The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1860-08-29


ID Convention.
Y. CONVENTION AT THE MARYLAND rNsr1Tyr,
j. 1861 votes were cast for President
: which must be added = vote ffom M;nnes,
~ 8 vote from Delaware, and votes from Soy
~ Carolina, who took no part in the nom;no ~;
~ of Mr.. Douglas, and who before e;tbsr r.
% yention adjourned endorsed the action IF =
u MARYLAND Institute Convention. MAKING :, !.
- III votes.
This number has been since laroelv !;
creased by the endorsement Of delegates of,
: the adjournment of the Conventions who ~
n no part in the proceedings of either. or VIII nj,
u having taken part in the Douglas Convent;o
have since repudiated its action.
E Thus neither Convention has presented
candidate nominated by two-thirls of ~
i, votes of the electoral colleges. Which tber,
4 fore is entitled to the support of the Dem,
F. cracy, as the embodiment of its princinIe
i, and as endorsed by the weight and ipfIuenC
! of the party
The committee to whom we have referra
! charge that we are the dsunion party an
therefore are not entitled TO supnort :
Let us consider the platforms of the two Con
yentions and make some inquiries into the on
tecedents of its candidates and supporters.
PLATFORMS OF THE TWO CONVENTIONS IN RE
GARD TO SLAVERY.
The platform of the Maryland Inst;tpt
Convention, endorsed at Charleston bv sevnn
teen sovereign States, is as follows
"Flrd That the Government of Territor,
organized by an act of Congress is provisional
and temporary and during its existence al
citizens of the United States have an coma
right to settle with their property in the Ter
ritory without their rights, either of person O,
property, being destroyed or impaired by Con.
gressional or Territorial Legislation.
Seooad That it is the duty of the Fedora
Government, in all its departments, to protect
when necessary, the rights of persons and
property in the Territories, and wherever else
| its Constitutional authority extends.
Third. That when the settlers in a Terri
tory, having an adequate population. form a
State Constitution, the right of sovereignty
commences and being consummated by adj.
mission into the Union they stand on an canal
footing with the people Of other States and
the State thus organized ought to be admit
ted into the Federal Union, whether its Con-
stitution prohibits or recognizes the institution
of slavery
That of the Front Street Theatre Conven-
ton, is as follows:
"ReSOlced, That we, the Democracy of the
Union in Convention assembled. hereby de-
clare our affirmation of the resolutions mani
mously adopted and declared as platform Of
principles by the Democratic Convention at
Cincinnati, in the year 1856, believing that
Democratic principles are Interchangeable in
their nature when applied to the same subject
matter.
Resolvet That it is in accordance with the
true Interpretation Of the Cincinnati Platform
that during the existence of Territorial Gov
erhments' the measure OF restriction, what
ever it may be, imposed by the Federal Con-
stitution on the powers of Territorial Iegis-
lature over the subject of domestic relations,
as the same has been or shall hereafter be
finally determined by the Supreme Court of
the Z nted States, should be respected by all .
good citizens, and enforced With promptness
and fidelity by every branch of the Federal
referring to our platform, the Douglas
Committee say that nothing could be more
vague and unsatisfactory then these resolu-
tons they deal in 'truisms' of the tamest
significance, or rather, as the controversy
then stood, of no significance at all" Itmay
be well to pause here and point attention to
the fact that this Douglas Committee shrink
rom the task of taking issue with these reso-
utlons, and that they thus virtually admit
hat they contain no doctrine to condemn
Let the Douglas speakers in the North who
nave been ringing the charge of slave" slave
ode" take notice of the virtual admission of
heir Executive Committee that the resoIu- |
ions contain no such doctrine.
The committee were wise in not attacking |
platform which defies assault
OF THE PLATFORM OF THE NATION |
AL DEMOCRACY.
The first resolution emphatically declares |
hat 'the government ola Territory organized |
" an act of Congress is provisional and tenn |
,orary," thereby rebutting the conclusions
hat such Territory can frame any perma-
tent institutions whatever, or can establish,
Turing its territorial existence, any flnda-
mental law whatever. 1t is an inchoate and |
imperfect government, Instituted for brief
creature of Congress. This reso-
ution in connection with the third resolution
which declares that when the settlers in
Territory, having an adequate population,
1rm State constitution, the right of sover-
eighty commences /; and being consummated
y admission into the Union, they stand on
n equal footing with the people of other
states and the State thus organized ought to
e admitted into the Federal Union, whether
S constitution prohibits or recognizes the
Institution of slavery" is entirely consistent
nth the Kansas n ebraska act. That the
oyernment of a Territory is provisional and
,mporary, that it is the creature Of Congress,
ne history Of the Territories conclusvely
STATISTICS. Congress has always either re-
srved the veto power over the acts of Ter
torial Legislature, or conferred it upon the
Governor of the Territory, appointed by and
nth the advice and consent of the Senate
But, as in the Cincinnati platform, the third
solution emphatically declares that when
nc people come to form their permanent in
when they come to lay down their
fundamental law, which shall govern not
My the people, but their legislative bodies
nd their judicial tribunal, then they are to |
acide for themselves whether slavery shall .
an institution or not amongst them. Is the !
'cond resolution inconsistent with the first |
nd third 1t is these words: that otis the ,
lty OF the Federal Government in all its /
apartments, to protect when necessary, the {
gifts of persons and property in the Terrific I
es, and wherever else its constitutional au- |
orlty extends" Why is government insti- I
tied at all? Is it to raise armies Is it to
cate navies Is it to establish a postal /
stem Is tito collect revenue? Is it to build t
magnificent capitol, adorned with works
art and extensive and beautifully arranged 4
ounds, and imposing edifices of granite and t
arble Is it instituted to raise 100000 |
y in order to expend ito bring annually
gether, at the national capitol, Senators and r
and then to send them home
establish courts and build prisons? !
. I; nothing Of the kind. Such are not the :
]ects OF government; but they are the in =
OF government. These are purely !.
appliances, by means of which govern !,
ent accomplishes its purpose. The object r
government is to protect persons and pro- g
rty, and nothing else. Thus we see, in :, !.
Ter to accomplish what seems to be sim {,
and plain purpose, resort is had to the Il
gest and most complicated means, in order :. :,
effect 1t with certainty and success :.
rous countries have differed, about their :.
m OF government; but with all these diff e.
ences, the purpose has been ever the same II
the protection ofpersons and property. >
The second resolution stands infexibly up
this proposition. Our Government has
ne much, from our earliest history, to pro- r
It the lives and the property of its citizens h.
its public domain. Where are our armies ~
It To protect our Territories. For r
at To protect persons and property, Ia
nothing else. The citizens of our Terri a.
les who have been environed by Indian h.
J, and have fought their way through r,
Ian wars, realize the Importance of this ~
lection. Why was our Navy sent to Pa n
uay Hwas on account of citizens OF one "a
he free States--a citizen of Rhode Island I'll
vas case ofoffense to property and the mr.
Wy was sent there in order that our gov "a
ment might do its duty in protecting that II
perty. A Government is derelict to the e.
y purpose ofits institution; it is derelict to m
obligations to the individual citizen, Tilt N
or hesitates in acting promptly to protect A.
property as well as the person OF that 81,
zen. e.
These resolutions, taken together, do not :, -
sblish slavery in the Territories or recog- A.
, the principles of the establishment Of ~
fery but they declare that the rights OF =, ~
perty OF the citizens Of the several States a.
Il be protected by the Federal arm. They r.
lare, in substance, that if citizen Of q ~ ~
lthern State shall 60 to our common Ter ~ ~