The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1860-05-17
NO. Xxx.
TERRITORIAL. Policy.
SPEECH OF HON. WM. VANDEVER
Y
~ THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

.4pr,i 27tt, l-6o
The House being IN the Committee It
the Whole on the state of the Cnion---
Mr.. NANDEVER said:
Mr. CHAIRMAN will endeavor I"
be as brief us circumstances will seem to
warrant in the few remarks | propose tn
submit on the present occasion. The
| President, ir his receut message to this
House, takes the opportunity to deploro
the cxistcrce of certain evils. With
partiaity towards the party which has
elevated him to the distinguished posi-.
tion he now occupies, partla!ity which
| shall not say is commendable in him,
but certainly excusablc, he entirely ex.
oncratcs that party from all responsible
ty for those evils. | propose to direct
attention particularly to that point, and
to ascertain. if may, by cursory re-
vcw Of this subject. where really the re.
sponsibiiity does rest.
In order to prosecute this inquiry it
will become necessary to examine the or.
ganiza,ion and purposes of the so called
Democratic party. The Democratic par.
ty Of to day predIctatcs its organization
upon platform. Tha, platform processes
to cmbody aud cnunciatc the fundameu-
tai articles of their political creed. Their
present platform is protcsscdly founded
upon the legislation Of 1884. 1t is
platform consisting o: certain essential
and certain non-csscntial propositions;
and in this discussion it becomes impor
tant +" inquire what are the essential and
what the non essential propositions, In
addressing myself to an inquiry of this
kind, | do not mean to offer simply tho
surin>"s Of my Imagination, nor yet the
conclusions Of my own judgment. will
take the cxpostons OF the Democratic
platform, as acknowledged by its leaders
and illustrated by its practice.
At this point, sir, l call attention to
the signiflcan: language employed BY
distinguished Senate mir. DouaLAs,l !
in the other end Of the Capitol, during
the last session. He said:
i do not expect any presidential cal.
dida'c to agree with me in uIl things. I
do not say that ] will not support =
man for President who goes for protect.
i've tariffs and specific duties. do NOS
say that | will not support a man VIII"
goes for Il bankrup. law do not say
that will not yoto for man who, in
my opinion, has Violated some cardinsl
principle Of the party. may be com.
! PEELED, as n choice Of evils, to support
such man"
Aud again, in the samo speech, tho
same distinguished Senator uses the tol.
loving language:
81 have shown you. sir that by the
kansa Nebraska net and the Cincinnati
I rI"t'btH IN n'n '"t' i'Cution "itH "t"sIsy
IN the Territories by Congress was de-
elarcdto be fundamental principle ofthe
party, and ow am ussailed because I
will not intervene in violation Of the
creed. No man denies that non.inttr.
no" IS Tie .Jardomf"tnl article Of ,hs
creed.' Conyressionai GioJe, second
Session, Thirty Ehh Co"yres', part 2,
page 1925.
To be sure there is retained in tho
platform Of the party the usual stcreo-
typed rcsolutonson internal improve.
n'ents, banks, tariffs. bankrupt laws, &c;
but all these are uouessentlals, and are
now professed by the party only in sub.
ordination to iutrrrention' with
slavery, which has become "Me funda.
m ;ntut article Of the crced" Not to rest
for proof Of this fact upon the language
of Mr. Douglas alone, let me, by way Of
illustration, refer to some circumstances
that occurred in this Hall before we E.
lected a Speaker, and when the House
was organized believe the largess
vote which any gentleman on the oppo.
sition side of the Chamber received was
given to a member not Of the Democrat.
ic party, but toa gentleman who never
had been member ofthat party and who
did not affiliate with it further than to
sympathize upon this doctrine OF non in
,cr:cn,ion. lie was the candidate Of
the American members on this floor
Gentlemen of the other side-Democrats
in \ bod y, almost without exception,
deliberately cast their votes for such \
candidate Mr. SMITH, of North Carroll.
ma or Speaker of this House, expressly
declaring at the time that they did not
vote for him as Democrat, but rs on old
line Whig.
Then, what do We have here? This
significant fact that the party which to
d9y claims to be the Democratic party.
par crceNcncc. Of the Government, has
ignored all of its old issues in reference
to the llvin: aud vital interests of tho
country, and has planted itself upon one
solitary plank has become a single idea
party ;has now but one plank in its plat
form. If the old Wing party has BE-.
come obsolete, then certainly the Deuc-
cratic party,a> 1t once existed, is no less
obsolete, except IN name.
The Convention now assembled in
Charleston, is about to perform the duty
of nominating another Democratic can
dldatc for the Presidency. and to lay
down another PLATFORM ask if sny
gentleman in this House suproses that.
in tramn. new platform for the party,
that convention viii do anything essen.
tialyto impair the significance and I'M.
!, port of the one adopted four years ago.
So far from receding from the position
they have already taken, the only ques-
tion in that Convention now seems to be,
whether the party shall not 90 one step
further than intervention with slav.
cry extension, and demand of Congress
legislation for its protection. It matter,
hut httia hat L,r H. l...j. l..