Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-07-13
ese ca.es and Of .he motive. there is NO room

in these cases. and of the motive, there is no room
for doubt.
The regular delegations from Texas Mississippi
Arkansas and Georgia declined to accept seats UNI
der such circumstances. No delegations from Flo
rida and South Carolina had applied for admission.
The pretended delegates from Alabama, Louisiana,
Arkansas Massachusetts, and Missouri entered the
convention. The constitution of that body was tho
roughly vitated by repeated violations Of the right
full principle of popular representation. Its power
was absolutely sectionalized The leaders Of the
sectional wing, now possessing irresistible as
cendancy had demonstrated their infiexible purpose
to rule and ruin the party by appealing to SEN
tinent unfriendly to the South, and BY abusing
power most wrongfuly obtained.
Unless we chose to be dragged along by a sec
tional Convention, we were obliged TO retire. I'm
lees we would lend the countenanee of Virginia to
the most shameless violations of right, we were
obliged to retire. If we would save our personal
honor and the honor of our State, we were Obliged
to retire. If we would remain true National States
Rights Democrats we we're obliged to retire. The
path of duty was plain. We walked in it reluctant
w, but with clear and firm consciousness OF right
We left the conventions
1t was not the purpose of most of US to JOIN the
Richmond Convention We soon found ourselves
surrounded by nearly all the delegates from the
Democratic States Of the Union, North and South,
and by many from other States. By prompt and en-
ergetic action it appeared possible to continue the
existence of the National Democratic party. That
| duty we undertook in conjunction with others The
results are already known to you. 1t remains now
with the people to preserve National State Rights
party liberated from unconstitutional and lnsldlous
sectonalism, and purified from many corruptions
Those who remained in the Northern Sectional
Convention made nominations of candidates for the
Office OF President and Vice President, The former
is reported to have received only 1914 votes-less
than two thirds of full Convention. If we deduct
votes improperly introduced and others improperly
! counted we shall find that he received less thar
half the votes of the Representatives of the Democ
racy This fact is mentioned to satisfy every one
| that we could not have been Actuated in our con
! duct by mere hostility to that candidate. 1t wa
manifest from the beginning that, without retract
ing his unconstitutional heresy, he could never bC
nominated IN the convention according to the estab
lIshed usage of the party. More recently it he;
been equally manifest that the conduct of himself
and his partisans had rendered such nomination
absolutely and Internationally impossible. ohav'
resorted 20 violent measures merely to compass hi:
defeat would have been both needless and factiOus
Fellow-citIzens, recount these events witt
painful emotions Our consolation is, that we hav
done our duty according to the best dictates of Ou
consciences and our judgments; that, at least, vi
have preserved the honor of Virginia unsued, ant
her rights unimpaired; that we have stood frml!
against all sectonalism either hand that We hav
i secured for you an opportunity of preserving
sound National State Rights Democratic party; an
that Virginia has not, through our action, swerve
from the consistent support of the rights of tn
| States the Constitution and the Union