Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1860-08-18

zeal contest and was astonshed, as Wen as grail
fed at the patience and forbearence with which it
was euduUd 49,.
The crisis of the Convention came upon the intro
tuction of the reports Of the committee on plat
FORMS You have frequently seen these reports, and
i think il unnecessary to repeat their substance
The Cincinnati platform was adopted, with some adj
dtional resolutions which were contained in both
reports The Northern men did not ask us to sub
scribe to their opinion on popular sovereignty"
and they, did not wish to be bound by the anti
Democratic doctrine of Congressional Intervention
regret that direct vote was not taken on the So
called majority report as am well satisfied that
the Intervention doctrine would not then have been
/. sustained by the conservative South t&'-
l. Upon the adoption of the platform the seceders
left the Convention, saying in substance, that
honorable men they could not longer remain. How
was their honor affected? 1t was the old Democrat
c platform, and contained nothing which they had
| not recommended and often subscribed to- They
left because pldRks were not put in, squared and
shaped according to their particular views, without
/ reference to the opinions Of others. They were
largely in the minority, and even the gentlemen
/ from the Cotton States may sometimes be wrong.
! They certainly ought not to set themselves up as
the unfaiing and unerrng oracles OF the Democratic
party and turn deaf ear to every voice that comes
not from their own shrnes. If they desired to pre-
serve the unity of the party, it would at least have
been generous in them to have made some little con-
I cession to the opinions of their less enlightened
| brethren
Upon leaving the Convention the seceders formed
themselves into sectional party organization.
The little Yancey caucus was suddenly transformed
into the Constitutional States Rights party and a
ter n little "yamping up" by the seceders Conyen
| ton at Baltimore, and the South Carolina Conven
ton at Richmond, it has assumed the name Of the
National Democratic party. What
! Tall oaks from ite acorns grow"
! After the secederS left peace and harmony could
have been restored but for the tremendous sectional
outside pressure which surrounded the convention,
! and embarrassed its deliberations Virginia de-
I handed as a condition upon which she would re-
main in the convention that the "two-thrds rule :"
should be so construed to require candidate to
receive two thirds of the votes of the whole Eecto
raj College before he was declared the nominee Of
! the party This was torced construction Of that
/ rule,-contrary to justice and the usageS Of the
! party and yet Northern men voted for it. and sub
! United to it to restore harmony when they knew
that it would defeat their favorie candidate it re-
quired him to receive fourihs of all the votes cast
J This certainly was not uncompromsing devotion to
| one man. They would not entirely surrender their
principles, but willing TO give up their as
sacrifice to appease the fierce spirit of sectional
| ism.
have often heard it charged that the Douglas
men were determined to have him nominated at eve
! ry hazard. The charge is untrue I will speak
| first for myself was willing at any time to give
up Judge douglas Wnen stronger man was PRESENT.
| ed voted with my delegation for every man they
| wanted The South could not agree upon any can
didate. Judge Douglas received majority of fifty
over all the other candidates combined. Would it
have been just and right in his friends to withdraw
his name when he had majority Of the whole cleo
toral college, and there other man on whom
his opposers could agree? Virginia and Kentucky
both continued to vote for their favorite candidates
! during the whole ballotng-when neither received
half many votes as Judge Douglas and yet no
complaint is heard against them. have often
| heard it said that justice blind, and am sure
it is So If she has at any time presided over the
! bitter councils of sectionaisin.
! The Douglas men also charged with having
unfairly adopted rule to favor his nomination.
The rule allowed every delegate to vote as he pleas.
ed unless he was instructed by his State conven-
ton. The rule was adopted by large majority
and voted for by many rampant seceders 1t was
emnently just and proper. 1t prevented some anti
Douglas men from voting they wished. but it
also Stiaed the voice of many friends of Judge
Douglas in Southern delegations. He lost more
than he gained by the rule and yet it is attributed
to the unfair management of his friends. Well, !
politicians never look except upon their own side Of
a question.
was sorry to hear the bitter taunt so often cast
into the teeth of the Northern Democrats bv the
generous sons of the South 1--WE are the Demo !
cratic States, and ought, therefore, TO rule" When
was this principle ever adopted! In 1913 the North
candidate, and the South only fifty-fve. IN 1852 |
the North gave more votes for Gen. Pierce than the
South. Did the North ever in the time of Demo- |
cratic asceDdency deny TO North Carolina or any |
other Wing State equal rights in National Con- |
vention? The warm-bcarcd and genial South |
ought certainly to have been generous and mag
unanimous the bleak, cold North low have |
the Northern Democrats lost their power? Look
to their votes on the Wilmot PrOvso the Fugitive
slave law, the Kansas-Nebraska act and various |
other important questions when they stood side by
side with their Southern brethren. and yon will !
find the cause. They went down before Northern |
sectional storm. They were deprived of all places
of honor, profit and trust-they gave up every |
thing but honor to maintain their pghted faith to !
the South. To maintain holy and iRvioable the /
sacred covenant of nonintervention." they cheer
fully sacrificed themselves for an ultimate good |
They have fought the battle for rights, long and
well, and IN the very honr OF triumph the trophies
of victory sDatched from their grasp by some of
their companions in arms. If they had yielded up
the principle OF Intervention at the demand of
the seceders, they would have been dishonored |
men. Men of the South are you ready to break |
faith with the gallant of the North? They |
have been true to you IN every trialwill you dis
own them as your friends? If you yield now
to the power of sectonasm it is but natural that |
the North should De governed by the same influen- |
ces and both sections will become estranged and !
bitterly hostile, and then we will soon rush into the
madness Of fratenal strife Men Of North Carolina!
you willing to dissolve the Union of our fathers
in order that you may follow the Maynard fortunes
and destinies of the Cotton Statesg' The issue is
upon you, and you must decide now and forever.
After session of ten days. the Charleston Con-
venton was adjourned, on the motion of Virginia, |
to meet at Baltimore on the Sd Monday Of June : |
We all hoped that time would cool down our excited
feelings, and the "sobcr second thought would re-
store harmony to party Provision was made
to supply the udcance occasioned by secession that
We might have truly national convention We
agreed to meet a. Baltimore central city, with the
expectation that our deliberations would not be EN-.
barrassed by sectional outside pressure The sece-
ders convention adjourned to meet at Richmond on