Pointe Coupee Democrat. [volume] (False River [i.e. New Roads], Parish of Pointe Coupee [La.]) 1858-1862, 1860-08-18
THE Den OCRAT
P. A. ROY, Editor,
To the People of the State Of louisiana

Ol4llie democratic par lciu
at Baton Rouge on the 9TH Of March
last, to represent the Democracy Of Lou
isiana in the National Convention at
Charleston, deem it duty they o We to
their Constituents, and to the people of
Louisiana, SO far as their interests may
be affected by the action Of said Nation
al Convention, to give clear and ex-
plicit statement of the reasons which led
to the formation of the Convention which
adopted a constitutional platform, and
nominated John G. Breckenridge for
President, and Joseph Lane for Vice
President of the United States. The
Convention of the 5th March, unanimous
ly adopted the following declaration of
principles, viz:
" Resolred, That the Territories of the
United States belong to the several
States as their common property, and
not to the individual citizens thereof +:
that the Federal Constitution recognizes
property i'll slaves, and, as such, the
owner thereof is entitled to carry his
slaves into any Territory in the United
States, to hold them there as property,
and in case the people of the Territories,
by inaction, or otherwise, should endan,
ger the tenure of such property, or dis
criminate against it by withholding that
protection given to other species of pro
perty in the Territories, it is the duty OF
the General Government to interpose,
by the active exertion Of its constitu-
tional power, to secure the right Of the
slavehoIder."
This declaration being clear and un.
ambiguous statement Of the equal and
constitutional rights of all the States,
especially securing the rights of the
people of Louisiana upon the on' y really
important question in the present politi-
cal contest, your delegates regarded it
in the light of positive instructions. and
felt bonnd to insist upon recognition
of those principles before going into a
nomination, of candidates.
In obedience to this high behest, the
delegation from Louisiana proceeded to
Charleston, and in injunction with the
fifteen Southern and two Pacific States,
with large minorities from some of the
Northern States, they urged upon the
Convention the adoption of platform
upon which all the States could stand
with honor and safety, but were over
ruled by Fictitious numericle majority
exclusively from States lfopelessly Abo-
l:tionized, from which there was not the
remotest hope of receiving. an electoral
vote for the Democratic nominees Under
these circumstances, your delegates con-
sidered that the interests of their con.
stituents, and their personal honor, re-
quired them to withdraw from the DELHI
erations of said Convention, and to refer
their action back to the power that had
created them.
The State Convention of the Demo-
cratic party of Louisiana was according
y re-assemblcd at Baton Rouge on the
4th of June last, and the action of the
delegates approved with almost entire
unanimity.
The Convention, however, upon as
surances of highly satisfactory char
acter, and with the hope that a returning
sense of justice would induce the major
ity to reconsider their action at Charles
ton, instructed your delegates to pro-
ceed to the adjourned Convention at
Baltimore to await its action, before
taking those steps to vindicate the honor
and integrity Of the party, which might
he forced upon them as last resort, but
which was likely to result in it's partial
How these reasonable hopes were dis
sipated, those assurances falsifed, and
this forbearance disregarded by the
Convention, has become recorded histo-
~, and is patent to the world.
The Convention at Charleston COM
pelled us tosretire from its deliberations
solely on the ground of it's refusal. to
recognize the equality of the rights of
the States in the common Territories,
but the adjourned Convention at Balti-
more added to this wrong the injustice
of refusing admission to the represen-
tatives Of the protesting States, against
the clearest and most un9uestionable
principles of right and Democratic
usage.
The fragrant injustice done to Louisi-
ana by refusing her regular delegates,
and admitting those appointed by the
motley assernblage at Donaldsonville,
composed of the debris of all parties,
and representing only fraction of the
State, needs no comment ut our hands.
After this reputation of principles,
so vital to the interests Of the South,
and these acts Of injustice had been
finally consummated, delegates from a
majority of the States, and the President
of the Convention, Hon. Caleb Cushing
were forced, from sense Of honor and
of justice, to withdraw from its delibe-
rati0ns.
This resulted in the spontaneous as.
semblage Of the delegates from all the
Southern and the only Democratic States