who affirmed that the use of
"a IN FI,n
existing state of things, would be
WHOLLY illegal" He further urged
that an attempt to make a seeded
State fulfil her Federal obligations
would be ipso JdctO, an expulsion OF
such State from the Union. (The very
sophistry which we hear every day
from the Democrats of 1857
4. During that memorable winter
Democratic Conventions were held, in
several States-that in this State (held
at Tweddle Hall, Albany, January 81,
1861 being one of the ablest and strong
est that was ever convened. But from
none of these Conventions, nor from
the Democrats in Congress, nor from
the thousand to fifteen hundred Demo-
cratic journals published in the coun-
try, was a voice raised in depreciation
of, or dissent from these disorganizing
doctrines. On the contrary, they were
generally re-echoed and almost uni
versally acquiesced in.
5. Seven States having seeded before
Mr.. Buchanan's. term expired, their
Democratic members vacated their seats
In Congress, with very rare exceptions.
OF their few anti-Democratic members,
nearly or quite every one remained to
the close.
6. Mr.. Lincoln was inaugurated on
the 4th of March, 1851; and his inau-
gural address was mainly devoted to
the inculcation of doctrines regarding
secession and coercion, the exact oppo-
sites of MeSSrs. buchanan and Black
Mr.. Lincoln was well known to hold
las we did and do) the right of the peo-
pie to modify or change their form of
government as transcending all writ
ten-constitutions or charters but he,
with great clearness and cogency, vet
in perfect kindness demonstrated shat a
President must, to the utmost limit of
his ability, cause the laws of the Union
to be respected and obeyed in every
State and Territory-that, should col
lision of forces result, his position
would be strictly defensive and CON
seFvHtive-that- consequent war
would be made upon him, not by him.
Never was q manifesto more firm and
lucid never was one less Irritating.
Either its doctrines were sound, or any
State might at any time dissolve the
Union Yet, of the five hundred DEM
ocratic journals within our reach, we
believe no single one approved and
sustained the positions of Mr.. Lincoln.
z. Throughout that winter and the
ensuing spring, all the organs of Dem
ocratic opinion within our observation
reprobated Mr.. Lincoln and the Repub-
licans as disturbers and disunionists,
because of their intent to oppose force
by force, If that should become neces-
sary, to maintain the integrity and
authority of the Union. We can recall
no instance of Democratic rebuke to
! those who were openly, ostentatiously
| Union, which they proclaimed already
dissolved.
8. a confederacy of the seeded States
having been formed, leading Northern
and Western Democrats openly advo-
Gated the secession of their several
| States from the Union, and their acces-
sion to the Southern Con nfederacy. "If
/ the Union is to be dissolved" :" said
/ Judge George w. Woodward, Demo
| cratic candidate for Governor in 1868, }
/ 81 want the line to run north of Penn
/ sylvania." Ex-Governor Rodmau NJ.
/ Price, of New Jersey, wrote and printed
| letter elaborately urging that New
| Jersey should forthwith unite her for
tunes with those of the sIave-holding
| confederacy. (See 1t in "American
/ Conflict" vol !, p. 1891 And eX-Gov-
ernor Horatio Seymour, of this State,
privately argued that New York should
/ likewise unite with that confederacy
was held by leading Democrats that
! without bloodshed or couvulsion, only
three of the more fanatical States Of
! rh hating aTClndRd fhara-