The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-05-25
vote, The party affirmed the Cincin>


it becomes the duty of every Democrat,
every man who expects to remain Demo.
crat, to acquiesce in the decision of the par
ty, and support its nomination when it shall
be made. In no other way can the party
be united or preserved. Can you preserve
the party by allowing minority to overrule
and dictate to the majorityf Is the party
to be preserved by abandoning the funda.
mental articles Of its creed, and adopting
Intervention in lieu of non-intervention
Shall the majority surrender to the minors
ty? Will that restore harmony? Will
that produce fraternity? Suppose that the
majority should surrender to you, the minor.
ity-should justify the seceders and boilers
will that reunite US? You tell US that if
we do this, you will grant no quarter on the
point in dispute. The test is to be kept up
by the minority against the majority; by
boilers against the regular organization; by
seceders against those whose political fidelity
would not permit them to bolt; and the
regular organization is required to surrender
at discretion to the seceders, with notice
served that no "quarter" is to be granted.
That is the Cancellation that is rendered
That is the olive branch that is extended to
us! You will permit US to vote for your
candidate, if we will only allow minority
to nominate him! You will permit US to
vote for candidate on a platform that the
minority dictates and the majority has re-
jected!
Suppose the minority should get their
platform and candidate, and they should go
before the country appealing to the Demo-
cratic masses to rally in their majesty around
the Democratic organization, and support
its nominations-a minority candidate forced
on the majority, asking our votes, with no.
tice,"i you vote for me l will grant no
quarter; will put you to the sword there
is not man of you that is fit to be chair
man of committee, or member of a Ca
binet, or collector of port, postmaster,
light house keeper ~ These are the terms
of Cancellation extended by minority to
the regular organization of the party. Grant
no quarters! Big talk for seceders, after
they have been overruled.
What man would desire your nomination
on such terms Who would be mean enough
to ask and expect the support of men that
he had marked as victims of vengeance so
soon as the knife was put in his hands by
them? Who would degrade himself so low
as to ask or accept votes on terms so disre.
putable?
On the contrary, sir, we, the Democratic
party, speaking through its regular organic
alton, and by authority of the party, say to
you, erring men as you are, that we will
grant quarter we submit to no test, and
make none; we are willing to fight the bat
tie now on the same principles and the same
terms that we have fought it on since 1949;
on the same platform, and with the same
fraternal feeling. II you differ from US, we
recognize your right to differ without i'm
pairing your political standing, so long as
you remain in the regular organization, and
support the nominees. l care not whether
you agree or differ with me on the points of
law that have divided US. If you should
happen to be right, and l wrong, it would
not prove that you were better Democrat
than but that you were better lawyer
than am, so far as that one branch of law
is concerned. / should not have much pride
of opinion on the point of law, but for the
fact that you have got into the habit of
calling me Judge" laughter i having,
among my youthful indiscretions, accepted
that Office and acquired the title; and do
claim that, with that title, have right to
think as l please on point of law until the
court decides that l am wrong.
Mr.. President, l owe an apology to the
Senate for OBTAINING them so long. pre-
sent my profound acknowledgements for the
courtesy and kindness that have been ex-
tended to me. | would not have claimed so
much of your time but for the fact that l
believe that the principle involved in this
discussion involves the fate of the American
Union. Whenever you incorporate inter-
vention by Congress in the Democratic
creed, as it has become the cardinal princi-
pie of the Republican creed, you will make
two sectional parties, hostile to each other,
divided by the line that separates the free
from the slaveholding states, and present
conflict that will be irrepressible. and will
never cease until tie one shall subdue the
other, or they shall agree to divide, in order
that they may live in peace. God grant
that there shall never be another sectional
party in the United States. Why cannot
We live together in peace on the terms that
have bound and held US together so long
Why cannot we agree on this great princi-
pie of non-interventiOn by the federal gov
eminent with the local and domestic affairs
of the territories, including slavery and all
other irritating questions, and leaving the
people to govern themselves, so far as the
constitution of the United States imposes
no limitation upon their authority.
Upon that principle there can be peace.
Upon that principle you can have slavery in
the South as long as you want it, and abol.
ish it whenever you are tired Oft. On that
principle we can have it or not, as our in.
terests, our prosperity, our own sense of
what is due to ourselves, shall prescribe. On
that principle, you on the Pacific coast can
shape your own Institutions so that they will
be adapted to your own people. On that
principle, there can be peace and harmony
and fraternity between the North and the
South, the East and the West, the Pacific
and the Atlantic. Why cannot we now
reafirm that principle as we did in 1852
Then, the Wing party adopted it as car
dinal article in their creed, and so did the
Democracy. Let your Wings, your Demo-
crats-all conservative men who will not be
abolitionized or Internationally under
the good old banner of non>intervention, so
that the constitution may be maintained in.
violate, and the Union last forever. Inter-
vention, North or South, means disunion !;
nOn.intervention PROMISES peace fraternitv