The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-05-30
CHARLESTON CONVENTION.
The Facts as to Gushing and Butler Told By
an Eye Witness.

"reminiscences OF the Charleston Convention
Of 1860. The following is from
the pen of Hon. Frederick w. Horn,
now the editor Of the Cederburg WIS.,
News. He was delegate to the Conven-
ton from Wisconsin, and was supporter of
stephen A Douglas nomination. Mr.. Horn
presided over the Convention temporarily
and in q recent number Of mis- paper says:
'sWhen the Convention met at Charleston,
Douglas ouid have been nominated on the
fIst ballot if it had not been for the sO-celled
1wo-third rule, requiring vote Of two
thirds of all members requisite for q nomina-
ton. A violent anti-Douglas man, Caleb
Cushing, Of Massachusetts,, was elected Pres
ident of the Convention by vote of States
(aBOther relic Of the power of the South in
getting control of the Convention) when, if
the vote had been taken by calling the roll
Of members, Douglas man Weuld have been
chosen. The Vice Presidents, one from each
State, were selected by delegates from their
respective States, and We were chosen from
Wisconsin, taking our position from the
start at the right hand of President Cushing.
never being absent from our post, snd hav-
ing the best chance to observe everything
going on. Among the Southern delegates,
and especially those from Georgis and
Louisiana, many were in favor Of
Douglas while a large majority or Oil
were at the time utterly opposed to any
seheme lesding To 3 conflict with the North
The game Of the handful Of secessionists led
by Yancey, Keitt and one or two others, was
to delay the proceedings of the convention
as much IS possible in order TO bully or coax
the Douglas delegates away from him, snd
mite ali the slave States against his nOmina-
ton, even if they had to secede from it and
make nomination of their own. How well
they succeeded is a matter Of history, aud
Caleb Cushing, together with Ben Butler
and John Coohrane, did their utmost TO de-
lay the ballOtiDg so that those delegates
from the South could be seen and won for
the dark schemes of secession.
''For nearly eight days Butler and COch-
rsne, chiefly, kept Cushing busy deciding
questions of order; the latter, no doubt, being
fully posted as 70 the object Of the delay.
Butler would rise to point OF order and,
after stating il, commence long speech TO
Sustain his point, and after discussion of
several hours the Convention would adjourn
ts the next day, only TO have the ssnle
sham proceedings over and over again.
We thipk IL was on the fourth dsy Of
the session when Cushing called US to the
chair and left the platform; we were hardly
point of order again. We had been at
boiling heat for the last two days and de-
termined to sit down on Ben and COchrane
If ever q chance was offered; 30, after the
gentleman from Massachusetts had stated
his point of order, we Immediately decided
against him, and before he had time to COM
mence his usual speech IN favor of his point.
We remember that he squatted down as if
struck by lightning, but Cochrane st once
came to his rescue with another point of
order which we we're about dispOsing of in
similar manner, and it seemed that we
would be ready for bslloting, when at once
we heard behind our back, on the platform.
the words, "Send for Cushing send for
CushingP and in few minutes that worthy
gentlemen came rushing in all out of breath.
and we had to surrender to him to hear
points Of order raised for several DAYS more,
until the secessiOnists had most of the doubt
full members fixed, and Cushing Butler
COehrsne, and company allowed us to ballot
for day or two, when sn adjournment was
had to Baltimore.
"It can not be possible that his working
by these men right into the hands of the So
cessionists was merely done to defeat Doug
las, and that neither of them had sn idea of
the consequences thSt must arise in the rup-
tare of the party. They knew it well
",
ionists, believed that the North would not
fight, and would consent to q peaceful Sc
cession. The fact that the Southern men
did believe so is matter Of history, and
where and from whom should they have de-
rived their information if not from Cushing,
Butler, and others of their stripe2 Ben
may have looked at the Mills House and
said those words to Gov. Barry, but certain
ly II such way IS to have the Governor
understand it merely as big joke, and now
Butler il telling his little anecdote as if he
had been in earnest st the time. Why
didn't these Northern traitors proclaim these
sentiments in open convention the first op-
POrtunity they had? They did no such
thing, but a ! their words and actions tended
TO make the South believe that no fighting
would be necessary, and that the North was
divided so much as to yield to a peaceful
separation When Ben Butler and his
other Breckenridge men in the Nor
thern Ststes immediately took I'D arms
against the South i: was only as
fee from the popular wrath, for until that
time these men were considered the firm al
lies OF the secesslOnists, and would have
moved South 10 receive their reward if q
peaceful separation had taken place.
"When the adjourned convention met in
Baltimore 1t was understood that Cushing
butler ana company only Waltsd Tor some
pretense TO leave the convention and iOin
the JEFF Davis show which met ut the Same
time in Baltimore and which afterward nom
mated Breckenridge. Cushing was tsken
up again with deciding points Of order, and
frequently leaned over TO us for consultation
on the questions to be decided. This play so
exAspersted Reverdy johnson, who occupied
chair in the resr Of the platform, that be
suddenly stepped up to us and spoke without
doubt Intentionally loud enough for Cushing
10 hear every word the following: What
does the Cd id scoundrel mean by con-
sulting you so often7 1t is all sham; he
knows we'll enough how to decide himself
shall never forget those same words.
Cushing blushed scarlet, and we expected
that his gavel would instantly come in con-
tact with Mr.. Johnson's head; but he thought
better of it and appeared as if he had not
heard those words.
''That Ben had bad conscience all the
time and expected good threshing while
with us, was proved by the fact that he got
lis ally-Cushing- appoint IS messengers
several fighting men, and among them the
then celebrated ring-fghter Price, from Bos-
ton. who WAS never far from Butler. and