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318]
Baltimore, pursuant to adjournment.
Some days were spent in considering the credentials of contesting delegates from certain Southern States.
The decisions of the
Convention were such as to increase the strength of
Senator Douglas.
When it was concluded,
Mr. Russell, of
Virginia,
Mr. Lander, of
North Carolina,
Mr. Ewing, of
Tennessee,
Mr. Johnson, of
Maryland,
Mr. Smith, of
California,
Mr. Saulsbury, of
Delaware,
Mr. Caldwell, of
Kentucky, and
Mr. Clark of
Missouri, announced the withdrawal of the whole, or of a part, of the delegations from their respective States.
Gen. Cushing resigned the chair of the
Convention, which was immediately taken by
Gov. David Tod, of
Ohio (a
Vice-President at
Charleston), amid enthusiastic cheers.
Gen. B. F. Butler, of
Massachusetts, announced the determination of a majority of the delegates from his State not to participate further in its deliberations.
He said:
We have not discussed the question, Mr. President, whether the action of the Convention, in excluding certain delegates, could be any reason for withdrawal.
We now put our withdrawal before you, upon the simple ground, among others, that there has been a withdrawal in part of a majority of the States, and further (and that, perhaps, more personal to myself), upon the ground that I will not sit in a Convention where the African slave-trade — which is piracy by the laws of my country — is approvingly advocated.
(Great sensation.)
The Convention now proceeded to vote for
President; and, on the first ballot,
Mr. Douglas had 173 1/2;
Guthrie 10,
Breckinridge 5, and there were 3 scattering.
On the next ballot,
Mr. Douglas had 181 1/2,
Breckinridge 7 1/2,
Guthrie 5 1/2; whereupon, on motion of
Mr. Sanford E. Church, of New York, the following resolution was adopted:
Resolved unanimously, That Stephen A. Douglas, of the State of Illinois, having now received two-thirds of all the votes given in this Convention, is hereby declared, in accordance with the rules governing this body, and in accordance with the uniform customs and rules of former Democratic National Conventions, the regular nominee of the Democratic party of the United States, for the office of President of the United States.
Hon. Benjamin Fitzpatrick, of
Alabama, was now nominated for
Vice-President, receiving 198 1/2 votes to 1 scattering.
[He declined, two days thereafter, and the National Committee substituted
Hon. Herschel V. Johnson, of
Georgia.]
Gov. Wickliffe, of
Louisiana, now offered the following resolve, as an addition to the platform adopted at
Charleston:
Resolved, That it is in accordance with the true 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 Legislatures 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 tile General Government.
Mr. Payne, of
Ohio, moved the previous question, and this was also adopted, with but two dissenting votes.
The Seceders' Convention, which met, first at
Richmond on the 11th of June, adjourned thence to
Baltimore, and finally met at the Maryland Institute on the 28th of June. Twenty-one States were fully or partially represented.
Hon. Caleb Cushing was chosen its
President.
Mr. Avery, of
North Carolina, submitted his
Charleston platform, which was unanimously adopted.
It was resolved that the next Democratic National Convention should be held at
Philadelphia.
