Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1860-03-10
Letter from Gen. Bonham,
WASHINGTON CITY, Feb. 24, 1S

prevented my answering sooner your letter
asking my views as to tho Charleston Conven
ton This must now be an answer to yours
and to others making similar inquiries on the
same subject:
1T Is known to my constituents that | fa-
Eor, whilst | do not urge, the State being
represented in the Charleston Convention =
The system docs uot command my approba.
tion as mocie of selecting candidate If it
were new question [ should not advocate its
inauguration. The congressional caucus sys
tom would at this day be better as the nom-
nation would be nude alone by the rcprcsen-
tativcS of democratic constituencies. The
fact that the democratic candidate (Mr Doug
las not excepted, should he Be nominatedl
Will, i'll the next election, probably not re-
ccvc one of the nincty.onc votes to be cas-, in
the Electoral Colleges by New England, New
York, Michigan, Iowa, aud Wisconsin, makes
it still moro Objectionable even with the lone
settled two thirds rule us part Of its organ-
zation.
Thinking we may still participate in their
IiDeratlons, recent political cvcn5s make it, for
various reasons, a matter of vast CONSEQUENCE
that the State should be correctly represented
i'll the Charleston Convention
Extraordinary efforts ale now being made
to secure the nomination of Judge Douglas to
the high Office of President. And whilst there
Is no little of brag in the announcements made
by partisan presses of his strength before that
body, | believe it is admitted that by aid of
the votes lie viii be able to get from the black
republican States above mentioned, and 9TH
ers, Which will probably 90 against the demo
cratic party III the election itself, he will 60
into the Convention with larger vote than
any other candidate
But let us analyzc this vote The one
hendrcd aud twenty Southern votes and the
seven votes Of the Pacific slope Judge Douolas
cannot obtain, III the first instance, before the
Convention so that if he gets the entire re-
manning Northern vote (Which is very impro-
ablc) he will enter the Convention with Que
hundred and scvcnty-siX votes. Nincty-one
of these, as before stated, neither he nor any
other democrat will probably get in the Ecc-
toral Colleges. The remaining eightv.fve
votes arc frorn the doubtful States of New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois,
and Minnesota, one. half of which, at least
will support the republican candidate for Pres
| dcnt, and the other half would as soon, per.
haps sooner, vote fora sound Southern demo
crat than for Judge Douglas HIMSELF so that
the probable available vote with which judge
Douglas will enter the Convention will not
exceed torty-two. Laying aside the right OF
the South to have the candidate the three last
candidates of the party having been from the
North, with what propricty can it be asked
that the South shall accept Judge Douglus as
her candidate, when that South will have tc
furnish tInce-tOurtls of the votes in the Eltc-
toral Colleges which are to secure his election
II availability be The rule, Judge Douglas
should not be the candidate.
This contest should be waged squarcly upon
the constitutional rights of the South-.no
compromise of principle with friend or foe
If principle is to rule in the selection of a
candidate, he can with no propricty be thrust
upon she South.
1t is an insalt to the South to ask her ia
vote for him, for it implies that she will sell
her principles for false triumpff, OF yield
them through fear of her enemies. 1t is of.
fcring to force om her the humiIiating altcrna.
tive of accepting Judge Douglas on a Black
| Republican. He has said he will be the can
didate of The Democratic party on the Cincin-
Dati platform, and not otherwisc His con
! structon of chat platform is, that it recognizes
! his doctrine Of Squattcr or popular sovereignty,
| by which the South would he most eitectually
and forever deprived of any share in the com.
! mon Territories of the United States II the
South accepts him as her candidate for Presi-
! dent undsr such circumstances she unducs.
| tlonably endorses sqaattcr sovereignty. The
distinguished Senator from I9lianH, Mr.
Fitch, in his speech of the ID inst in the
Senate, presented this matte" il it. true light
IF the South nominate the Senator aliu-
ded to Mr.. Douglas. wish his present views,
| the entire North will deem the act an cxpres.
sion of Willingness upon their part that his
| vicws shall become the future settled policy OF
the Government; the united North will act
upon that policy, carry it out to the full, and
no aid must be expected by the South from
any portion of the North in any effort they
may thereafter make to prevent the progress
of that policy to the end. When by such act
it establishes his policy, the South, and the
Senator from Illinois, Mr. Douglas, will
havedonasporc to accomplish thegRvorito and
| ayowed scheme Of the Republican party than
any effort of that party cottld hare fone-the
scheme of surrounding The Southern States
with free territory, and 'tarving out their in
stitution for under that policy, organize a
Terrltory whore you may, whether it be in
Dakota of the North, or Arizona of the South.
the bold, adventurous non-slavcholtiine from
tiersmen OF the West, whose movablcs include
no luxurics, whose necessarics are readily sup.
! piled by the axe and the rife, will GO into the
Territory, possess themselves of its legislature,
and exclude Southern property, while the
owners Of that property are packing up their
household. goods aud preparing their chat. Is
for removal"