The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-08-15
THE ROLF OLE rs.

The Democratic party has survived
several bolts, but the one that was the
most serious and lasting in it's effects
was that of 184S. True the party elect
ed two presidents subsequently, but the
element it then drove from it was a
fertile enc; while the course it took was
so fatal as to keep it excluded from
national control from 1860 to 1884,
practically until 1898, for then only
did the voters give it entire control.
1t is worth spending little while in
these days of bolts to consider that
one. The men who met in conven-
ton in Buffalo on Aug. 8, 184S,
since known as the ''free soilers''
called themselves the free Democracy,
and adopted platform justifying their
action. In it they declared that .'the
political conventions recently assembled
at Baltimore Ghe Democratic) and
Philadelphia (the Whig), the one sitting
the voiee~of a great constituency, en-
titled to be heard in it's deliberations.
and the other abandoning its distinctive
principles for mere availability, have
dissolved the national organizations
heretofore existing, by nominating for
the chief magistracy, under the slave
holding dictation. candidates neither of
whom Taylor, Wing, and Cass, Demo-
craft can be supported by the OBJ
penents of slavery extension without
sacrifice of consistency, duty and self
respect
The Baltimore convention had eu-
logized Polk and the annexation of
Texas, a slavery movement and its
whole spirit was favorable to the ex
tension of slavery into the new ter
ritory. although the convention rejected
Yancey's resolution against interfer
ence with the rights of property in the
states and territories The Democratic
party then definitely committed itself
to the support of slavery, both in the
states where no one proposed to at
tack it save the handful of Abolitionists.
and in the territories that would be-
come states. 1t was this that led TO
the bolt of the Democrats of the North
who had become opposed to the ex-
tension of slavery, Joined by the Whigs
who left their party because it had
emphasized its sympathy with slavery
by nominating a Louisiana STAKEHOLDER
for the presidency. Martin Van Buren,
was named for the presidential candi-
date of the boilers, with John P. Hale
for second place; and, although the
ticket did not receive a single vote in
the electoral college, as was expected
by it. it had 291, 1863 supporters AT the
polls. The Sitting of the voice of a
great constituency" complained of in
the platform was the refusal of the
Landowners of New York. the Van
buren faction to accept the half vote
allowed them with the other faction
the 'Hunkers." They were as much
given to nicknames then as now and
the former faction got its name be-
cause they were said to emulate the
example of the Dutchman who burned
his barn to get rid of the rats, while
the latter were dubbed Hunkers be-
cause they Numbered" for office.
The germ of the bolt of AS was
hostility to slavery itself, although
swathed with a pretense of opposition
only to its extension. It's impulse was
that old one of our race for freedom.
The Democratic party, dominated by
the South, committed itself irretrieyab-
~ to the maintenance and extension OF
slavery; the party of individualisrn and
liberty became the party OF enslavc
ment Of men Fifteen years later the
germ burst into blossom in Lincoln's