Gazette and sentinel., 1860-08-25

AAANhF -
ter of such vital importance and to me it
matters very little whether Mr.. Douglas re-
ceiyed at Baltimore one-thlrd or twO-thirds Of
the votes of a Convention packed by unfair
management to force him as the candidate
upon AN unwilling people. His friends claim
that they have the party organization. The
PhilistInes once carried off the ark Of God,
but it did not make them Gods people. They
were glad to send it back again, for they
found that Dagon, their little Giant. could not
prosper in It's company.
Party organizations are made 10 secure
great principles; and when the substance is
sacrificed for considerations Of a time-servlng
policy, or to suit the selfish aspirations of am
bilious men, why should we longer yenerate
the mere empty name? | am, however, very
far from cOnceding the regularity OF the nomi-
nation of Mr.. Douglas or of the proceedings
of the Convention which placed his name
before the country. | utterly deny that they
are binding upon the conscience or party
fealtv of any Democratic voter. The unjust
rule which gave him the solid or unit vote of
delegations in which he had merely Il majority
and the individual votes of his friends in the
delegations in which they We're in the minority,
was no trifing outrage. The rejection Of the
regularly chosen delegates from this and other
States, and the filling of their places by the
admission Of others irregularly sent, was alone
enough to demonstrate the reckless and revo-
l~utionary designs of the men who came to
Baltimore resolved to rule or ruin. and to
force upon the South a candidate and a plat
form in opposition to her interests and her
wishes. But we might waive even these OBJ
~iections if we could trust the preservation of
our Constitutional rights in the hands Of a
man who declares that sit matters not what
way the Supreme Court may hereafter decide
as to the abstract question, whether slavery
nav or may not 90 into a territory under the
Constitution, the people have thelawful means
To introduce it or exclude it as they please, for
| the reason that slavery cannot exist a day or
an hour anywhere, unless it is supported by
local police regulations.
These police regulations can only be established
| bv local legislation and if the people are OPP
posed 70 slavery, they will elect Representatives
to that body who will, by unfriendly leglsla-
| ton, effectually prevent the introduction OF
| Il into their midst. If, on the contrary, they
are for it, their legislation will favor its ex-
tension. Hence, no matter what the decision
of the Supreme Court may be on that abstract
question, still the right of the people to make
a slave territory or a free territory l. perfect
and complete under the Nebraska bill. !
hope Mr.. Lincoln deems my answer s~atisfac'
tory on that point
l. TO Submit to this doctrine would be bac
enough. To assist in carrying it into practice
by sustaining II candidate for the Presidency
committed TO those views Is what ] could mo-
or would not do, if he came before Us with
far better endorsement than the bogus enc Mr.
Douglas has.
There is another point connected with tn
proceedings of the Douglas Convention, in
: - :.
volying a matter of principle, to which IN
vite Sour earnest attention. When the dee
gates met at Charleston, it was claimed on tn,
part of the Southern members, that inasmucl
rs an Interpretation had been given in som
quarters to the Cincinnati platform, i%nconsis
tent with its true meaning and inconsisten
with the equality of the States. it should be :
explained us to put all possibility of a doubl
construction out of the question. This reason
able request was refused. and upon that poin
mainly the secession of the Southern member
at Charleston took place. i maintain that tn
withdrawal Of the delegates was justified b
the course which a majority Of the COnventio
4 pursued and l desire to'call your attention I
n most convincing admission on the part {
the Douglas delegates of the correctness of ths
position. After the nomination of the Doug
las ticket had been announced, a gentlema
from this State offered the following resolr
ton. which he promised would secure III
nominees a majority of 10000 in Louisiana
The resolution was adopted, and it is in thes
words:
.sResoLred. That it is in accordance with ii
e Cincinnati platform, that during the existenC
of Territorial Governments the measure
restrictions, whatever it may be, imposed /
: the Federal Constitution on the power of L
: Territorial Legislature, over the subject of Il
domestic relations, as the same has been
: shall hereafter be finally determined by Il
Supreme Court of the United States, should
responded to by all good citizens, and enforce
2 with promptness and fidelity by every branC
of the General Government"
Now, let me ask, why was it thought nece
' sary to add this additional plank to the pla
4 form in order to carry the State of Louisian
There is but one answer which can be give
1t was because the gentleman who offered Il
$ resolution, and the Convention, very We
r knew that the people of this State would n
be contented with a platform susceptible of
construction at variance with the opinion
# the Supreme Court.
In the passage of this resolution we have
# implied concession that the Cincinnati pls
A form might be construed TO conflict with tn
q opinion. 1t is a concession that the platfor
e was not sufficiently explicit and required c
PLANTATION, and that the delegates who orig
a nally demanded that explanation, were just
able in that position.
n Now, remember that at Charleston the
same Douglas delegates had obstinately p'
sisted in maintaining that the Cincinnati PHI
form needed no qualification or addition
order to reconcile it with the decision ma
after its adoption, and that it contained all I
at declaration Of principles required by theprese
IA condition of the country-that they wor
ne listen to no proposition of compromised
N they demanded that platform, nothing me
ID and nothing less, and finally drove the Sou
" ern delegates from the Convention by a he'
- strong persistence in their course, and II
II. bo,- chair oonduot CONSISTS with tho re