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and, therefore, the Democratic party of the Union, standing on this National platform, will abide by and adhere to a faithful execution of the acts known as the Compromise measures settled by the last Congress — the act for reclaiming fugitives from service or labor included; which act, being designed to carry out an express provision of the Constitution, cannot, with fidelity there-to, be repealed, nor so changed as to destroy or impair its efficiency.
Resolved, That the Democratic party will resist all attempts at renewing, in Congress or out of it, the agitation of the Slavery question, under whatever shape or color the attempt may be made.
The Whig National Convention met in
Baltimore two weeks later than its rival, and a caucus of the
Southern delegates, held the night before its organization, unanimously resolved to insist on making the wisdom and finality of the Compromise of 1850 a plank in the
Whig platform to be constructed by the
Convention.
They agreed upon a full draft of what they believed the
Whig platform should be; which, on being presented to the friends of
Mr. Webster, was accepted by them, and thus had a majority of the
Convention pledged to it in advance of any general consultation on the subject.
On the first ballot for a Presidential candidate,
Mr. Fillmore had 133 votes,
Gen. Scott 131,
Mr. Webster 29.
On the next,
Gen. Scott had 133, and
Mr. Fillmore but 131.
These proportions were nearly preserved through three or four days--
Gen. Scott gaining slightly and unsteadily on
Mr. Fillmore--till, on the fiftieth ballot,
Gen. Winfield Scott received 142, and on the fifty-second 148.
On the next, he was nominated; having 159 votes to 112 for
Mr. Fillmore and 21 for
Mr. Webster.
William A. Graham, of
North Carolina, was, on the second ballot, nominated for
Vice-President.
The Southern platform had already been imposed on the
Convention — the Slavery plank by a vote of 164 Yeas to 117 Nays.
It is as follows:
Eighth, That the series of acts of the XXXIst Congress known as the Compromise Measures of 1850--the act known as the Fugitive Slave law included — are received and acquiesced in by the Whig party of the United States as a settlement, in principle and substance, of the dangerous and exciting questions which they embrace; and, so far as they are concerned, we will maintain them, and insist on their strict enforcement, until time and experience shall demonstrate the necessity of further legislation to guard against the evasion of the laws on the one hand, and the abuse of their powers on the other — not impairing their present efficiency; and we deprecate all further agitation of the question thus settled, as dangerous to our peace, and will discountenance all efforts to continue or renew such agitation, whenever, wherever, or however, the attempt may be made; and we will maintain this system as essential to the nationality of the Whig party, and the integrity of the Union.
Gen. Scott made haste to plant himself unequivocally and thoroughly on the platform thus erected, which was in undoubted accordance with his own feelings and convictions.
But his success in the canvass was by no means commensurate with the expectations of his friends.
Many of the anti-Slavery Whigs, by whose efforts he had been nominated, supported him coldly because of the platform; while the intense
pro-Slavery section of the party did not support him at all-distrusting, not him, but the influences which, they apprehended, might guide his councils.
The “Free soil Democracy,” who yet maintained a National organization on the basis of open and thorough hostility to Slavery Extension and all pro-Slavery compromises, held their nominating Convention at
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, on the 11th of August; presented
John P. Hale, of New
