The Yazoo Democrat. [volume] (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1858-18??, 1860-07-28

UNITED STATES To THE FRIENDS OFl
BRECKINRIDGE AND LANE.
The great ratification meeting of Monday
evening last having adjourned to the Execu
tive Mansion and paid their repectss to the
Chef Magistrate, Mr.. BUCHANAN appeared
and spoke as follows:
FRIENDS AND FELLOW CITIZENS: l thank
you from my heart for the honor of this visit.
| cordially congratulate you on the prefer
ence which you have expressed for Major
Breckenridge and Gen, Lane as candidates
for the presidency and vice presidency ofthe
United States over all competitors. Ap,
pause. They are men whose names are
known to the country; they need no eulogy
from me. They have served their country
in peace and in war. They are statesmen
as we'll as soldiers, and in the day and hour
of danger they will ever be at their post.
They are conservative men; and in the course
of their administration they will be equally
Just to the North and to the South, to the
East and the West. [Applause] Above
all, and first of all, they are friends of the
Constitution and of the Union, [cheers,
and they will stand by them to the death.
Renewed cheers But we ought not to
forget that they are also friends to the equal
ity of the sovereign States of this Union in
the common Territories of the country.
TCries of "Good !"] They will maintain
That principle, which should receive the cor
dial appreciation of US all. Equality is
equity. Every citizen of the United States
is equal before the Constitution and the laws;
and why should not the equality of the SOW
creign States composing this Union be held
in like reverence? This is good democratic
doctrine. Liberty and equalityare the birth
right of every American citizen; and just
as certainly as the day succeeds the night SO
certain will this principle of democratic JUS
tice eventually prevail over all opposition
Cheers But before speak further upon
this subject-and shall not detain you
very long--I wish to remove one stumbling
block out of the way.
| have ever been the friend of regular
nomination. have never struck political
ticket in my life. Now, was there anything
done at Baltimore to bind the political con,
science of any sound democrat, or to pre-,
vent him from supporting Breckenridge and
Lane? r" No! no!"] l was cotcmporary
with the abandonment of the old congression
al convention Or caucus. This occurred q
long time age; very few, if any, of you re
member it. Under the old congressional
system, no person was admitted to seat ex
\ cept the democratic members of the Senate
and House Of Representatives. This rnl'
rendered it absolutely certain that the nom
nee, whocvcr-hc might be, would be sustain
Cd at the election by the democratic States
If the Uuion by this means il was render
ed impossible that those States which coulC
not give an electoral vote for the candidate
when nominated should control the nomina
tion and dictate to the democratic State
who should be their nominee.
This system was abandoned whethe
wisely or not I shall express no opinion
The National Convention was substituted il
its stead. All the States, whether demo
cratic or not, we're equally to send delegate
to this Convention according to tho numbc
Of their senators and representatives il
Congress.
= A difficulty at once arose which ncve
could haFe arisen under the congrcssiona
convention system, If bare majority c
. the National Convention thus composed coul
$ nominate a candidate, he might benomiuate
d mainly by the anti democratic States agains
j the will Of large majority of the democrat
: ic States. Thus the nominating powe
n would be separated from the electing power
r which could not fail to be destructive
the strength and harmony 70 the democrati
party.
J. To obviate this. serious difficulty in th
I. organization of National Convention, an
3: at The same time to leave all the States the
J. full vote, the two thirds rule was adopted
e It was believed that under this rule no car
IS didate could ever be nominated withot
n embracing within the two,thirds the votes
IS decided majority of the democratic State
6 This was the substitute adopted to retail
1t at least in great degree, the power to IL
7. democratic States which would have lost b
% abandoning the congressional conventic
n system. This rule was d main pillar in I'll
is edifce of national conventions. Remove
0, and the whole must become d ruin. Th
'e sustaining pillar was broken to pieces
d Baltimore by the convention which nomin'
d ted Mr.. Douglas. After this the body WI
le no longer a national convention; and l
'r democrat, however devoted to regular non
n nations, was bound to give the nominee b
y support be was left free to act according
s, the dictates of his own judgment and col
n science. And here, in passing, may o
y serve that the wisdom of the two>thirds ru
is justified by the events passing around
t Had it been faithfully observed no candida
n could have been nominated against the W
in and wishes of almost every certain democrs
ct ic State in the Union, against nearly all t
m democratic seniors and more thanthree four
r of the democratic representatives in Congre
" [Cheers
purposely avoid entering upon any d
cusson repecting the exclusion from
is Convention Of regularly>elected delegat
ok from different democratic States. If t
nd Convention which nominated Mr.. Doug
i'd was not regular democratic Conventic
,r. it must be confessed that Breckenridge
or in the same condition in that respect. I
Convention that nominated him although
r .....i- II kha oarka;u do