Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1856-03-19
LETTER FROM HON. P. s. BROOKS ON THE GIN.
CINNATI CONVENTION.

UlNNhIl UUNJENl1UNs
My Dear Sir "In reply,to your letter have
to say that the opinions hitherto expressed by
me relative to the sending of delegates from
South Carolina TO the Convention of Democrats
at Cincinnati, are not only unchanged but have
been strengthened by repeated conferences with
leading Southern men, and confirmed by the two
last and glorious messages of :he President" IF
the entire South fails to endorse, sustain and
to demand the re-electionrof Gen. Pierce, it will
be guilty of suicidal ingratitude.
has been adduced in our State to its representa-
ton Mt Cincinnati il, that such Conventions are
unknown 10 the Constitution The very objec.
ton admits that there is no implied constitutional
prohibition OF nominating Conventions. A Con.
vention is but m arrangement of convenience,
where by suitable person is selected rs the
representative of certainyf political principles
which principles are not confined to any locality,
but permcate the entire confedsracy and for the
time obtain, or do not obtain in the admnstra.
ton of the government, in accordance with the
success of the candidate which the party repre-
sentng these principles may nominate In 4
country of the extent of ours, some arrange.
ment of the kind is unavoidble. If the people
refuse 10 nominate through. their delegates, the
nominations are not thereby prevented, but fall
into tho hands of and are dictated by n few
prominent and sometimes irresponsible indvid-
uals. Is this in conformity with the theory of re.
publicanisrn, or is it oigarchy? Formerly, NOM
nations for the Pre"idency were made by Con-
doned, because Of its curruptions. Which pan
think you, is most dangerous" to the interests
of the South?
FIa,fnro1 T,1loo. E., u fho
Constitution provides in ttat contingency that
the election shall be made be the House Of
Representatives. This provision was made for
the benefit of the smaller States, as in this elec-
tion the representation froni each State has but
one vote, and by which arrangement Florida,
with her single Representative, is invested with
as much political power ID New York, with
thirty-three Representatives. The time has
been when The South could have trusted the
lower House of Congress with its dearest rights,
but that time has passed away, and may God
deliver US from any President who is the choice
of the present House Talk to me about the
strength of the South, when the voting is by
States Why, by this rule. Delaware should be
counted Freesoil State, for her Representative
(she has but one) deliberately voted for Free
soil Speaker in the late election. There are six
teen hreling States and fifteen slave States.
California now votes with us, but Delaware is
against ns: so that Freesoilism has the strength
in the House even now, without putting into
play the mighty levers Of money and promises
of office. It is an ominouassfact that Maryland
cast one Know Nothing Ereesoil vote in the
election of Speaker, and that other Know Moth.
fest that Banks would be eAstsd without them,
| ~ tb.n NJ IA -sss--T fA<a~ns 4
With these facts in view, will our people
hazard an election by The House Of Representa-
tives? trust not. And yet this mode Of eec
ting President can be surely avoided only by
concentrating the united strength of the South
in the nominating Convention at Cincinnati.
There are, in reality, but two great parties to
the Presidential cOnles-the Democratic and
Black Republican-which are respectively the
types of the Constitution and of anarchy. Un-
der one or the other of these banners, every
man in the Union must rally. He may cali
himself by any name which peases his fancy;
| but he will BIZ Democrat or Black RepubIi-
can as he votes.
1t is fashionable in certain quarters in our
State to sneer ut Northern Democracy, and some
would have us believe that deverance and lib
erty are to be found in the Know Nothing or.
! 0nnIZatIOU, w ct, III lHC Id5L fOlc iOt SpCdhClt
the Know Nothing party dwinded down TO six
votes, and every one Of them a Freesoil vote.
Mr.. Aiken, the Democratic pro-slavery candidate
did mol receive the vote of single Northern
Know Nothing, and he did receive the votes Of
seventeen Northern Democrats and the cordial
support of Mr. Richardson, who could not at the
time vote himself az he had paired off with
Freesoer The circumstances an facts con-
| ;,b Mt al oP nLpr mi
silence the sweeping denuncialions which some
times are nsonsderately and ignoruntly made
against the entire Northern Democracy. The
Northern Democrats of The House have shown
that they care not where man is from, if his
principles be right, by giving to Mr.. Orr the
same vote exactly which they gave to Mr.. Rich
arison, of Illinois, And by voting for Mr. Aiken,
the largest slave-owner in the House, they have
virtually declared that slavery is not incOmpati-
Bile with their principles How will these men,
who have been true to US, stand before their own
constituents, if they are deserted and repudated
BY us, whose battle they have been fighting
With which party, the Democratic or the Black
Republican, shall our State affiliate? Whcih
will il aid and abet IF We cast away our vote
in the Presidential election, as did certain Know
Nothings from the South in the Speakers elec.
ton, will it not be to do precisely whnt they
have done, and that is indirectly 10 contribute 10
the powe: of Freesoilism, and aid in the election
of Black Republican!
Tie meeting Of the Convention at Cincinnati
is as CERTAIN Us any human event can be; and
the appearance, or non.appearance, OF delegates
from South Carolina, will in no wise affect the
occurrence of that event. In truth, what mat
ters it If ls arguments against, and objections to
the Convention are as plentiful "as blackber-
ries," when we remember it is the established
mode Of nominating candidate, and trust what
ever candidate is named, will receive the vote Of
every Democrat in every State in the Union.
Gen. Pierce, believe, is more acceptable to
our people, than any man now living. prefer
him 10 anybody. But what would it profit US or
him, if every man woman and child in our State
should nominate him if he be not the nominee
of the general Convention? South Carolina
will vote for any man who is nominated by the
Democratic party. care not who he may be,
Buchanan, Douglass, Dallas, Hunter, Pierce or
ANYBODY else she will vote for him, and just be-
cause anybody is better than Black Republi-
can. Every opponent to the Cincinnati Con.
yention that have met admits that the State
will vote for it's regular nominee, and in the
same breath insists. that it is degradation to
unite in the selection of the man, who is most
acceptable and just in his political sentiments to
our people. If there be degradation in the mat
Ter, il seems to me that it is when we vote for q
man who is not our choice, and accept the nomi.
nee Of Convention which We affect to despise
The line of argument adopted by the opponents
of the Cincinnati Convention, if applied TO orm-
inal judgments, would consign the accessory to
md po1