Daily national Democrat., 1860-10-28
Col. Kewen and the Two-Thirds Rule.

EpIroR DEMocRAT-DEAR IR:-There is
one point in the speech of Mr. Kewen, de
livered at the Theatre on Wednesday eve
ming worthy of a few words of comment. He
said that he did not care whether any "former
National Democratic Conventions had or had
not nominated by the two-third rule" be-
cause an order to the effect that no person
should be declared nominated by the Chair
man who did not receive two thirds of all
the votes the full Convention was entitled 10
cast, was adopted at the Charleston Conven-
tion.
1t will be recollected that MIR. Douglas was
not nominated at the Charleston Conv vention.
And, also, that before the Convention ad-
journed the order above alluded to was "laid
upon the table" or, in other words, the force
of it, was suspended. The Convention being
the creator, no one will question its power to
destroy. The Record of the Convention
shows, and also the Chairman to whom the
order was directed declares that the "order'
contained in Mr.. Howard's resolution, viz :.
l
by the Chairman of the Convention, who did
not receive two thirds of all the votes of the
full convention, "was, upon the motion of
Mr.. Russell, of Virginia, laid upon the table. "
No motion was ever made to revive it
either at Charleston or Baltimore. The two
third rule has always been the creature of the
majority of conventions, and could have no
effect unless it was especially applied by
resolution to the action of such conventions
After the suspension of the rule at Charles
ton and the adjournment of that Convention,
it could not be operative on future conven.
tions, without being re-adopted. This was
not done at Baltimore nor was there any
attempt made to revive the order, notwith
standing the stcklers on this point took their
seats and participated in the proceedings of
the Convention during its preliminary stages
In fact the rule was entirely neglected at
Baltimore; nothing was said about it, hence
it was not in force and a majority vote in
the absence of a resolution to the contrary
governed, according to all usages of the party
or other deliberatve bodies.
Then to make the nomination of Mr..
Douglas binding on the party it was only
necessary that he should receive majority
of the votes in the Convention, and to consti
tute quorum in the Convention cOmpeten
to transact business, it was only necessary in
the absence of any rule on that subject that
a majority Of the delegates entitled to seats
in the Convention should be present. In the
Baltimore Convention, out of three hundred
and three delegates entitled to seats two
hundred and twelve were present, and on the
last vote but one, Stephen A. Douglas, re-
ceived one hundred and eighty-one and a-hali
of one hundred and ninety six votes cast, be e
ing more than two-thirds of all the votes in
the Convention, when, by acclamation, he
was unanimously nominated, receiving two
hundred and twelve votes, more than two
thirds of all the votes the full Convention
was entitled to cast
What, then, becomes of Mr.. Kewen's 1.-TWO.
third rule and special order? Mr.. Kewen is
an eloquent man. In this particular, he
lifted his audience to the towering heights
of Etna, and bade them cast their expectan,
eyes into the depths of the yawnipg crater
only to discover that there "was nothing in
it," Ju,1us