Benjamnin F. Butler, Butler's Book: Autobiography and Personal Reminiscences of Major-General Benjamin Butler

The platform of the Breckenridge convention upon the subject of slavery was this: Slavery lawfully exists in a Territory the moment a slave owner enters it with his slaves. The United States is bound to maintain his right to hold slaves in a Territory, but when the people of the Territory frame a State Constitution they are to decide whether to enter the Union as a slave or as a free State. If as a slave State, they are to be admitted without question, but if as a free State the slave owners are to retire or emancipate their slaves.

It is but just to say that we knew the defeat of Breckenridge was inevitable, because of the rupture of the Democratic party, caused by the friends of Douglas. We supposed that the Republican party would come into power under the lead of Seward, and that the majority of the Senate and the Supreme Court would still be Democratic, and probably a majority of the House also. This was the actual result of the election, though resignation of their seats by secession members of Congress wiped out that majority. We thought that the scramble for office in the Republican party would disunite it, and that it would go to pieces within six months. We foresaw that at the very next election of members of Congress after the inauguration of the President, the people would elect a House in opposition to the administration, as had uniformly been the case. That also became a fact. Mr. Lincoln would have been beaten in his first House of Representatives by nearly a two thirds majority, if one third of his opponents had not left their seats vacant.

In regard to Douglas, we were certain that his personal aspirations, forcing him into a contest which had disrupted the Democratic party, would shelve him forever as a Democratic politician, almost as effectually as if he had been buried physically instead of politically. We further arranged to have our organization extend to 1864, and then to sustain our young leader, Breckenridge, for the presidential nomination of that year, when there would be a certainty of success.

There was only one reason why I did not share fully in these expectations, and that was because I believed that secession was certain and war would inevitably follow. But I was willing to make one more attempt, at whatever of personal sacrifice, to prevent a final destruction of .the Democratic party, and the consequent disunion of the nation.