Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1858-09-17


tory of that Convention will show, for five
long days, with bitterness and luminosity
such as political conventions can scarcely ri
val. But he was the only man to rescue the
Democratic party from defeat. lie was the
only man to prevent the election Of a Rcpub-
lican, and the only man who could carry
Pennsylvania for upon the contest Of that
State did the entire tide Of battle turn. From
your own State similar disposition was man
Tested in certain quarters. In this quarter,
now, where this disease of Lccomptonism ra-
ges the most Violently. and where the aiIec
ton for the Administration is INDUCED the
most ardcntly. Mr. Buchanan received moth
ing but GOODNESS and contempt. But we nom
mated him and returned to Pennsylvania, for
the first time joyous in having achieved our
long-cherished wish And when we returned
there, we came with full and confident hope
that there would be an end to the difficulty
in elocting a man whose nature was believed
TO be so conservative, whose character was
believed to be so prudent, and whose entire
record had been national and constitutional.
At that time believe the Republicans them
selves abandoned the campaign. They look
ed upon his nomination as their death blow.
They looked around in vain for candidate
ming out this detail to a greater length bro't
on a series of excitemcnts such as we have
never witnessed in our country. and by the
middle of August 1856, the campaign was
more then doubtful. Why did it become
doubtful; Because the public opinion of the
North had been stirred to its deepest depths
by the excuses Of the pro-slavery minority,
backed by Federal Power, in the Territory of
t,t H. L..
was not the Ostend Conference was not
the Pacific Railroad it was nothing but the
single issue--Shall the people of Kansas be
permitted to act their own way; Shall
they vote upon their domestic institutions, not
slavery alone, but upon all the institutions,
unmocsted by the bayonets of the Admins
tration on the one hand, and the onslaughts
Of bands of foreign maraudcrs on the other.
No man felt more deeply in reference to Kan
sas than did Mr.. Buchanan. No man talked
more freely about it, In his letter of accep-
lance of the nomination and in the speech he
delivered to the Committee upon it in his par
lor at Lancaster, Cat which | happened to be
present. he laid stress upon the great princi-
pie that the will of the majority should
prevail. Why. he said to me a thousand
times. THE South must vote for me- and the
"North must be secured and the only way
"to secure the North is to convince those gen
"tlemen that when | get in the Presidential
"chair | will do right with the people in Kan
"sas. | am now &C years of age / have
reached that time Of life when | cannot have
"any ambition for a reelection, and if have.
"the only way to secure it is to be strong
with my own people at home. watched
this struggle from my retirement in London
al have seen what | conceive to be the mis-
takes of others. | am not responsible for
1.-THE administration of President Pierce -
therefore, | will inaugurate new system
81 will show to these gentlemen that Penn
"sylvania President will stand firm to the
pledges of Pennsylvania gentleman and a
"Ponnsy lvania Democrat" Now, fellow-ci cit
liens, in that letter of acceptance, if you will
refer to tit is not necessary for me to pro-
duce it here--you will find that he stated dis
tinctly that the people of the Territory o.
Kansas should be protected in the sacred
rights of suffrage, unawed by any influence
whatever, and that the will of the majority
should prevail.
We went into the canvas. 1t fell to my
lot to be at the head of the State Democratic
Committee of Pennsylvania. All my aztec
tions we're in that State all the emotions o
my nature, physical and mental, were enlist
ed on the SIDE of the candidate she had pre-
sented. His whole career, his character, m,
personal attachment and the sincere devotion
felt for him, his family, his cause, and al
about him, made me so anxious for him t.
succeed, that indulge in no win expression 0
speech when | say to you that | would hay
forfeited my life for him. My devotion 70
, him knew no bounds. Day, night, night ant
q day, toiled in that campaign. And thert
are those here to-day from my own State VIII,
will bear witness to the fact when | say tina
all my own resources, all my fortune, my ev
cry exertion, every aid that could be enlisted
was enlisted to produce the final result. Ant
t above all others was the great principle o
, popular sovereignty. Applause That wa
: the standard which marshaled the way
That was the shibboleth-that was the wa
cry. From Lake Erie to the Delaware Rive
= from Pittsburg to Philadelphia-in ever,
t village and town in the State-everywher
| that | could induce a pen to write, or
= tongue to speak, that was the theme upoi
which those pens wrote and those tongue
spoke Why, gentlemen, Mr.. Buchanan hal
{ no confidence or reserve upon this subject
@ He was public, he was open, he was unreserv
@ ed in his declarations to everybody. He sen
to the traduced John Hickman, in an adjoin
| ing county. He told him, through hi
c friends and agents "You, Mr.. Hickman, oc
+ cupy peculiar relation; you voted for tn
C Topeka Constitution; you denounced tn
G ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS bill you were opposed t.
the repeal Of the Missouri Compromise line
a the Democratic party of your District hav
@ nominated you; the Republicans like you :
they believe in you. Now, | want you t,
take the stump and go before your people
: and pledge me, James Buchanan, that inten,
standing by, and if necessary dying by thi
, principle of Popular Sovereignty" For my
self, if could descend to the baseness of re
publishing private letters, | might fill a vol
ume with similar pledges from similar author
, ity. Why, gentlemen, when the distinguish
! ed Secretary of State, Mr.. Cobb, who from
! having been a super6ne Union man, has beer
I converted into fire eater, equal to Mr.. Chau
{ bert himself-when Mr.. Cobb came int
\ Pennsylvania, and traversed our State fron
end to end, and from county to county, talk
q. ing to delighted audiences all the time, wha
a was the burden of his theme; Why-Pop
+ ular Sovereignty. | would take the Arm
= and the Navy, would use every power c
t the Federal Government, would surround tn
N Territory, but what the people of Kansa
N.l.a 1 Al. II