The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-05-25


cisely what the Douglas delegates demanded.
The demand thus placed in the form of resolu
tions, was assented to by the Buchanan inter.
est, and endorsed by the whole convention.
These resolutions endorse Douglas as the first
choice of the Minnesota Democracy for the
Charleston nomination, without equivOcation
or qualification. If any enemy of Douglas
whether federal or Black Republican-can'ex
tract any consolation out of that resolution. or
any other adopted by the State Convention, he
is most heartily welcome to its enjoyment. He
ls equally welcome to any comfort he car: de.
rive from any anticipated action of the dele
gates chosen. Every man of them is not only
bound by the action of the convention. but by
the most solemn and unequivOcal pledges pub.
llcly and privately given, to sustain Douglas
with all his heart and strength. And there is
not man of them who has the disposition to
violate such pledges, or who dared violate
them if he had the mind.
We contend that Messrs. BECKER, FR1D-
LEY and EDGERToN, in accepting the posi-
ton of delegates, publicly pledged them
selves to adhere to DOUGLAS "as the first
choice of the Democracy of Minnesota" $50
long as it may prove available to him." 10
private, and to secure their election, they
gave solemn assurances to delegates that
they were for DouGLAs-that instructions
were unnecessary, and that no delegate from
Minnesota, would dare to run counter to
the unmistakable sentiment of the people of
the State. How have they KEEP. their prom
ises? AS a matter Of fact, they have not
given one vote for DOUGLAS, where it was a
positive benefit, but on every vital question,
where their votes would operate against the
DOUGLAS wing Of the Convention, they were
cast in accordance with the wishes of Sill
DELL and BRIGHT. They had not the man.
illness or courage, to openly oppose DOUGLAS
from the first, but reserved their display OF
treachery until the very moment when it
would do the greatest amount of damage to
the candidate they were pledged to support.
Look at their record in the Convention as
they present it:
Upon BIGLER's motion to recommit the
platform to the committee on resolutions,
in order that slave code might be en-
grated upon it, and further time given to
SIIDELL and BRIGHT to buy up the weak
and corrupt, the vote stood 152 ayes to ISL
nays. This was the first test question be-
tween the DOUGLAS men and the anti
DOUGLAS men in the convention, and was
decided in favor of the latter by one vote
from Minnesota-that cast by t'R1DLEY and
EDGERToN.
The delegates from Minnesota voted as a
unit for Judge DOUGLAS until the ninth
ballot. Upon that ballot the full vote of
Minnesota would have given him majority
of the electoral college, be having had from
the first majority of the electoral vote
represented in the convention. But upon
this decisive ballot, the most important yet
cast, FR1DLEY and EDGERToN, at the instance
of BECKER, changed their votes, after Mey
had been cast, to ANDREW JOHNSON, of
Tenn. DOUGLAS did not obtain majority
until the twenty-third ballot, when por~
ton of the Virginia, Tennessee, and North
Carolina delegates voted for him. If it had
been two-third, instead of majority vote
impending, the action would have been the
same. They were bought to betray DoUG-
LAS at the critical moment when their vote
would enable them to do it with the great>
est certainty.
The convention adopted, preliminary to
balloting, rule that on the ballot for Pres.
ident and Vice President, no person should
be declared nominated who did not receive
two>thirds of the votes given. CUSHING,
the President, who outraged ever rule of
parliamentary law when it was necessary to
defeat the DOUGLAS men, decided that under
this rule. no person could be nominated who
failed to receive two-thirds of the vote Civ.
en- in full convention, thus permitting Sc.
ceding delegates to control the action of the
convention. This most outrageous decision
was appealed from, and BECKER, FR1DLEY
and EDGERroN voted to sustain it.
On the proposition to adjourn to Balti-
more-to neutral ground, and to permit the
the people of the South to send new dele
gates in place of the seceders-Mr. BECKER
voted against the adjournment, and the
proposition to fill the places of YANcEY &
Co. by patriotic Union loving Democrats.
The statement" of the three delegates
convicts them of betraying and misrepre-
seDtiDg their constituents, and in the most
shameless and treacherous manner. They
never intended, if their votes could prevent
it, that DOUGLAS should be nominated. The
few votes they cast for him, were merely
thrown as a cloak to cover their contempla~
ted treason. What was the price paid them
we know not, but no man in the State will
doubt they were we'll paid. For months
past, it has been notorious at Washington,
that DOUGLAS delegates could obtain almost
any Executive favor, on condition that they
would abandon him add join in the admistra>
ton warfare. 1t is stated that twelve
DOUGLAS delegates from New England were
bought up in this manner, headed by WHIT.
NEY, the present collector at Boston. The
Washington Star and Constitution gave out