Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1856-10-09


ters, salaried clerks, packed delegates, straw
delegates, political eunuchs, members o.
Congress, district attorneys, Federal mar
shals. 81 The place in which they met, and
which had been provided by apacked Ad
ministraton Committee, was worthy ofthe
meeting. 1t wat a sort Of den, approach
ed by long, narrow passage, barricaded
by three doors, each door guarded by arm
ed bullies, with orders to knock down any
person that approached without ticket
from the Committee, and special ordel
to be prepared with arms to repulse the
Missouri delegation which came to vote fol
Buchanan repulse which they attemp-
ted, and got themselves knocked down and
trampled under foot. This den had nc
windows by which people could look in Oh
see, or the light of the sun enter-only 8
row of glass like steamboat skylight
thirty-five feet above the floor. 1t wa:
the nearest representation of the "blacE
hole" in Calcutta, and like that hole had
well nigh become notorious for similar
catastrophe The littlepanes ofglass above
were hung on pivots, and turned fiat to lei
in air. A rain came on-drove into the
den-and to exclude it the panes were
turned up. Smothering! Smothering was
the cry in the den; and the glass had to be
turned up again. Over this place was 8
small box for the admission of spectators
its approach barricaded and guarded, and
entrance only obtained upon tickets from
the same packed Committee; and to whom
they gave. tickets was seen when the first
votes were given for Buchanah-and when
each State that voted for him was hissed
even Virginia! and the kissing only stop.
ped by threat to clear the galleries. =
Such is the pass to which the nomination
of President.is now brought. But this is
a view of only one side of the Convention
the Administration side of it. There
was another side-a mgority-on the
contemplation of which it was pleasant to
dwell; substantial men, real delegates, fresh
from the people, and anxious to do theiI
will, and the best for the country. They
were the majority, but paralyzed by the
two-thirds r1ll, and cheated and out-ma-
neuvered in the preliminary steps on which
the insult may often be made to depend,
by the old intriguers who had everything
''cut and dry" for the occasion-Commit-
tees packed, officers fixed, rules prepared.
platforms dfawnu Itwas not until it
came to the dead vote that they stood for
anything. Then they gave their votes for
Buchanan; but the minority held a veto
upon that nomination in the notification
two-thirds rule, which was invented to en-
able the minority to govern the majority
and that game, so successfully played be
fore, was intended to be, played again.
That was the inside of the Convention
the outside presented different spectacle,
and one to gladden. the patriotic heart
Tens upon tens of thousands of the yee-
manry of the country (Kentucky, Ohio
Indiana, and other States) were there
farmers, mechanics, merchants, profession
al men patriotic in their spirit, intent upor
the public good-and came to prevent pack
ed delegates from betraying the people
Fifteen hundred, as they told me, came
from one district in Ohio TO attend one Of
these scrapes, smuggled in by the admins
tratian officials; and they did govern him
made him toe the mark, and vote the
will of the district; and so of many others
Seventy thousand was the estimate of the
number of those patriotic citizens; theil
weight of character was still greater thar
their numbers. They were for peace
peace at home and abroad-and for Bu-
chanan,N as the best choice for saving this
peace. They expected the nomination to
have been made on the second day; it was
delayed until the fifth, by the management
of: the minority, who had the working Of
the machinery, and shaved off the business;
but the farmers would not be tired OUT
They would not quit the ground, expensive
as it was to remain at, their own cost, and
to the neglect Of their private business
while officeholders were all on public pay,
and neglecting, not their own, but the pub
lie business. From the first, Buchanan
had the majority on each ballot, ballot,
fourteen times successfully. An adjourn
ment was had, and the utmost anxiety pre-
vailsd on the subject of what the night
might bring forth. The most sinister
rumors prevailed; it was clear that the old
game was tobe played majority baf-
fled, worried, tired out; and then some pet
held in reserve by the old intriguers, sud
denly produced as the compromise candi
date. The majority in the Convention,
and still more, the many ten thousands OF
good citizens on the outside of it, We're de-
termined that that game should not be
played and the resolution was taken to
defeat it by decided step. yaItwas resolv-
ed that if the minority persevered in this
game the next day, a resolution should be
offered declaring that, Mr.. Buchanan hav-
ing received the majority Of the votes, was
only nominated according to the democrat
ic principle that the majority was to gov
ern; and to proclaim him accordingly
This was the determination and the ballot
ing opened on Friday morning in way To
bring that determination to test, Mr.
Pierce was withdrawn, and his vote Of six
ty, which would have nominated Mr.. Bu-
chanan, was given, not to the majority, but
to the minority. 1t was evident then that
the old game was 10 be played 'out-that
Pierce and Douglas were in concert, and
that the majority were to be defeated
The excitement becomes immense. Sew
eral ballotings were had, when the inside
commotion and the outside pressurebecame
irresistible. Douglas was withdrawn. as
Pierce had been, and Buchanan was norm
mated in hurrah. 1t was complete take
in to the office-holders Especially those
from Missouri0 who intended, if they could
not kill off Buchanan, to elect him-to vote
for him at least, when voting against hin