Arkansas true Democrat., 1860-08-11
AN ADDRESS TO THE DEMOCRACY
 OF ARKANSAS. f

the action of the recent convention at Bal timore, Is necessary to an understanding of the issues involved in the present momen- tous canvass. It iS well known to you, democrats of Arkansas, that my sentiments have ever been opposed to congressional interference in the private concerns of either State or territory, and that 1 was chosen delegate to Charleston with these opinions openly declared on all occasions, and known to all The State convention, however, that nominated me, expressed a preference for opposite doctrine, that of congressional in- tervention, or slave code for the terrlto- Iies. That preference regarded as instruc- tions, and yielded up my own private con victions of right at Charleston, and voted with my colleagues for the slave code doc Urine. But now protest against all re- sponsibility for that vote. It was the vote of the State convention, not mine. And what is strange about the thing is, that while the party of Mir. Yancey, in the South, is still contending for that very doctrine, here in Kentucky, I have to defend myself on every stump, against the attacks of this same party, for having given that vote. "It is pig here and possom there" and I shall be delighted if on getting home among you, find they have not taken our thunder, and are louder non intervention men than the old democratic party itself.
 When, however, the national convention refused to abandon the fixed and settled principles of the party, and to which the party in all good faith stool pledged, and have been pledged for the last twelve years in every possible way known to the party, both in national conventions and at the bal lot-box in the great contests of 1852 and 1S56-I say, when the convention refused to abandon their old time-honored princi ples, and had reiterated and re affirmed the old established doctrine of intervention by Congress, then it was that all my col leagues, with the exception of pr. Stirman, thought fit to retire from the convention, and refused any longer to participate in its deliberations. They did more; they became members of another convention, consorting with delegates who had seeded from the regular convention.
 Under your instructions, when the bal oting for President came on, voted in succession for all the distinguished gentle men suggested by the democracy of Alkan Sas in their State convention. Finding 1t impossible to make a nomination in the dsmembered condition of the convention, the chairman of the Virginia delegation proposed, at the unanimous suggestion of his colleagues, a resolution of adjournment D.14 Lo Q+I ,f ,,, the same resolution, ralled upon the democ- racy of the various States to fill mp the vacancies which were occasioned by the secession. This resolution was adopted with great unanimitv. Acting under it, the democracy of Louisiana, of one district in Arkansas, of Alabama and of Georgia, met in their several States and took up the cause which their late delegates had seem- | inglv abandoned, in a word they appointed full delegations to represent them at Balt- more.
 Meanwhile the seceders had adjourned their sectional convention to meet at Rich mond on the llth of June, apprently hay ing given mp all idea of co operating longer with the national democracy; in word. their great leader, Mr. Yanoey. had said they could not do so without dishonor | All their indications, as drawn from their meetings and the public addresses of their leading men, were that hereafter they in tended to act as strictly sectional party. ignoring utterly all connection with the northern democrats. Contrary to general expectation, the entire body of these seced- ing delegates, with the exception of those from South Carolina and Florida, made their appearance at Baltimore, and de- manded admission into the council of the national democracy, to the exclusion of the delegates appointed, under the resolution introduced by Mr. Russell, of Virginia, to supply their voluntarily vacated places. In spirit of harmony and conciliation, and cordially desiring a reunion of the party, the national convention agreed to the following propositions. They ad mitted both sides from Georgia, and both sides from Arkansas--the Mississippi and Texas delegations without contest-ad- mitted the national democrats from Ala bama and Louisiana, to the exclusion of the seeding delegations. Immediately on the announcement of this decision, fresh secession occurred, consisting of ma ority of the delegation from Virginia majority of the delegation from North Carolina, a majority from Tennessee, several from Maryland, nine from Kentucky, and others,
 leaving present in tue convention 2125 votes, being more than two-thirds of the entire electoral college.
 After brief recess, the convention pro- ceeded to ballot for candidate for Presi- dent. On the second ballot, Stephen A. Douglas received 1S1 ] votes, the remainder being divided between Guthrie, Bretkin. ridge and others. On the motion of Mr. Hoge, of Virginia, Mr. Douglas was nomi- mated by exclamation as the democratic can diLate for President of the United States.
 The following resolution, supplemental to the platform. was unanimously adopted by the conventions:
 Resolced, That it is in accordance with the true interp etation of the Cincinnati platform that, during the existence of territorial government the measure of restriction, whatever it may be- imposed by the federal constitution on the powers of a territorial legislature, over the subject of domestic relations, the same has been, or sh all hereafter be, finally dett trmined bysthe supreme court of the United States, shall be respected bv all good citizens, and enforced with frmness and fidelity by every branch the federal gov ernment"
 Hon. Benjamin Fitzpatrick, who had been designated by the action of the con v'nton as the dcmocratic candi late for the Vice Presidency, having declined the nomi nation, the national exc erutive committee nominated in his place the Hon. Herschell V. Johnson, of Georgia, who has since ac- cepted the nomination.
 It is idle to disguise the cause of the late sece ssion at Baltimore. It was not on &C., count of the action of the convention in regard to the contesting delegations. TAis ~as c mere preten. The reason was, because it became evident that the convention would under no circumstances adopt Mr. Yancev's theory of congressional intervention in the affairs of the territories; and for the further reason that the statesman of Illinois had i majority of the votes in the convention in his favor, and would probably become the candidate of the convention for the presid ncy. These were the reasons that influenced the secession. and it is worse than futile to cite any other pretext