The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-05-26
PROCEEDINGS
nruoOsArrC NATIONAL CONVENTION.

DYuOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION.
Osn0nuassea OF Third Days ProcsediDgs.
fKeported expressly for the Un,on by Dr. Houston ste
noRrapher to the United States SenateD
BALTIMORE, MAY "a. 1s4s.
MORNING SESSION
Mr.. SMITH lin behalf of the Utica deegates) con-
tnued his remarks giving relation of The circumstances
out OF which the difficulties in New York had arisen
and also accounting for the origin of the term " barn
burner" The State. of New York was laboring under
the disadvantages OF heavy debt in consequence OF
which It's credit had been impaired that the stock
deprecated to 22 per cent below par bill pro-
he to the S nd h u
sage and called upon the radicals to aid their effort
But The radicals determined that the State credit
should be maintained and for this they were called in
cendiaries; and one humorous gentleman said they
like the farmer, who. to get rid of few rats burned
down his barn The radicals" did " burn the barn.
the appellaton Of barnburners." He could not say
how the term "hunker' originated, but i was SO
posed because ii characteristic Of who wished
10 get all they COULD and keep all they got. thus
it would be understood by the convention that the
burners the radicals" The barnburners' had
nothing to do with any acobnism or disturbance Of
the public peace but for the last ten years had fought
against patronage, corruption and place The delegates
sent from the radical democracy OF New York had pre-
scented themselves the door of the National Conven-
which they considered degrading and declined submit
ting The gentleman upon the other side, in present
ing argument to show the propeiy of requiring such
Congress, and had said that member could take his
seat except with that test upon his lips Was that
fair comparison No. member of Congress
servant and simply required to take oath 10 fulfil
his duty the servant of the people whom he represent
ed Were the Utica delegates servants' Certainly not
They came there claiming be the equals OF every other
set Of delegates, and entitled to the rights and prv
leges The gentleman had also alluded TO the test APP
piled 10 candidate for admission to church membership
This also he deemed an unfair comparison He had been
crat n fat nd lions n
TO protest against any and every species OF tyranny
the mind Of man. and under that oath he had refused
submit to the test presented him on yesterday.
He proceeded with some remarks upon the merits OF
the case After giving statement of the manner of APP
pointing the local committees of the democratic organiza
ton in New York, he said that the State committee was
appointed every two years. the convention which nom
mated the candidate for governor AT the very top of
thus organization and over and above all, they had
legislative caucus as Its component part On the final
adjournment of each legislature the custom of its
democratic members assemble in caucus and address
their constituents upon political subjects, and recommend
conventon to nominate candidates for the Offices be
filled by election. This custom had prevailed for twenty
one years; and the legislative caucus had during all that
time, invariably recommended the holding OF the State
convention. 1t invariable usage of the party
The convention at Syracuse itself convened by legs
lave CAUCUS and under that convention that the
verted to the state of the party in New York
at the period when the Syracuse convention
sembled There were then two divisions of the
were suspected OF hostility to that lanented man. In
the convention of 1916, when Silas Wright was nomi-
mated for governor, test question was made, and he
was chosen by 1l2 votes out OF 1873 In the convention
OF ls47. called for the purpose of nominating judicial
olhcers under the new constitution, which had made
those officers elective by the people they had another
the radicals opposed, on the ground that it would
have given the victory to the wings, and have placed all
the judicial Offices of the State in the hands of that party
Here again were the conservatives defeated and if it had
not been for the death of Silas Wright Conservatism
stricken sa to the ground would again have
Af;s1 the aea'h q Mr. Wright the he men who had
active efforts to pack" the State convention Yet after
all. they were unable to obtain majority They sat in
convention four days. and it was at IL O'Clock Satur
day night that the address and resolutions pre-
sented and passed upon under the previous ques
ton, at o'clock on Sabbath morning Even then,
quorum did not vote He stated that the purpose and
object of the convention not represented in the call
to be change OF party organizations and OF course what
its action, it had binding force upon the people
No notice whatever was given to the people Of the pro-
posed change in the State organization He challenged
member of the Hunker delegation to show single
statement in the public papers in which the least hint
sprung upon the radicals without notice and was not
even contemplated by the conservatives themselves until
after the meeting OF the convention He held that no
deegative convention had right to bind party which
had elected them to anything specified in the call as
subject OF considerations otherwise the action of
yenon was arbitrary. and everything but democratic
But not only the action in question irregular; it
highly lnexpedent at time when faction rife,
and the energies of every democrat required to be
exercised against the common foe The action of the
conservatives fraud and because fraud was not
OF the usages OF the democratic party, they were not
bound by anything which it accomplished. He denied
that the proceedings of the Herkmer convention were to
be charged upon the Utica delegates present That
convention never pretended to be regular The
legislature that called the Syracuse convention held
adjourned session in the fall, and at that time called
new caucus, for the purpose of uniting the party
under the old organization. AT this caucus, fifty
two out OF twenty-four members were present; and
although two of the conservatives objected To
the convention called by that caucus because the time
for which called after the Legislature calling
it should have expired, the great majority of the conser
vaves put their objection upon the ground that the day
named for the convention was too early to enable the
people to determine whom it proper to nominate for
the presidency. They all recognised the power Of the
caucus to call the convention and therefore bound
by it. They had no right to go into the caucus, run
feaed 1t had been said, for the purpose of preudicing
the South against the Utica delegates that they were sent
by the Utica and Herkmer conventions The Utica del
egates dlsclalmed the Herkimer convenon-they had
nothing to do with it, having withdrawn from it after the
second legislative caucus was held He read an article
from the Albany Argus-the organ of the hunkers-de-
nounclng the 'Herklmer lmposure," but commenting
the movement OF the legislative caucus; TINS eynress
recognising the regularity OF that caucus The hunker
for the purpose of calling another State enon at an
earlier day than that already decided upon by the
caucus thus recognising the jurisdiction of that caucus
while they contended that that had not such
power and jurisdiction. That the title of the Utica
delegates coming down from the time honored usages of
the party under the sanction of the legislative caucus
An appeal had been made by their opponents the SYM