The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-05-17
BALTIMORE.
THURSDAY, MAY H. 1861

i
49, nursut of tie hunter, when it has
Ia, 'aoaoded in shutting him out Of view, the
ouis IF the Constitutional Union Convention
on,eor TO have imagined that the political ques-
COWS Of the day could be satisfactorily settled by
savinq nothing about them. Under the preteuce
that platforms were ambiguous and liable to two
constructions, they proposed to remove all doubt
about the principles which they profess, by
adopting no platform at all. We say, no platform
because we do not consider ''the UNION, the
Constitution and the enforcement Of the laws
to be Platform, within any reasonable meaning
of the word. With the exception of few fana-
tics, inconsiderable in number, and powerlesS, we
hope, for harm, nobody desires to see ''the UNI
CON dssolved-nobody objects TO ''the Constiu-
"tion" The only difficulty is as to the proper
Interpretation of that instrument. Everybody is
in favor of ''the enforcement of the laws the
only difference of opinion being as to what laws
are constitutional and ought to be enforced-and
what are unconstitutional and ought TO be repeal
ed. In adopting these vague and unmeaning gen.
eralites, therefore, the Platform of its Party,
the Constitutional Union Convention has simply
given uterance to the baldest of truisms-which it
certainly did not require a Convention to meet in
Baltimore to find out Or affirm. With as much
proprety, the Convention might have resolved
that Twice Two makes Four, or that "Black,
sin coors, is the reverse of White" and had
these startling truths inscribed on the Party BAN
ncrs In fact, it would have been much safer TO
have done so: for, so far from removing all cause
ofambiguitv, The Platform which the Convention
has adopted is the most ambiguous of any that can
be devised. 1t is as ifa Christian sect should as
sume to compose all religious differences, and end
oil theological strife by proposing the Bible as the
colo ru,e of faith. 1t is the very variety and con-
traretv of constructions of which the Constitution
is susceptible. that has given rise to that ambi-
ouitv in Party Platforms of which the Convention
comnlains, and which, in fact, underes the very
existence of Party itself. Men have differed much
less in this country about the mode of administer
mo the Government, Than about the principles on
which the Government is based Practically, all
norties have governed very much alike, ana have
a;o,rood only in reference to the constiutionaity
of certain powers Of Congress- question which
has ooenest partaken more the character of an
abstraction than of real, living issue. 1t is the
never vet been in power and which proposes to
administer the Government upon principles alto
,othor different from those for which Wings
and Democrats formerly contended-a Sec
tionaI Party as contra-distngushed from a
National one - which has given to the
present contest an aspect altogether different from
those which have preceded it. Neither with re-
spect to the questions once pending between Wings
and Democrats--nor the more practical ones
now at issue between Democrats and Republicans
has the Constitutional Union Convention
vouchsafed to utter one word. Its platform
leaves the country entirely in the dark as to its
principles and purposes. Within the compass of
its ample generalites there is scope and room
enough, not only for the widest latitude, but for
the most direct and positive antagonism of
opinion. Nor is it sufficient answer to these
objections, to refer those who make them to the
character and opinions of Mr.. BELL, as guaranty
Cor the integrity and conservatism Of the Party.
Mr.. BELL was not the only candidate before the
Convention. There was General HoUsToN, a
Democrat of the JACKSON school-and Mr.. EVE
RETT q Wing of the WEBSTER school-Judge
enough TO be President of the Nashville Conven-
ton in lS5O-and Judge MCLEAN, who is sufli-
GENTLY a Republican to be a prominent candidate
for the nomination at Chicago. The nomination
of any one of these gentlemen would have given
satisfaction doubtless, TO the great majority OF
the members Of the Convention. The New Eng
land delegates might have demurred, possibly,
to that of General BoUsToN, as the New York dele
gates said to kick against that of Mr.. BELL; but,
if we are TO believe their own words, the great
body of tie Convention would have supported
with equal alacrity any one of the candidates we
have named. Yet it must be apparent to every
body, that 1.-The Constitution and the enforcement
''of the laws which mean one thing with Mr.
BELL, would have meant quite another thing with
Judge MCLEAN, and have received construction al
together different from either with General HoUs.
TON. Is it not manifest, therefore that the true
reason why the Convention put forth no profession
of principles, is because it had no distinc
tive principles to put forth? bad or 8
divided nomination 10y the Democrats, or inability
TO choose between the Republican and Democratic
candidates, may drive conservative men, boil
North and South, into the support of Mr. BELL
but it will be in spite of the auspices under whcl
he has been nominated, and from confidence in tn
man, rather than in the Party which he repre-
sents or the Platform upon which he stands. I
Party so loosely compounded contains the seeds O
weakness and dissolution within its own organiza
ton. 1t is in its nature ephemeral, and can
not be expected TO last beyond the presen
canvass. Defeat will inevitably resolve it into it
original elements. Victory would prove scarcely
less destructive. Facts do not cease to exist be
cause we choose TO shut Our eyes TO them, nor car
political questions be settled simply by being gnor
ed. The acquisition of Cuba-the condition O
Mexico-the government of Utah-the construc
tion of a Railroad to the Pacifc--the question O
Slavery in all IFS bearings-these are so many
practical issues, upon which the members of thu
Constitutional Union Party, being held together
by no bonds of principle, will divide as widely
and dispute rs fercely as do the contending fac
tons of Democrats and Republicans Beyond
the support which the causes already indica-
ted may attract to Mr.. BELL the Party has no
straightforward the confidence which may be
felt in Mr.. BELL it has nothing to stand upon
and before we can estimate the influence of
either of these considerations upon the coming
canvass, we must await the action of the two
great Parties whose nominations are vet to be
made