Daily national Democrat., 1860-05-27
A Clear Minority.

The Express answers our assertion Of the
well known fact that majority of twenty
seven votes in the Charleston Convention
adopted the Douglas Platform, by the follow
ing sophistioal statement:
"The DKMocRAr says that the platform was
adopted 10y a majority of twenty-seven; we'll
suppose it was, there were at least twelve
delegates from New York. and six from ln-
diana, who were compelled to vote for 1t
pgainst their will Take these eighteen votes
from the number received for the platform.
and add them to those against it and the plat
form would have been defeated by majcri-
~ of nine
This piece of sophistry is answered by the
remarks we made ON this same subject few
days ago, and which we here quote and re-
peat:
The New York State Convention, having
large Douglas majority, ruled that the
delegation should vote as a unit at the
Charleston Convention, and then elected
t,ceuty-tro Douglas delegates and thirteen
anti Douglas delegates; clearly Indicating,
by the very fact of their giving the majori-
ty of the delegates to Judge Douglas, that
they intended the entire vote should be for
that statesman. The thirteen delegates were
given to the anti Douglas side of the house
merely for the purpose of concil.ation and
harmony, and to show that the Douglas ma
jority in the Conv ention regarded the Dick
inson Administration men rs fellow Demo
Gratis, and intended no prescription. Dckin-
son himself nad made a speech in the Con-
vention, recommending harmony and unity
OF action, and expressing determination to
abide hy the will ofthe majority, The action
| of the New York State Central Committee,
in ruling that the delegates should be elected
in general Convention instead of by districts.
was a Dickinson movement The Douglas
party ncquiesced. notwithstanding it was not
intended to favor them but they controlled
the Convention nevertheless, and the Dickin-
son men had no cause to complain. They
had marked out their own programme, and
settled the preiminaries. The State COnven-
ton intended that the State of New York
should go for Douglas in the Charleston Con-
vention, and so ordered the election of dele
gates that she could not go any other way
Had it been necessary to send an entire Doug.
las delegation. it would have been done. So
much for that.
Now. as to Indiana. The Express says that
six out her thirteen votes are against Judge
Douglas. Suppose they are The sense of
the State Convention was for Douglas, and
the delegates were the mere agents of the
Convention. They were positively instruc-
ted to go for Douglas, and that was sufficient |
1t would have made no difference if every
solitary man of them had been for Dickinson. !
They were bound to go for Douglas, no mat
ter what happened, and if they had refused
to accept their election under such condi-
lions men would have been chosen who
would carry out the will of the body ap-
pointing them. So much for Indiana Her
State Convention having positively pronounc. |
I'd for Douglas, her delegates had no right to
vote for any other man. If, then, the senti- |
nent Of the Democratic party of that State
was properly represented, what cause is there
or complaint None under heaven. But. |
here would have been good cause, had they |
the will of those who sent
hem,