Arkansas State Gazette And Democrat

THE NEW YORK DEMOCRACY.

We expressed yesterday, in very decided terms, our condemnation of the action of the majority of the recent Democratic State Convention of New York. We regard it, taken in connection with the open and avowed Sewardism of the whig party of that State, as one of the most startling signs of the times. If the true Democracy are in a minority in the largest State in the Union, they are indeed contending for sound principles against fearful odds—against the entire whig party and the Barnburner majority, united in the war on Southern Rights and interests.

The Hunkers, however, unlike the Compromise whigs who, at the bidding of Seward, have made an unconditional surrender, manfully and gallantly contended throughout for their principles, and now maintain that the convention adopted them. They insisted that the democracy of N. York should accept the compromise in the spirit in which the South had conceded it to the North, and tendered its submission, as a final adjustment of the slavery controversy, now and forever; and should also pledge itself "neither to countenance nor sanction any sectional agitation." The following resolution, to that effect, was offered by Mr. Fowler from the minority of the committee:

Resolved, That the Democratic party of the State of New York will faithfully adhere to the recent settlement by Congress of the questions which have unfortunately divided the people of this State, and will neither countenance nor sanction any sectional agitation.

Upon this resolution a very animated debate occurred. Some of the speakers contended that this ground was covered by the resolutions presented by the majority; another, that the majority report was "the result of mutual concession and compromise, and that the least addition or alteration would be viewed as overthrowing that compromise;" another, that to vote down the resolution would be to "affirm a contrary doctrine," and insisted that the convention should "face the music;" another that the majority resolutions left a "loop-hole" for opposition to the fugitive slave law, which ought to be closed: and several Hunkers "deprecated the introduction, as tending to place them in a false position." The resolution was lost by a vote of 72 to 52, several "moderate Hunkers" voting against it on the ground of its only covering ground already taken by the majority resolutions. Thus the Convention evaded the issue, and rejected a resolution in favor of a position which the unanimous South, "Union" men included, demands of the North at the peril of a "disruption" of the Union. How far the argument is correct, that Mr. Fowler's resolution only asserted a principle already embodied in the majority report, may be seen from the resolutions themselves which were finally adopted by acclamation. We take them as we find them in the New York Tribune:

Resolved, That we approve of the aims and principles set forth in the resolutions adopted by the Democratic State Convention held at Syracuse last year—which resolutions were as follows:

Resolved, That the Democracy of the State of New York, appreciating the value of Union and Fraternity, and standing upon their ancient principles, present their candidates with a confidential reliance upon the united and cordial support of all who desire the ascendency of its principles in the State and National Councils.

[The third Resolution deprecates the course of the Whig National Administration: and the fourth, the action of the Whig State Administration.]

Resolved, That, devoted to the principles and forms of our Confederation, and regarding the rights of all sections of our country as members of a common brotherhood, we cherish the Union of the States as the Rock of our Political Government, and deprecate all sectional agitation, either at the North or at the South, calculated to impair its sacred obligations, or threaten its perpetuity.

Resolved, That the Democratic party of N. York are proud to avow their fidelity and devotion to the great principles of the Democratic party of the Union, as declared in the National Democratic Conventions, held in 1840, 1844, and 1848: and that they look forward in hope and confidence to the complete triumph of that party in 1852.

Resolved, That we congratulate the country upon the recent settlement by Congress of the questions which have unfortunately divided the people of these States:—and Resolved further, That the Constitution of the United States is the only Bond of Union among us—alike obligatory upon the several States, and the people thereof, and, to preserve the Union unimpaired, every requirement of that Constitution, and especially every duty enjoined by it, must strictly be obeyed.

Resolved, That the Democratic party of New York, will meet their brethren of other States in National Convention, and will cordially support the candidates nominated there, according to the usages of the Democratic party.

["The last resolution is one deprecating and condemning the Whig management of the Canals as lavish, reckless, and corrupt.]

It will be seen that the fifth resolution "deprecates all sectional agitation." The sixth "avows their fidelity and devotion to the great principles of the Democratic party as declared in the Democratic National Conventions held in 1840, 1844 and 1848." Among those resolutions is the following, for a parallel to which the annals of the Whig party will be searched in vain:

"7. That Congress has no power under the constitution to interfere with or control the domestic institutions of the several States, and that such States are the sole and proper judges of everything appertaining to their own affairs not prohibited by the constitution, that all efforts of the abolitionists or others made to induce Congress to interfere with questions of slavery, or to take incipient steps in relation thereto, are calculated to lead to the most alarming and dangerous consequences: and that all such efforts have an inevitable tendency to diminish the happiness of the people and endanger the stability and permanency of the Union, and ought not to be countenanced by any friend of our political institutions."

The principles avowed in this resolution are such as the Democracy can unite upon, and achieve a glorious victory in 1852. If the New York Democracy are sincere in their deprecation of "sectional agitation" and in their avowed "fidelity and devotion" to the Democratic resolutions of 1840, 44 and '48, a virtue which the majority in New York cannot claim in view of the rejection of Mr. Fowler's resolution, then a glorious and auspicious step is made toward crushing all agitation hostile to the rights and interests of the South, and toward the restoration of harmony to the Confederacy and a return to the principles of the Jeffersonian doctrines of strict adherence to the Constitution.

The pledge contained in the last resolution, is considered by the Sewardites, as complete surrender of the Barnburners. The Tribune remarks:

—The pledge to support such candidates as shall be nominated at a future National Convention without reservation as to either persons or principles, is at least unequivocal. The Barnburners well know that their distinctive principles will receive no favor in that convocation, and that any suspicion of sympathy with them would be fatal to the aspirations of any candidate before that body. Their surrender of everything but appearances is therefore complete, and it does seem like crowding the mourners' to press them further.

The position of the New York Democracy is now fully before our readers; and they can form their own opinions.