Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1860-08-10
sTAUNToN VIRGINIA. FRIDAY AUGUST TO- 1860

no;ntn,ant Of delegates tothe Charleston Conyen-
lion. warm cont est was fought in the State upon
the ouesti IN of natlonai PLATFORM tor the Demo-
cratic party The newspaper which control, and
q Teru Iaros majority of the Democratic press Of
The State. took the position that the Cincinnati
nlatform of 1856 should be re-aflrmed at Charles
ton without change or modllcatlon, believing, as
we did that any attempt to give to it either Nor
tborn o. Southern construction would be attend
cd With results fatal to the success and harmony Of
tba Democratic party. Gov. Wise and his friends
took an opposite position, and insisted with great
spirit and determination, Upon change OF the
ING CONGRESSIONAL protection to property, to slave
ry in the Teri itories. Upon this ISSUE disinc tly
made up and understood BY the party, delegates
were chosen to the Charleston Convention and
nearly two thirds of them were elected upon the
1nerits1of the Cincinnati platform unchanged, and
pledged to the support Of the nominee, if made in
conformity with the established usages of past Con-
ventions. At the time thiswas done, it was well
known that Judge Dougless was i prominent can
didate for the Presidency, and that he would most
probably be the highest, if not the successful can
didate in the Cow ention The delegates thus cho-
sen repaired to Charleston, and for two days after
reaching there they stood firmly committed to the
policy upon which they had been selected at home.
Then, to my utter astonishment, a change Of pol
lev was inaugurated by the majority of the deega-
ton, so radical in itself tAatI could not honestly
accede to it, even to accomplish the purpose which
produced it. hat are known as the Cotton or
e Alf States, united in denlandin. change of the
Cincinnati platform, SO as to embrace the feature
of Congressional protection to slavery in the Ter
ritories. The Madonna delegation came instructed
to insist unon the adoption of particular plat
form, and TO withdraw from the Convention in case
they failed to get it, thus placing themselves, IN
my opinion, in factious and disorgrnizing atti-
tude to the National Democracy
$ Read also the communication Of Miers
W. Fisher, Esq, another delegate and sup
porter Of Breckenridge to the Richmond
"Whig, J" explanatory Of the remarks made
BY him at public meeting in Richmond
city, as confrmatory. 81
On the organization of the Convention,
then, We found majority of the Virginia
delegation advocating the claims of the Hon.
r. NJ. I Hunter, and, according to our APP
prehension, in favor Of the re-affirmation by
the Convention Of the Cincinnati platform.
Two days, however, after this, in caucus
Of the Virginia delegation, resolutions en-
dorsing the doctrine Of intervention. were
introduced and passed By the entire vote Of
the delegation, R. lei. Glass, ESQ, and our
selves alone opposing them, (Mr Barbour
being absent.) r. H. Glass, in comment
ing upon the action Of the Virginia delega-
ton at this point Units proceedings, furnishes
us with the following statement: eve ask
that his testimony be attentively consid-
cred
"The principal support which Senator Hunters
friends expected at first, was to come from these
cotton States, and it ascertained feared that
unless Virginia would abandon her position upor
the platform, and yield something to the extreme
demand, of those States, enemies would be made
I of them to Senator Hunter In moment OF mis-
taken policy, q majority .5cf the delegation did
abandon their position assUmed before the people
] of Virginia, went into conference with the cotton
States, and sanctioned platform which, while
correct in the abstract perhaps, entirely diff
ferent from the one to which majority of us stood
committed, and to which all claimed to be es-
sentiai totha unioufand success 9t the party. u
declined to go with my colleagues, for reasons
which then stated, and which now reiterate.-
First, because it was inconsistent with the position
we stood committed to at home. Second, that if the
extreme platform of Alabama was adopted, il
would result in the hopeless disorganization and
defeat of the Democratic party. Third that il
Virginia placed herself upon that platform, she
would either have to retire from the Convention
along with the cotton States, would have to
back down from her position. The sequel proved
the correctness CT my predictions. The Alabama
platform its equivalent rejected by the Con-
Vention as all knew it would be- the cotton
States did secede, and Virginia did back down,
mained in the Convention and ballotted fifty seven
times for Presidential candidate @pon the Cncan-
rate platform. | do not blame my delegation for
this last act. blame it fer marching up the hill
in the first instance, and not fer marching dorm
again and [ thiuk do my colleagues no injustice
when / say that the most Of them deeply regretted
the blunder which they had committed, and wished
they had firmly maintained their original position.
Had they done so. feel confident that all the dis
asters which have since come upon US would have
been happily averted The cotton States seeded
from the confident conviction that Virginia would
follow, and thus draw the whole South out OF the
Convention. But for this reasonable impression,
firmly believe that the only delegates from one
State--Alabama--would have seeded, and they
would have retired reluctantly under the instruc-
tons from their people. Yhe platform coul1 enc
would have been made satisfactory, and a success
full nomination effected, because, at the time, none
of the parties had been exasperated, ana compro-
mise aud Cancellation within easy grasp. Vlr-
GINA, therefore, by her vacillating course upon
the question Of platform, lost her influence and
prestige, and precpitated disruption OF the par
ty which she might have easily averted
In accordance with this action, Mr.. Bar
bour, the member from Virginia Of the Ma
tional Committee on Platforms. advocated
and voted for the majority report OF the COM
mittee afterwards submitted to, and reject
ed by the Convention.
The reports of the majority and minority
Of the Committee on Platforms being pre-
scented to the consideration Of the Conven-
ton. the former embracing the intervention
al doctrine on the subject Of slavery IN the
territories, and the latter re-athrming the
Cincinnati Platform-the report OF the MI
nority being a re-afhrmation OF the Clncln-
natl platform, we felt ourselves bound to sus-
tain it by virtue Of the position We occupied
at home, and as opponents ofthe sentiments
of the Democracy of the Eleventh Electo-
raj District. We did this with no antago-
nism to the resolutions Of the majority re-
port, as a statement Of abstract political
truths, but we objected to interpolating them
into our platform, because they embraced
certain ideas and anticipated particular ac-
ton, which ideas our Democratic brethren
of the North West differed with us most es-
sentially upon-a difference which had been
submitted by Congressional Compromise to
the arbitrament Of the Federal Judiciary,
and which action, the resultant of the effca-
CIV Of the IDEAS. we esteemed as utterly
powerless for good under any possible con-
tingenev that might fall in or any conjunc-
ture Of circumstances which could be imagin-
ed. We objected to the majority report be-
cause it contemplated Congressional inter
yention and developed test ofpolitical faith
which was inapplicable to any existing or
probable emergency; was dissented from by
= LARGE number of Democrats in good stand
ing with the party, and whose patriotism
and consistency has been proven by many
years of public service, IN opposing aboll-