The Van Buren press., 1860-05-18
Preamble and Resolutions
Offhe Democrats of Benton Countu

whether moral or political, to !
respect and be governed by the long cstab-
lished usages and precedents of the Demo |
cratic Party, and especially to respect and
obey the wishes and will of the majority,
obtained and clearly expressed by
the people in their sovereign capacity And
Whereas, The said Convention did reject
Mr.. L. e. Peek, the lawful representative of
the delegates appointed by County Mass
Convention, called and assembled in that
way and manner in which our county con-
vcntions have been held from time imme-
moral, and always, heretofore, pronounced
and accepted as constitrs sisaally dcn,ocratic
IN which convention wcio7rnct s majority Of
the actual voters of Benton County, who.
then and there appointed their delegates,
viz Messrs. Douglas, Doak and Quarlcs,
with their proxy, Mr.. Thos c. Peek, and
instructed them to cast the vote of Benton
county, by ma o.ity of from five to six
hundred !: And Whereas, Said State Con-
ventlon did receive II. Harston, who has
never heretofore acted in concert with the
Democratic party, and who until recently
never claimed to be a Democrat, and who
was the representative of convention in
which only thirty six persons were present,
not more than ten of whom took any part
in the proceedings, as heretofore shown by
the published affidavits of Messrs. McHat-
ton and Mckisick; and in receiving said
Harston, the representative of a mere hand
ful of dlsatfected individuals, who had Just
taken part in the Mass Convention, but who
bolted when defeated in an unwarrantsbe
and ungentlemanly attempt to dcfraud the
people out of their rights-said Convention
with proper evidence and light before them,
have disregarded the expressed will Of a ma
jority of the Democracy of this County,
and ruthlessly violated and trampled under
foot the most sacred usagcs of the party,
and our established rights as component
ms smbers Of that party : Therefore be it
fResol0ed, 1st, That we, the Democracy
II Benton County, regard the action of the
late Convention at Little Rock as violating
the long established usages of pure Democ-
racy, nanifestly unjust. oppressive and
subversive Of the cardinal principles of a
Democratic Republic, viz: that the major
ity should rule
I'd. That weAereby endorse and reafiirm
the action of our County Mass Convention
held on the 18th of February last, as regu-
lar and democratic, having been called by
a public advertisement, which call was
was signed by eighty democratic citizens
from various portions of the County, and
printed handbills calling the people to meet
in Convention, were posted in every town
ship in the County for one month previous.
That our Convention was orderly in all its
proceedings, attended by no unusual excite
ment except that which grew out of the
course of w. j. Howard, and few Of the
friends of A. NJ. Wilson, who, in accord
ance with a preconcerted plan, attempted to
organize the convention at the usual hour
of ten and a half o'clock A. NJ, and force
upon the convention a chairman who was
not acceptable to the people, without even
putting the question to vote, ard before it
was possible for fifty men to get into the
house after the call was made to convene
3D.. That the representations made in the
late State Convention by the halt-breed del-
egate from Washington County, +. &. Bou-
dinot, an unnaturalize1 alien, in relation to
our county convention That it was held
over a whisky barrel, and the vote taken
amid the din of tin cups and cans, de-" is
notoriously false as to fact, manifestly ma
licious in intent, and he thereby demonstra-
ted to the world, as he had previously done
to us, his unworthiness to receive the most
COuliilOu IcSpcCL anu SCuuuSutC Vi
men and gentlemen.
4th. That in view of the outrage perpc-
trated by the late State Convention upon
the principles, usages and most sacred doc
trines of the Democratic Party, by disre-
garding the will and wishes of large ma
jority of the party, and its positive viola
ton of Our guaranteed rights we recon-
mend to the Congressional Conventions
which meet respectively at Arkadel phia and
Dover, On the second Monday of May next
to such action and adopt such measures as
will preserve our Democratic altar invioiate
and protec: the sovereignty, Of the people
tbepalladium of our country's liberties.
( 5th. That Richard IL. Johnson, who has
long been the head and front of that dy-
nastic, proscriptive power which has crush
ed our rights and disregarded the voice of
the people, simply because it stood in the
way of his personal advancement, is not
our choice for Governor and that in view
of the unfair and uni just means by which
his nomination was secured, we do not con-
slider ourselves under any party or other OBJ
| legations to vote for him or in any wise TO
sustain him.
9th That we believe the exigencies OF the
lluch, uli IHC VI eiAC pCOpiO 30 AiSOuiOu
imperiously demand that either another Con-
vention should be held, or that some one
should take the field in opposition to Mr..
j Johnson and if such candidate comes for
ward, pledged. if elected, to administer the
Government upon pure Democratic Princi-
Piles, we hereby pledge ourselves 10 give
him our earnest and most active support.
7th. That we will not support any one
for office who in any way endorses, ap-
proves. or supports the action of the late
State Convention assembled at Little Rock
in regulating the action of the Benton
| County Mass Meeting Of the 18th February
and receiving the delegate of pitiful littl.
clique ; thereby setting at naught the dem.
| ocratic doctrine that " the majority should
rule," while they put in practice the aris.
tocratic principle of Federalism, that g the
few should rule the many" And we here.
by enter Aur solemn protest against such
tyranny.
Stb That the foregoing Preamble and
Resolutions, with the names affixed, shal
be forwarded to the Old Line and Tru.
Democrats fer publication. and the paper,
throughout the State are hereby requestet
to copy.
(Signcd by S21 voters of Benton Col
| BESToN County, April %, 1860.
~ The lash that man docs not obiee
to having laid on his shoulder-.he eye
lash OF pretty girl.