East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1860-08-02

ee State. each of them being at liberty
10 concur o~ to dissent. But Alabama
dld not pause here; she instructed her
deligates to present those resolutions to
the convention ut Charleston, and, in case
the opinion @erein expressed was not
adopted by thate>nvention, her delegates
were Immediately tovithdraw. And, as
if conscious of the antasonistic attitude
assumed by such instructions toward the
democratic party at large, theNontgom
cry convention appointed a con-nittee
upon whom should deyolvc the duty, as
soon as the Alabama delegates had with
drawn from the convention at Charles
ton, Of calling State convention to de-
eide upon ulterior measures. We desire
to speak with en.irc respect of the State
OF Alabama; and, without questioning her
right at any time to adopt such rcsolu-
tions as to her seemed best, we are con-
strained to say that the attitude which
she thus assumed, with regard to the
democracy Of other States, was viola
tion of the usages and principles upon
which only national organization OF
our democratic party can be maintained.
If each Of the States had followed her
examplc-and each of them was the peer
of Alabama-the national convention
could not have proceeded one step; there
would have been no room for counsel, for
interchange of opinion or sentiment, for
conciliation, harmony, and united action.
After the Charleston convention had
prescribed the rules Of its proceedings
and verified the credentials Of all it's dele
gates in the usual method, it appointed a
committee OF one from each State to re-
fort platform of principles. That COM
mittee, after long and tedious sessions,
made three reports; one by the members
Of seventeen States, one by the members
of fifteen States, and one by Mr.. Butler
from Massachusetts,. The first (majority)
report was in substantial accordance with
the instructions of Alabama to her dele
gates the second consisted Of an addition
to the Cincinnati platform, declaring
that the democratic party would abide
by whatever descions had been or might
thereafter be made by the Supreme Court
of the United States; the third was the
Cincinnati platform without any impor-
tant addition. After full and earnest
debate, it became evident that the con-
vention was not satisfied with any of
these reports; and accordingly motion
was made and carried to recommit all of
them-Alabama, as well as the rest of
the States which afterwards seeded from
the convention, voting for the recommit-
ment.
On the same day (April 2S) the COM
mittec again reported, and again the re-
ports were three in number; the third,
by Mr.. Butler, of Massachusetts,, being
the same which he had previously sub
mitted. The second report of the ma
jority consisted of these three resolutions:
"First--That the government of Territory or
ganized by act of Congress is provisional and
temporary and during its existence all citizens the
United States have equal right to settle with their
property in the Territory, without their rights, ch
of person property, being destroyed or impaired
either by Congressional Territorial legislate
'Second-1hat it is the duty of the Federal gov
ernmcnt in all its departments, to protect when ne
ccssary the rights Of persons and property in the
Territories, and wherever else its constitutional au
thority extends.
'Thrd-Tbat when the settlers in Territ ory,
having adequate population, form State consti
tuition, the right ofsovereignty commences, and, be-
ing consumated by admission into the tnon, they
stand equal footing with the people of otherStates
and the States thus organized ought to be admitted
into the Federal Union whether its constitution pro-
hibits recognizes the institution of slavery"
Nothing could be more vague and un-
satisfactory than thes resolutions; they
deal in "truisms" of the tamest signifi-
cancc, or rather, as the controversy then
stood, of no significance at all. 1t twould
have been sufficient reason for their re-
lection (if no other resolutions had ever
been presented) that these magnifed a
thousandfold the alleged faults of the
Cincinnati platform.
The second report from the minority
Of the committee, presented by MIR. Sam
uel, of Iowa, consisted Of tho Cincinnati
platform with this addition:
"Inasmuch as differences Of opinion exist in tho
democratic purty to the nature and extent of the
powers and duties Of Territorial Legislature, and as
to the powers and duties of Congress- under the
sitution of the United States the institution Of
slavery within the Territories"
"Rcsoired, That the dem ocratc party will abdo
by the decision Of the Supreme Court of the United
States on these questions Of constitutional law"
No further amendments or resolutions
being admissible by parliamentary rule,
the convention proceeded to vote; first
rejecting the report Of Mr.. Butler, and
then substituting the report of Mr.. Sam
uel for that of the majority. The ques-
tion recurring upon the adoption of Mr..
Samucl's resolution delegate from
North Carolina (Mr. Brown) obtained
the leave, by unanimous consent, to ad-
dress the convention, and thercupon ex-
postuated against the resolution(as it then
stoodD in very earnest terms. 1t was i'm
mcdiatcly rejected by q vote of 23S to
81; the States Of Alabama, Mississippi,
Louisiana, Arkansas, Georgia, and Flori.
da declining to vote on either side.--
With view to the amendment Of that
resolution so as to remove the objection
thus suggested, motion for reconsider
alton was entered. Such amendment
could only be accomplished by rejecting
the resolution, and then reconsidering the
vote; the previous question having been
seconded and sustained by the conven-
tion before the delegate from North Car
olina had spoken.
Pending this motion for reconsidcra-
ton, before any vote upon it, and, conse-