Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1860-07-20

that he defed any man to tell what was the
meaning Of the platform adopted by tho Do-
gus convention at Baltimore. Those sece-
ders who said then that they could not re-
main in the convention at Charleston, were
the very men who went to Baltimore three
weeks later and thrust their company upon
that convention against its will. The Vir-
ginia delegation proposed to alter the old
rule that the nominee should have two thirds
of the vote given, and instead of thrusting
our candidate (said the speaker) upon the
State of Alabama and other States, instead
of taking any unfair advantage Of them, we
so far altered the rules of the convention as
to require that the nominee should receive
two-thirds of the whole electoral vote, or
four ffths of the votes remaining IN the con-
vention The convention ballotted ffty-sev-
en- times, and it was demonstrated beyond
all question that Stephen A. Douglas was
the choice of az overwhelming majority
[Great cheering.]
The Senator continued to give narrative
of the doings of the convention, calling Ca
leb Gushing supple tool of the seceders,
and dwelling upon the paucity of delegates
who organized what they called National
Democratic Convention. When Mr.. Brock
inridge made his speech, accepting the NOM
ination of these seceders, he allowed himself
to fall into an extraordinary mistake when
he said that the convention that assembled
at the Maryland Institute was composed of
the National Democracy of the land Why
the States of Maine, New Hampshire, YER
mont Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jer-
sey, Delaware, South Carolina, Ohio, Indi-
ana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa
had not single delegate present. What a
glorious National Democracy wonld that be
without these States Pennsylvania cast
only six votes, out of the twenty seven, for
Breckenridge; Minnesota one-half vote,
and Kentucky (Mr Breckinridge's own
State) cast only five votes, out of twelve e.
lectoral votes He (the speaker) would
speak of Massachusetts, not, however, re-
preachfully of the thousands who had always
fought..for the Democratic faith, but of those
ready gentlemen, always waiting to take all
the federal offices that can be bestowed, and
always DESTROYS of keeping the Democratic
party of Massachusetts conveniently small
SO as to further Their own ends-such as Ca
leb Clearinghouse benjamin E. Hal
lett, Butler, the collector of Boston, Whit
ney, and divers other gentlemen. ca voice,
"Judas Iscariots''- an emphasis on
the L. He (tbe speaker) was struck with
the fact that those men were the watchful
walters on the present administration.
They were curious characters-revoltcd
abolitionists of the olden time; men who,
like Caleb Gushing, denounced the admis-
sion of Arkansas into the Union as slave
holding State, worshippers of the Wilmot
proyiso, revilers of the fugitive slave act,
upholders of the Kansas and Nebraska bill,
| live oak contractors, consumers OF Post-of-
| fee blanks; loungers about navy yards,
leeches sucking the federal treasury at both
ends, walters on office, and cxpectants Of
the shoes of dead men. [Great laughter
and cheers When they 60 out from us,
having never been of us, having stayed with
us for the spoils Of office, we remove from
our conscience the reproach which has borne
US down for so many years. The Democ-
racy of the North can now look up conf
dent not only in the honesty of its princi
pies, but in the honesty of its representa-
tives and they call upon the American
people to make good by their verdict in
November the eternal principles of truth
and justice taught by Jefferson and jack
son. / respond to tae sentiment of my
friend from Baltimore. | want nou-inter-
vention on the subject ofslavery in the Ter
ritories I want an end to this question. 1t
has vexed this country for forty five years J;
it has been the skeleton of our households
threatening FROM hour to hour the frustra-
ton of our dearest hopes and the hopes Of
our children: 1t has been settled and &C.
mented by the blood of statesmen, of heroes
and martyrs-it has been settled upon the
broad ground Of all free governments-the
right of the people (subject to the para
mount law--the constitution of the U. S. }
to regulate their domestic Institutions as
they please. If the question could not
stand upon that foundation, it could never
stand, and our government itself would be
failure, our free institutions would have
to be abandoned ;and the hope which caused
their hearts to beat proudly and joyfully
would be forever quenched. He believed
in the capacity of the people for free gov
eminent, whether the people reside in the
State of New York or in the most remote
section of the West, and asked, in the
language of Jefferson, if the wisdom of the
people could not be relied upon, where
could they get better class to teach them
unless God sent angels from heaven te
guide them?
What the bred Scott Case DeCi-
d1ds
Hon. Reverdy johnson. having argued
this case twice as the friend of the South.
ought certainly to be competent to state what
was decided by the Supreme court. He
says emphatically that the question of popu-
lar sovereignty in the Territories was not
before the court-the single enquiry being
''has Congress the power to prohibit slave
ry in Territory p
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