Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1860-10-03
Ihs STANDARD.
spEECH OF HON. B. F. HALLETT,

SPEECH OF HON. B. F. HALLETT,
Before the National Democratic State Convention
of Massachusetts,, and the Mass Meeting Of the
Supporters of Breckenridge and Lane at Tire
mont Temple, Boston, Wednesday, September H.
1860.
A Photographic Report by Jas. M Pomeroy.]
Nix. PRESIDENT ANY GENTLEMEN: thank you for
the reception that you give me- 1t strengthens me
somewhat in the opinion that have been able to
form to-day that the democratic party OF Massachu-
sets is not vet quite ready to lay me aside for
substitute" Great laughter and applause. =.
Now desire, if you will give me your patience,
to occupy some moments in considering the4uestions
which are really those at issue. We have had the
Unusual spectacles of three conventions in this
Commonwealth to-day, making three nominations
of candidates for Governor. That portion of the
party which assembled at Springfield has nominat-
ed our former respected but unavailable candidate
Mr. Beach, the very man whom they threw over
board little while ago for Gen. Butler.
The Bell and Everett party, in their convention
have simply gone backward into know-nothingism
They have nominated Mr. Lawrence republican
and a know.nothing and therefore have literally
done nothing We have come here to-day, making
no boasts and no threats, in numbers much larger
than we expected, and have done just what we did
q year ago-nominated our gallant and chlvalrons
champion, General Butler. CHEERS. Now, why
are there two conventions to-day in MASSACHUSETTS,
each protesting to be the convention of the demo-
cratic partyP 1t is because portion of the demo-
cratic party have hoped for extraneous success oy
eyadine the true national issue. The democratic
party must be straightforward if they intend to be
q national party. They have one paramount ques-
ton before them-the prominent one of the day
How will they deal with this question of slavery,
this Equality of the States in the Territories
and in dealing with it they must be honest with the
South, or they must lose the South, in its associa
tons with the democratic party. And, gentlemen,
let me tell YOU what history tells us over and over
again. that whenever the democratic party ceases to
be made up of that national union between the
Southern and Northern democrats which with few
intervals has carried this country safely, glorousy
onward in progress and governed it wisely for SIX
ty years-which in fifteen Presidential elections has
triumphed in all but three-let me tell you that
whenever that union ceases to be kept up and sus-
tanned, then there is end to the national demo-
cratic party, and, fear an end to the Union also
That union of North and South has been the grand
support of democracy, and upon that has been bas-
ed the whole success of this country.
Now when democrats undertake to act upon the
idea-which is the real idea of Mr.. Douglas and Of
the leaders of that portion of our party that has
separated from US and support divided nomina-
tion-when they undertake to act upon the mistaken
idea that they can make great Northern party
that shall be partly anti,savcry. and denounce
Southern democrats as disunonists-a party that
shall stand between the abolition republican party
Of the North and the equal Staterights party of the
South, and can throw the South overboard-rely
upon it they attempt an impossibility. For all
history shews that this North-ay, this North and
this Northwest-never was democratic, and it never
will be democratic, to govern the Union without
union with the South Applause. 1t began with
old federalism, and that has been succeeded by ma
tional republicanism; by anti-slavcry wings swal-
lowing up the Union wings; by political abolition
ism, by free-soilSm by Acknowledgment, and now
by black-republicanism intensely sectional, and
only sectional. Renewed applause. And out Of
these elements in the North you can never make
national democratic party to control the destnes Of
this country without the aid of the democratic
South That democratic party to give US victory in
the Union We have got to find in union with the
South And the South without that aid from the
North is equally helpless. They can do nothing
without the aid of a national democratic party in
the North And, therefore, if any mans conscience
or ambition, or fanatcism, sentimentality, has
brought him to that point that he is really unable
to associate with the South because they happen to
own negroes as slaves-if he has arrived at that
point the sooner he leaves the democratic party and
goes into ranks of the republican party the better.
Applause.
have seen, in the course of my life, the whole
process of this transition, the whole course of the
coalescing and falling off from of the tender footed
or overambitious democrats; men that were terri6-
ed at the idea of losing popularity if they trod upon
the toes of negro Laughter Why, sir, when
the country was about to do that grand act-annex
Texas democrats in the legislature of Massachu-
sett-every man of them believe-voted against
it. They went farther than the free-soil wings,
and nearly every man of them voted to amend the
Constitution of the United States so as to strike out
the clause giving slave representation in Congress
to the South. And when we went up to the Spring
field convention, happened to be on the committee
Of resolutions and, to put stop to this tendency
to abolitionsm, introduced a resolution there de-
claring our dissent, as the democratic party, from
this vote of the legislature opposing the annexation
Of Texas and, from their adoption of the Hartford
convention doctrine that the South ought to be de.
prived of slave enumeration in their representation
in Congress-one of the very conditions upon which
the Union was formed When reported that, who
rose up against me? Such mer as Mr.. Boutwell,
Mr.. Banks-the whole of that class of men now the
leaders and the ablest supporters of the Lincoln
abolition party. They talked me down and the con
vention voted my resolution down, because it want
ed to exc out the democracy by getting abolition
votes. Why, the annexation of Texas was such ar
enormity, in the estimation of the people of Massa
chusetts at that time, that remember few of us
one Fourth of July, ran away and skulked over tc
Bunker HILL and got into little shed that they hat
erected for the work of the monument, in order t.
get away from the mob, and we passed resolutions
in favor of the annexation of Texas Great merri
ment Every man in Boston that went down int
State street and said Texas ought to be annexed t.
this country was pointed at as rascal who ought t
run away, or be driven away, and Ego to Texas
Now, the sober second thought has come and wher'
can you find man-not in the Commonwealth o
Massachusetts, only, but in the United States-wh,
will undertake to say that was not a great measure
for the good Of the country And where is there
man living, engaged in the commercial or manufac
turing pursuits Of Massachusetts,, that has not il
his pocket some money derived from the annexation
of Texas?
So with California. When, in the presidency o
Mr.. Polk. the country was in the Mexican war, ant
the democratic party insisted upon indemnity for tn
past and security for the future, and demanded al
accession of territory, what aclamor was made BY
these tenderfooted democrats that were afraid tina
we should stumble over negro somewhere! Laugh
ter and applause. Every effort was made to proven
that great movement; and yet the democratic part!