Part 19

8. That the normal condition of all the territory of the United States is that of freedom; that as our republican fathers, when they had abolished slavery in all our national territory, ordained that no person should be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, it becomes our duty, by legislation, whenever such legislation is necessary, to maintain this provision of the Constitution against all attempts to violate it; and we deny the authority of Congress, of a territorial legislature, or of any individual, to give legal existence to slavery in any Territory of the United States.

9. That we brand the recent reopening of the African slave-trade, under the cover of our national flag, aided by perversions of judicial power, as a crime against humanity, and a burning shame to our country and age; and we call upon Congress to take prompt and efficient measures for the total and final suppression of that execrable traffic.

10. That in the recent vetoes, by their Federal governors, of the acts of the Legislatures of Kansas and Nebraska, prohibiting slavery in those Territories, we find a practical illustration of the boasted Democratic principle of non-intervention and popular sovereignty, embodied in the Kansas-Nebraska bill, and a demonstration of the deception and fraud involved therein.

11. That Kansas should of right be immediately admitted as a State under the Constitution recently formed and adopted by her people and accepted by the House of Representatives.

12. That, while providing revenue for the support of the General Government by duties upon imports, sound policy requires such an adjustment of these imposts as to encourage the development of the industrial interests of the whole country; and we commend that policy of national exchanges which secures to the workingmen liberal wages, to agriculture remunerating prices, to mechanics and manufacturers an adequate reward for their skill, labor, and enterprise, and to the nation commercial prosperity and independence.

13. That we protest against any sale or alienation to others of the public lands held by actual settlers, and against any view of the free-homestead policy which regards the settlers as paupers or suppliants for public bounty; and we demand the passage by Congress of the complete and satisfactory homestead measure which has already passed the House.

14. That the Republican party is opposed to any change in our naturalization laws, or any State legislation by which the rights of citizenship hitherto accorded to immigrants from foreign lands shall be abridged or impaired; and in favor of giving a full and efficient protection to the rights of all classes of citizens, whether native or naturalized, both at home and abroad.

The bitter estrangement of Douglas and President Buchanan made an impassable gulf between Douglas and the radical Southerners who stood by Buchanan. Douglas had a desperate contest in his State for re-election to the Senate in 1858, when he was opposed by Lincoln as the Republican candidate, and was even more vindictively opposed by all the power of the national administration. Lincoln won the State, as he carried the Republican or Union State ticket, but the legislative districts were so gerrymandered that Douglas won the Legislature and came back in triumph to defy the President. There was no reasonable prospect, therefore, of Democratic unity in the campaign of 1860. Douglas, who was the most astute of all the Democratic politicians of his day, clearly foresaw that the violent attitude of the South must result in the defeat of the slavery party and the early extinction of slavery; but slavery had always been omnipotent since the battle began, and it would not learn that its mastery could be overthrown.

The Democratic National Convention was called for the first time to meet far South, in the city of Charleston, the home of Calhoun, the cradle of nullification, and the one place in the Union where secession ran rampant. It was obviously intended to environ the convention with an army of the ablest Southern leadership. The convention met on the 23d of April, 1860, and every State was fully represented, with double delegations from Illinois and New York. The few administration followers in Illinois had made a rump Democratic organization and sent an anti-Douglas delegation to Charleston, and in New York they had another contest between the “Hards” and the “Softs,” the “Hards” being opposed to Douglas and the “Softs” for him. Caleb Cushing was made permanent president, and it was decided that no ballot should be had for President until a platform was adopted. On the following day the convention did not get beyond the settlement of contested seats, admitting the “Softs” of New York and the Douglas men from Illinois, and the debates on even the most trivial disputes were unusually bitter. On the third day threats of bolting became common among the Southern delegates, as the admission of the Douglas delegates from New York and Illinois clearly indicated that the Douglas people controlled the convention. On the fourth day majority and minority reports were made on the platform, the majority by Mr. Avery, of North Carolina, and the minority by Mr. Payne, of Ohio. General Benjamin F. Butler, who was a prominent delegate in the convention, as he would be anywhere, and who voted for Jefferson Davis for the Presidency right along, presented a minority report of his own, and Senator Bayard, of Delaware, followed with a platform of his invention. On the fifth day Senator Bigler, of Pennsylvania, moved to recommit the platforms to the committee with instructions to report in an hour, and the motion to recommit was carried, 152 to 151, while the motion to instruct was lost by a very large vote. On the same day Mr. Avery, from the majority of the committee on platform, reported a new declaration of principles, and an elaborate discussion followed, and Mr. Samuels, of Iowa, presented a new minority report.

After a protracted and ill-tempered debate, it was finally decided that the vote on the platform should be taken on Monday, the 30th, and on that day the convention proceeded to vote without debate. Butler’s platform was rejected by 198 to 105. Next the minority report of Mr. Samuels, being the Douglas platform, was carried by 165 to 138. The report of the committee as amended was then adopted without a vote by States, upon which the Alabama delegation presented a written protest announcing the purpose of the delegates to withdraw from the convention. The Mississippi, Florida, and Texas delegations gave like notice, and the Louisiana delegation excepting two, the South Carolina delegation excepting three, with three of the Arkansas delegation, two of the Delaware delegation, including Senator Bayard, and one from North Carolina then withdrew from the convention. There were great pomp and ceremony in this proceeding, as formal protests and elaborate speeches were made by the retiring delegates. The convention was thus largely depleted, but a resolution, declaring that two-thirds of a full convention, being 202 votes, shall be necessary to make nominations, was adopted by 141 to 112. The convention then proceeded to ballot for President with the following result:

════════╤════════╤════════╤═══════╤══════════╤═══════════╤══════╤════════════╤═══════╤══════════ BALLOTS.│Douglas.│Guthrie.│Hunter.│Dickinson.│A. Johnson.│Lane. │Jeff. Davis.│Toucey.│F. Pierce. ────────┼────────┼────────┼───────┼──────────┼───────────┼──────┼────────────┼───────┼────────── 1 │ 145-1/2│ 35 │ 42 │ 7 │ 12 │ 6 │ 1-1/2 │ 2-1/2│ 1 2 │ 147 │ 36-1/2│ 41-1/2│ 6-1/2 │ 12 │ 6 │ 1 │ 2-1/2│ ―― 3 │ 148-1/2│ 42 │ 36 │ 6-1/2 │ 12 │ 6 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 4 │ 149 │ 37-1/2│ 41-1/2│ 5 │ 12 │ 6 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 5 │ 149-1/2│ 37-1/2│ 41 │ 5 │ 12 │ 6 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 6 │ 149-1/2│ 39-1/2│ 41 │ 3 │ 12 │ 7 │ ―― │ ―― │ ―― 7 │ 150-1/2│ 38-1/2│ 41 │ 4 │ 11 │ 6 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 8 │ 150-1/2│ 38-1/2│ 40-1/2│ 4-1/2 │ 11 │ 6 │ 1-1/2 │ ―― │ ―― 9 │ 150-1/2│ 41 │ 39-1/2│ 1 │ ―― │ 6 │ 1-1/2 │ ―― │ ―― 10 │ 150-1/2│ 39-1/2│ 39 │ 4 │ 12 │ 5-1/2│ 1-1/2 │ ―― │ ―― 11 │ 150-1/2│ 39-1/2│ 38 │ 4 │ 12 │ 6-1/2│ 1-1/2 │ ―― │ ―― 12 │ 150-1/2│ 39-1/2│ 38 │ 4 │ 12 │ 6 │ 1-1/2 │ ―― │ ―― 13 │ 149-1/2│ 39-1/2│ 28-1/2│ 1 │ 12 │20 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 14 │ 150 │ 41 │ 27 │ 1/2 │ 12 │20-1/2│ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 15 │ 150 │ 41-1/2│ 26-1/2│ 1/2 │ 12 │20-1/2│ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 16 │ 150 │ 42 │ 26 │ 1/2 │ 12 │20-1/2│ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 17 │ 150 │ 42 │ 26 │ 1/2 │ 12 │20-1/2│ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 18 │ 150 │ 41-1/2│ 26 │ 1 │ 12 │20-1/2│ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 19 │ 150 │ 41-1/2│ 26 │ 1 │ 12 │20-1/2│ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 20 │ 150 │ 42 │ 26 │ 1/2 │ 12 │20-1/2│ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 21 │ 150-1/2│ 41-1/2│ 26 │ 1/2 │ 12 │20-1/2│ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 22 │ 150-1/2│ 41-1/2│ 26 │ 1/2 │ 12 │20-1/2│ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 23 │ 152-1/2│ 41-1/2│ 25 │ 1/2 │ 12 │19-1/2│ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 24 │ 151-1/2│ 41-1/2│ 25 │ 1-1/2 │ 12 │19-1/2│ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 25 │ 151-1/2│ 41-1/2│ 25 │ 1-1/2 │ 12 │19-1/2│ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 26 │ 151-1/2│ 41-1/2│ 25 │ 12 │ 12 │ 9 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 27 │ 151-1/2│ 42-1/2│ 25 │ 12 │ 12 │ 8 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 28 │ 151-1/2│ 42 │ 25 │ 12-1/2 │ 12 │ 8 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 29 │ 151-1/2│ 42 │ 25 │ 13 │ 12 │ 7-1/2│ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 30 │ 151-1/2│ 45 │ 25 │ 13 │ 11 │ 5-1/2│ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 31 │ 151-1/2│ 47-1/2│ 32-1/2│ 3 │ 11 │ 5-1/2│ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 32 │ 152-1/2│ 47-1/2│ 22-1/2│ 3 │ 11 │ 5-1/2│ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 33 │ 152-1/2│ 47-1/2│ 22-1/2│ 3 │ 11 │14-1/2│ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 34 │ 152-1/2│ 47-1/2│ 22-1/2│ 5 │ 11 │12-1/2│ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 35 │ 152 │ 47-1/2│ 22 │ 4-1/2 │ 12 │13 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 36 │ 151-1/2│ 48 │ 22 │ 4-1/2 │ 12 │13 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 37 │ 151-1/2│ 64-1/2│ 16 │ 5-1/2 │ 1/2 │12-1/2│ 1-1/2 │ ―― │ ―― 38 │ 151-1/2│ 66 │ 16 │ 5-1/2 │ ―― │13 │ ―― │ ―― │ ―― 39 │ 151-1/2│ 66-1/2│ 16 │ 5-1/2 │ ―― │12-1/2│ ―― │ ―― │ ―― 40 │ 151-1/2│ 66-1/2│ 16 │ 5-1/2 │ ―― │12-1/2│ ―― │ ―― │ ―― 41 │ 151-1/2│ 66-1/2│ 16 │ 5-1/2 │ ―― │12-1/2│ ―― │ ―― │ ―― 42 │ 151-1/2│ 66-1/2│ 16 │ 5 │ ―― │13 │ ―― │ ―― │ ―― 43 │ 151-1/2│ 65-1/2│ 16 │ 5 │ ―― │13 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 44 │ 151-1/2│ 65-1/2│ 16 │ 5 │ ―― │13 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 45 │ 151-1/2│ 65-1/2│ 16 │ 5 │ ―― │13 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 46 │ 151-1/2│ 65-1/2│ 16 │ 5 │ ―― │13 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 47 │ 151-1/2│ 65-1/2│ 16 │ 5 │ ―― │13 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 48 │ 151-1/2│ 65-1/2│ 16 │ 5 │ ―― │13 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 49 │ 151-1/2│ 65-1/2│ 16 │ 4 │ ―― │14 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 50 │ 151-1/2│ 65-1/2│ 16 │ 4 │ ―― │14 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 51 │ 151-1/2│ 65-1/2│ 16 │ 4 │ ―― │14 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 52 │ 151-1/2│ 65-1/2│ 16 │ 4 │ ―― │14 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 53 │ 151-1/2│ 65-1/2│ 16 │ 4 │ ―― │14 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 54 │ 151-1/2│ 61 │ 20-1/2│ 2 │ ―― │16 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 55 │ 151-1/2│ 65-1/2│ 16 │ 4 │ ―― │14 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 56 │ 151-1/2│ 65-1/2│ 16 │ 4 │ ―― │14 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― 57 │ 151-1/2│ 65-1/2│ 16 │ 4 │ ―― │14 │ 1 │ ―― │ ―― ════════╧════════╧════════╧═══════╧══════════╧═══════════╧══════╧════════════╧═══════╧══════════

Douglas had a large plurality of the votes, but could not obtain even a two-thirds vote of the remaining delegates. After the 57th ballot a motion was made to adjourn the convention to reassemble at Baltimore on the 18th of June. That was adopted by 195 to 55, whereupon President Cushing adjourned the convention to reconvene in Baltimore. The retiring delegates met at St. Andrew’s Hall, in Charleston, elected Senator Bayard, of Delaware, president, and after much discussion adopted a platform of its own. After spending four days wholly devoted to discussion, that body adjourned to reconvene in Richmond on the second Monday in June. This convention reconvened in Richmond on the 11th of June, with delegates from Alabama, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, and Virginia. John Erwin, of Alabama, was made President, when it adjourned to meet again in Richmond on the 21st of June, and reassembled on that day and awaited the action of the Democratic seceders of the Baltimore convention, who nominated Breckenridge and Lane, when it accepted the candidates of the seceders and their platform, and adjourned _sine die_.

The regular Democratic National Convention reassembled in Baltimore on the 18th of June, and the first three days were devoted to a wrangling discussion on rules, platforms, rights of delegates, etc. The first disturbing questions the convention had to meet were the admission of delegates and the right of partial delegations representing States to cast the full vote of the State. The decision of the convention started another small tidal wave of secession and Virginia retired. North Carolina followed, then Tennessee, and a portion of Maryland. Later California and Delaware withdrew with a part of Kentucky, and President Cushing became so disgusted that he resigned his position and bolted himself. The convention finally proceeded to ballot for President, and two ballots were had, with the following result:

══════════════╤═══════════════════════════════╦═══════════════════════════════ │ 1ST BALLOT. ║ 2D BALLOT. STATES. ├────────┬─────────────┬────────╫────────┬─────────────┬──────── │Douglas.│Breckenridge.│Guthrie.║Douglas.│Breckenridge.│Guthrie. ──────────────┼────────┼─────────────┼────────╫────────┼─────────────┼──────── Maine │ 5-1/2│ ―― │ ―― ║ 7 │ ―― │ ―― New Hampshire │ 5 │ ―― │ ―― ║ 5 │ ―― │ ―― Vermont │ 5 │ ―― │ ―― ║ 5 │ ―― │ ―― Massachusetts │ 10 │ ―― │ ―― ║ 10 │ ―― │ ―― Rhode Island │ 4 │ ―― │ ―― ║ 4 │ ―― │ ―― Connecticut │ 3-1/2│ 1 │ ―― ║ 3-1/2│ 1/2 │ ―― New York │ 35 │ ―― │ ―― ║ 35 │ ―― │ ―― New Jersey │ 2-1/2│ ―― │ ―― ║ 2-1/2│ ―― │ ―― Pennsylvania │ 10 │ 3 │ 3 ║ 10 │ 7 │ 2-1/2 Maryland │ 2-1/2│ ―― │ ―― ║ 2-1/2│ ―― │ ―― Virginia │ 1-1/2│ ―― │ ―― ║ 3 │ ―― │ ―― North Carolina│ 1 │ ―― │ ―― ║ 1 │ ―― │ ―― Alabama │ 9 │ ―― │ ―― ║ 9 │ ―― │ ―― Louisiana │ 6 │ ―― │ ―― ║ 6 │ ―― │ ―― Arkansas │ 1 │ 1/2 │ ―― ║ 1-1/2│ ―― │ ―― Missouri │ 4-1/2│ ―― │ 1-1/2║ 4-1/2│ ―― │ 1-1/2 Tennessee │ 3 │ ―― │ ―― ║ 3 │ ―― │ ―― Kentucky │ ―― │ ―― │ 4-1/2║ 3 │ ―― │ 1-1/2 Ohio │ 23 │ ―― │ ―― ║ 23 │ ―― │ ―― Indiana │ 13 │ ―― │ ―― ║ 13 │ ―― │ ―― Illinois │ 11 │ ―― │ ―― ║ 11 │ ―― │ ―― Michigan │ 6 │ ―― │ ―― ║ 6 │ ―― │ ―― Wisconsin │ 5 │ ―― │ ―― ║ 5 │ ―― │ ―― Iowa │ 4 │ ―― │ ―― ║ 4 │ ―― │ ―― Minnesota │ 2-1/2│ 1/2 │ 1 ║ 4 │ ―― │ ―― ├────────┼─────────────┼────────╫────────┼─────────────┼──────── │ 173-1/2│ 5 │ 10 ║ 181-1/2│ 7-1/2 │ 5-1/2 ══════════════╧════════╧═════════════╧════════╩════════╧═════════════╧════════

As Douglas had received nearly the unanimous vote of the remaining delegates, it was finally resolved that as he had two-thirds of all the votes given in the convention, he was the nominee of the party for President. Benjamin Fitzpatrick, Senator from Alabama, was nominated for Vice-President, receiving 198-1/2 votes to 1 for William C. Alexander, of New Jersey. Senator Fitzpatrick declined the nomination when notified of it, and the National Committee supplied the vacancy by the nomination of Herschel V. Johnson, of Georgia. The platform adopted by this convention was as follows:

1. _Resolved_, That we, the Democracy of the Union, in convention assembled, hereby declare our affirmance of the resolutions unanimously adopted and declared as a platform of principles by the Democratic convention at Cincinnati in the year 1856, believing that Democratic principles are unchangeable in their nature when applied to the same subject-matters; and we recommend as the only further resolutions the following:

Inasmuch as differences of opinion exist in the Democratic party as to the nature and extent of the powers of a Territorial legislature, and as to the powers and duties of Congress, under the Constitution of the United States, over the institution of slavery within the Territories—

2. _Resolved_, That the Democratic party will abide by the decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States on the questions of constitutional law.

3. _Resolved_, That it is the duty of the United States to afford ample and complete protection to all its citizens, whether at home or abroad, and whether native or foreign.

4. _Resolved_, That one of the necessities of the age, in a military, commercial, and postal point of view, is speedy communication between the Atlantic and Pacific States; and the Democratic party pledge such constitutional government aid as will insure the construction of a railroad to the Pacific Coast at the earliest practicable period.

5. _Resolved_, That the Democratic party are in favor of the acquisition of the island of Cuba, on such terms as shall be honorable to ourselves and just to Spain.

6. _Resolved_, That the enactments of State Legislatures to defeat the faithful execution of the Fugitive Slave law are hostile in character, subversive of the Constitution, and revolutionary in their effects.

7. _Resolved_, That it is in accordance with the interpretation of the Cincinnati platform, that, during the existence of the Territorial governments, the measure of restriction, whatever it may be, imposed by the Federal Constitution on the power of the Territorial Legislature over the subject of the domestic relations, as the same has been, or shall hereafter be, finally determined by the Supreme Court of the United States, should be respected by all good citizens, and enforced with promptness and fidelity by every branch of the General Government.

The seceders from the Baltimore convention, who were really representing the seceders from the Charleston convention then in session at Richmond, immediately organized a new convention in the Front Street Theatre, of Baltimore, with 21 States fully or partially represented. Caleb Cushing was made chairman, and after adopting the two-thirds rule, a ballot was had for President, all of the votes being cast for J. C. Breckenridge, of Kentucky, by the following States:

Vermont 1/2 Massachusetts 8 New York 2 Pennsylvania 4 Maryland 4-1/2 Virginia 11-1/2 North Carolina 8-1/2 Georgia 10 Florida 3 Alabama 9 Louisiana 6 Mississippi 7 Texas 4 Arkansas 4 Missouri 1 Tennessee 9-1/2 Kentucky 4-1/2 Minnesota 1 California 4 Oregon 3

Breckenridge, having received the unanimous vote of the convention, was declared the candidate with great enthusiasm, and Joseph Lane, of Oregon, received a like unanimous vote for Vice-President on the 1st ballot. The convention then adopted the following platform, being the same that had been reported to the Charleston convention by the majority of the platform committee:

_Resolved_, That the platform adopted by the Democratic party at Cincinnati be affirmed, with the following explanatory resolutions:

1. That the government of a Territory organized by an act of Congress is provisional and temporary; and during its existence all citizens of the United States have an equal right to settle with their property in the Territory, without their rights either of person or of property being destroyed or impaired by Congressional legislation.

2. That it is the duty of the Federal Government, in all its departments, to protect, when necessary, the rights of persons and property in the Territories, and wherever else its constitutional authority extends.

3. That when the settlers in a Territory, having an adequate population, form a State constitution, the right of sovereignty commences, and, being consummated by admission into the Union, they stand on an equal footing with the people of other States; and the State thus organized ought to be admitted into the Federal Union, whether its constitution prohibits or recognizes the institution of slavery.

4. That the Democratic party are in favor of the acquisition of the island of Cuba, on such terms as shall be honorable to ourselves and just to Spain, at the earliest practicable moment.

5. That the enactments of State Legislatures to defeat the faithful execution of the Fugitive Slave law are hostile in character, subversive of the Constitution, and revolutionary in their effect.

6. That the Democracy of the United States recognize it as the imperative duty of this Government to protect the naturalized citizen in all his rights, whether at home or in foreign lands, to the same extent as its native-born citizens.

_Whereas_, One of the greatest necessities of the age, in a political, commercial, postal, and military point of view, is a speedy communication between the Pacific and Atlantic coasts—