Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-05-05
FOR PRESIDENT.
JAMES A BAYARB, OF Delaware.

JAMES BAYARB, OF Delaware.
Foa PRESIDENTS.
JAMES sINONs south Carolina.
IT IRWIN, Georgia.
ROBERT SCOTT Alabama
JAMES DRANE. Mississippi.
EMILE LESERE Louisiana.
JOHN MILTON, Florida.
JOHN A JORDON, Arkansas
RUNNELs, Texas.
WILLIAM WHITELEF, Delaware
sscretqrissThomas Ochltrse Of Texas Franklin Gail.
rd CT South Carolina; Dawson Of Alabama IIosd.
ley, OF Arkansas; D Tithers, Of louisiana Tson Of
They further recommend adoption the following resO-
Resolved That this Convention adopt government
rules OF order adopted by the Democrats Convention which met
at Cincinnati in 1856.
The report was adopted.
Mr.. MOUTON, of louisiana and Mr.. Milton, of
Florida, were appointed Committee to conduct the
permanent President to the chair.
Mr. Bqyard, on being conducted to the chair. was
introduced by the retiring President Col PrestOn)
who said
Gentlemen Il have the honor to present to you
Mr. Bayard, of Delaware who has been chosen as
President of the Convention. Permit me to remark
that it is beautiful spectacle in system to see
the representative of the samlest State in this Union
acting coequa with the largest sovereignty with
in the limits of the Government
Gentlemen, permit me, in retiring from the place
assigned me- to say that trust before our delibe-
rations proceed much farther. that shall have
every State. from that which the President repre-
sents to the extreity of the South to the extremity
of the West and many that are North of him and
South of US will come into cur line 1t will be like
those standing upon the Alps, who see. rs the sun
rises to the meridian, avalanche after avalanche
falling from the Northern ice.
President BAYARD on taking the Chair, was
greteed with great applause. He said
| accept with great and unfeigned reluctance the
post which you have chosen to place me in. l ac-
cept it, knowing It's responsibilities. We who con-
stitute the actors in this movement. are seceders
from the convention to which we were elected by
our constituents. We must meet that question. 1t
is a bold step tC take, and we must rely upon con-
seriousness Ofright and the fact that were sent to
represent principles not men. as Justification for
the course we have taken. When principle Is tram
pied upon, there IS no room for pause. l pro-
pose briefly to consider matter to come
before us and the extent Of our authority. We
have no longer the authority to bind our cOnstltu-
ents but being thrown into the hands Of those who
would have Overrued US in principle, 1t would GER
tainly be 4 wrong action on our part II we 90 not
wait for the action of that body, If they fail IN
what we desire let Us not undertake to control OF
dictate to our constituents, but recommend what
should be their action that OCCASION IL lhVOi'es
one of two events.
The majority proposed that the ambiguity which
had arisen in the construction OF the CINCINNATI
platform should accept Of plain distinct principle
which lies at the foundation Of the structure OF the
Federal Government and is vital in its construction
to a large portion of the States of the Union On
that question there was an evident division Of the
States of this Union The majority Of the delegates
required it, they said, as ambiguous. We were cited
to the declaration that Democratic principles were
Interchangeable Unless Democratic principles are an
nounced with reasonable certainty in their specific
ness, we are apt to be mislead. We announced to
them the principle for which we contend. We
claimed the adoption of the platform reported by
the majority of the committee. or the adoption Of
such platform that would not be ambiguous, nor
scented to them two different enunciatiOns of our
principles. The majority platform. containing our
principles, was voted down by the majority, and
they substituted precisely the same platform on
which the ambiguity exists, and from which so
many different constructions have been given. The
necessary result is that if that convention nominate,
on the ambiguous platform, candidate who is the
known expOunder Of doctrines contrary to the