Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1860-08-17

was theatrical convention. Sovereign
States were pawns and playthings; and they
were swept from the board and tramplcd un-
der foot.
Fellow-citizens, in the whole history of
parties, and of conventions, nothing has
ever occurred exceeding in tyranny, exceed
ing in atrocity, the action of the Front Street
Theatre convention in rejecting the regularly
accredited delegates from Alabama, Louis
lana, and from portion of Arkansas. They
admitted the Texas delegates, where no con-
vention whatever had been held; and they
admitted the Mississippi delegates, where q
convention of the people had been held and
which had sent them to Baltimore. They ad-
mitted the Delaware delegates, where the old
convention had been brought together; and
they rejected the Louisiana delegates, al
though endorsed by the old convention. -
They admitted the Charleston delegates from
Georgia, although they came to Baltimore
with precisely the same credentials as the del
egates from Alabama, which were rejected by
them. They acted on all sorts of rules--they
acted against all kinds of rules. They had
no principle--no plan to guide them; the idea
was simply to get votes for Stephen A. Doug
las. Let me call your attention to the case
of Georgia. A very large convention was
called--after the Charleston Convention had
adjourned--of the Democrats of the State OF
Georgia-a convention called by the Demo-
cratic Central Committee of that State. II
was large convention, numbering nearly
four hundred members. When it came to re-
tain test resolutions, they were carried by a
vote Of 200 10 Al. This al was the whole
strength of the onvention--about one tenth
against the action of the delegates ut Charles
ton-against their being accredited to Balti-
more-against the adoption of the majority
platform. These forty-one members, after
participating in this action, Immediately left
the convention and called another convention
and they sent delegates to Baltimore. The
Committee on Credentials at Baltimore made
a report recommending that half of each del
egation from Georgia should be admitted,
and that each should be allowed equally hall
the vote Of the State. 1t gave the same
weight to the forty-one bogus and boiling
delegates, who came over to the city of Bal
timore with the flag Of revolution and insur-
rection in their hands, as it gave to the three
hundred delegates who were called regularly
by the State committee. That is the idea Of
the Douglas party organization they care
not whether the organization be regular OF
irregular, the mere question they ask is, chow
shall we get votes for Mr. DouglasPi That
was the rule at Baltimore, and that was the
only rule but they found that that was toe
hHuoNOdo uilU bitttt q pm loI tNcu ILLS COD-
vention TO swallow. The New York politi.
cians--who have been SO well described by
Gov. Dickinson as set of stock jobbers and
gamblers-even they could not swallow the
pill. II even offended their immaculate puri.
ty; and the convention finally voted in the
Charleston delegates from Georgia at Balti-
more. But whom did they vote out, and
whom did they brand as bogus, in this way
No less person than their candidate for tn,
Vice Presidency, Herschcl v. Johnson. They
kicked him out Of the convention, in order,
suppose, that they might crown his brow with
the laurels of the Vice Presidency laugh
ter.
l will not weary you, fellow-citizens, by
going into further details; but the very prin-
ciple which caused that convention TO receive
the delegates from Georgia. required Of them
TO receive the regular delegates from Alabama.
The principle which caused them to receive
the delegates from Delaware called upon them
to receive the regular delegates from Louis
lana, and also the regular delegates from
Texas. They refused to receive the entire
Charleston delegation from Arkansas, but ad-
mitted into the convention the delegates from
the Northern district, called by no proper
authority, where two or three hundred per
sons got up a mass meeting in some of the
Northern counties in that district. They
gave them the same weight that they gave the
Southern district. Now, fellow-citizcns, when
bodies Of men show such disposition to ty.
rannize as this--when they reject the princi-
pies of Democratic usage--wlicn they cyincs
a disposition to put the yoke of inequality
upon othcrs-when they undertake to violat,
both platform Of principles and u candidate
to the Southern States say that the time has
come to brand such schemes us disorganizinQ
and revolutionary the time has come fol
action and, thank God, we had men will
wisdom and nerve enough to see it and Il
leave that den of corruption, the Front Street
Theatre, and re-organize q convention at the
Maryland Institute. The rump nominated
Stephen A. Douglas, two or three hours be-
fore we nominated Breckenridge and Lane
and they got hold Of the Geographic wires,
and sent II off all over the country that Ste
phen A. Douglas was the regular nominee OF
the Baltimore Convention, having received a
two-thirds vote; and thus they have cntrap-
ped many unwary persons, who seeing this
announcement, and not hearing the truth
stated, really suppose that Mr.. Douglas was
nominted by a two-thirds vote. Mr.. Douglas
never did receive two-thirds vote in that
convention; there were never in that con-
vention two-thirds Of 303 votes, including
bogus delegates and all. Yet the Douglas
Central Committee, or the National Executive
Committee as they call themselves, have stated
that Mr.. Douglas received 2l2 votes. II you
look at the proceedings Of the convention,
you will find that on both the first and second
ballots Mr.. Douglas only received 1871 votes.
On the second ballot there were l41 votes
against him, which were thrown for Mr..
Breckenridge and Mr.. Guthrie. That was the
total number Of votes cast, both on the first
and second ballot (l96 votcs.)
There we're present in that convention gem
tlemen from several of the States who pre-
yious 10 the balloting had risen from their
seats and declared that they would take no
further part in the proceedings Of that CON
vention--that they would not be bound by
its acts, but reserved for themselves the right
TO act as they might hereafter think proper.
The whole number Of votes cast in the con-
yention including bogus votes, was therefore
l96-lsl2 Of which were thrown for Stephen
A. Douglas. After two ballots, resolution
was passed, declaring him the unanimous
choice Of the convention. No man was al
lowed to speak the gag law, as the records
will show, was put upon every man mouth !;
no one had right to rise in his place and
object to such a resolution. The resolution
was put; there was Of course a storm OF yeas,
and the President declared II carried no
negative vote was taken, and then the music
struck up and drowned all voices.
Now, fclIow-citizens, II Is contended by the
friends Of Mr.. Douglas, that these gentlemen
who were present in that convention, and did
not vote, were bound by this resolution, not
they declared openly in the
presence Of that convention, that they should
take no further part IN is proceedings, and
would not be bound by It's action.
Gentlemen, 1t Is well 10 pause and weigh
this matter. Mr.. Douglas never received over
1914 votes, including all the bogus votes; and
there were nine bogus votes from Alabama,
six from Louisiana, one from Arkansas, one
half from Massachusetts, and one-half from
Missouri; that makes seventeen. But there