The Van Buren press., 1860-06-15
Letter of Gov. Brown of Georgia.
MILLEDGEvILLE, May Il. 1860

which did not feel at liberty to disregard,
have prevented my earlier reply.
You refer t. The discord which prevailed
in the Democratic convention which lately
assembled in Charleston, and say that you
care filled with painful forcbodings at the
prospect of the Democratic party being
slaughtered in the house of its friends. -
Should such be the case, do not hesitate
to express the belief that the personal
ambition Of few leaders, and their indi-
vidual animosiy toward cGch other, will
havc done IN hos ITO prodaccs that unhappy
result than all other causes together
Notwithstanding the diversity of opin-
ion which exists between the two great Sec
tions OF our country upon the slavery qucs-
tion, the masses Of the Democratic party.
North and South, uncontrolled by ambitious
leaders, are, in my opinion. ready to unite
and stand together upon a>common plat
form which will do equal justice to each sec
ton, and protect the rights Of all When
the time honored flag of the party is in dan
ger OF being swept from the masthead Of
the old Democratic ship, the patriotic mas
ses of the party, North and South, who
have stood shoulder to shoulder in so many
hotly contested battles-sympath:sed with
each other in defeat, and rejoiced together in
the hour of triumph-will rally to the res
cue, and, as it falls, gather up its dropping
folds, replace it in its position, and again
unfurl it to the breeze in proud defiance Of
its enemies.
1t may be said that the conduct Of those
who assembled at Charleston was not such
as to justify this prediction. Should the
same delegates from the Northern and South
ern States re-,ssemble in Baltimore, after Il
month of cool reflection and consultation
with tie people, they might have less diff
Guilty than they had at Charleston, in agree
ing upon platform. l haze no word OF
rebuke for the southern delegates who either
seeded from, or remained in ths conven-
ton. Doubtless they were alike actuated
by patriotic motives. If those who re-
manned i'll the convention were in error, the
error was par,lonable, as they doubtless be-
lieved they were sacrificing no one of the
principlc heretofore maintained by the par
ty, while they were influenced by an ardent
desire to preserve, ii possible, its integrity
and its harmony. If the seccders erred,
they erred upon the side of the South, and
as southern rights man, i am prepared to
pardon the error, as l entertain no doubt
that the course pursued by the seeding del
egatcs, will have the final effect of securing
to us sounder platform and safer nom-
nee than we otherwise world have obtained.
AS all are advised, the difficulty grew out
of the refusal of the majority of the con
vention to adopt the resolution proposed by
the majority report of the committee on res
olutions, which was intended to affirm the
doctrine of Congressional protection to
slavery in the Territories /; though it is a
little remarkable that neither slaves nor
slave property, are mentioned in that reso
luton, only as they may be embraced in
the general term property.
AS an original, abstract question, | en-
tcrtain no doubt that the people Of the
South have the same right to demand of
Congress, should it become necessary, the
enactment of laws for the protection of
slave property in the Territories, which the
people of the North have to demand pro-
lection for any other species Of property
Whether this right can be of any practi-
cal advantage or utility to the South, SO
long as we remain in the Union, is quite
another question. Those who deny all
righ:, and refuse all legislation for the pur-
pose Of maintaining it, have a ma ajority in
the House o. Representatives,, and are like
ly to increase that majority in future
When the issue shall be made, it is not
probable that the northern Representatives
will either conccde the right, or agree to the
enactments necessary to give it practical eff
ficicncy. Is it wise, therefore for the South
to make the issue till case arises where
the legislation is necessary to the protec-
ton OF property which is being destroyed.
or its usefulness impaired for want of this
legislation The case may never arise.
No Territory may enact laws which will
render legislation by Congress absolutely
necessary for the protection of slave prop
ertv in the Territories. For the present we
might say, g Sufficient unto the day is the
evil thereof" Should the emergency at
any time be precipitated upon us, it will
then be time enough to meet it. with the
united demand of the entire South and
to follow the demand by its legitimate con-
sequence and only remedy-secession from
the Union, in case it is refused.
l understand the doctrine of the national
Democratic party, in the last Presidential
election, and the doctrine Of the Democrat
ic party, in the last Presidential election,
and the doctrine of the Democratic party
of Georgia, in every convention and can
yass for number of years past, to have
been Intervention by Congress. 1t
will not, suppose. be denied that the res
olution committing the party to Congress
sianal protection is a new plank proposed
to be inserted in the platform which has not
heretofore composed any part OF it. The
question of the expcdiency Of incorporat
ing this resolution in the platform, at pres
ent is one upon which good and wise men
in the South may honestly differ.
1t has been said that the platform upon
which we fought the battle in 1856, and up
on which we triumphed over the Black Re-
publicans, is susceptible of two construc-
tions, and that a portion Of the northern
wing of the party contend that, according
to the doctrines of the platform, terrific
rial Legislature may pass laws abolishing
slavery in the Territories, or may enact such
unfricndly legislation as will destroy or i'm
pair its usefulness while the democracy at
the South deny that the platform contains
such doctrines. will not deny that this
diversity OF opinion may exist, and, on
on this account, that it may be necessary to
give such explanation to the platform as
may render its true exposition less cquivo.
cal AS understand the decision Of the
Supreme Court, in the Dred Scott case.
which has been pronounced since the Gin
cinnati convention. it settles this question.