Pointe Coupee Democrat. [volume] (False River [i.e. New Roads], Parish of Pointe Coupee [La.]) 1858-1862, 1860-07-21
Hon. JOSEPH LANE.
WASHINGTON, June %, 1860

WASHINGTON, June %, 1860.
SRI have the honor to acknowledge
the receipt of the communication you
make i'll behalf of the Democratic Nation
al Convention, in which you inform me
that on the 23d instant | was unani.
mously nominated by that body as the
candidate of the Democratic party for
the Office of Vice-President of the United
States, with the request that l shall &C
ccpt the nomination.
The platform adopted, and of which
you enclose me a copy, meets with my
hearty approval, as it embodies what l
have been contending for as the only
means of stopping sectional agitation,
by securing to all equality and Consti.
t%utional rights, the denial of which has
led to the present unhappy condition of
public affairs.
Compromises of Constitutional princi-
Piles are ever dangerous, and l am re-
joiced that the true Democracy has seen
fit to plant a firm foot on the rock of
truth, and to give to the people an op.
portunity to vindicate their love of JUS
ticc and fraternal regard for each others
rights.
Non-iutervention on the subject of
slavery, | may emphatically say, is the
cardinal maxim of the Democracy-non-
intervention by Congress and non-inter-
vention by Territorial Legislatures, as
is fully stated in the first resolution of
the adopted platform. In vain should
we declare the former without insisting
upon the latter, because, to permit Ter
ritorial Legislatures to. prohibit or es.
tablish slavery, or by unfricndly legis-
lation to invalidate property, would be
granting powers to the creature or agent,
which, it is admitted, do not appertain
to the principal, or the power that Gre
ates; besides which, it would be foster
ing an element of agitation in the Ter
r7tory, that must necessarily extend to
Congress and the people of all the
States.
If the Constitution establishes the
right of every citizen to enter the COM
me Territory with whatever property
he legally possesses, 1t necessarily de-
wolves ON the Federal Government the
duty to protect this right Of the citizen
whenever or wherever assailed or in
fringed. The Democratic party honora.
bly, meets this agitating question, which
IS threatening to sever and destroy this
brotherhood of States. It does not pro.
pose to litigate for the extension of sla-
very, nor for its restriction, but to give
to each State and every citizen all that
our forefathers proposed to give, name
Imperfect equality of rights, and then
to commit to the people, to climate and
to soil the determination as to the kind
OF institutions best fitted to their re-
qulrements in their constitutional limits.
ana declaring, as a fundamental maxim,
tnat the people of a Territory can only
establish or prohibit slavery when they
come to formsa Constitution. prepara.
tory to theirsadmission as a State in the
Union.
Il, happily, our principles shall pre-
vail, anscra of peace and harmony will
pc restored to our distracted country.
and no more shall We be troubled with
the agitationof this dangerous question.
because it will be removed as we'll from
the Territorial Legislatures as from the
asails OF Congress-whcn we shall be
free to turn our attention to more useful
issues, promotive of our growth in ma
tional greatness.
OursUnion must be preserved But
this q only be done by maintaining
the Constitution inviolate in all its pro
visions and guarantees. The Judicial
authority, as provided by the Constitu-
tion, must be sustained, and it's decis-
ions implicitly obeyed, as well in re-
gard to the rights Of pf0perty in the
as in all other matters.
Hoping for success, and trusting in
the truth and justice Of the principles Of
party. and in that Divine Providence
that has watched over us, and made us
que OF. the great nations of the earth,
and that we may continue to merit
Protection. ! eheerfully accept
The nomination SO unanimously con-
erred on me, and cordially indorse the
adopted by the Convention. j;
have the honor to be, sir, with much
aspect, your friend and obedient SER !,
'ant, JOSEPH LANE. q
nas-Douglas is no longer a prophet to :
he Democratic party, and The party will :
-. -.~Cx a. 80: 1900