Evening star., 1912-06-15
NATIONAL CONVENTIONS.
XII-The Great Democratic Split.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

The only national convention of one OF
the principal political parties that re-
suited in A serious split and the conSe-
quent nomination of two Candidates ioi
President was the democratic convention
cf 1860 True. the barnburner detection
from the democratic convention OF 1919
defeated the party that year, and there
were serious divisions in both democratic
and republican conv ventions in 1896. but
the only actual split was that of 1S6O.
Slavery in the territories was the whole
issue Thomas Jefferson Virginia
STAKEHOLDER, wrote into the Northwest
Territory ordinance the provision that
that territory should be forever free OF
slavery. The Wimot p-oviso, written by
Judge Brinkerhoff. an Ohio democrat,
using the exact language of Jefferson,
kept slavery off the Pacific coast. The
whole question was compromised in 1920.
and again in 1850 by Henry Clay. In
1854 Douglas, assisted by President
Pierce, obtained the repeal of the Mis-
question of the extension of slavery was
reopened.
The democrats now had come to the
parting of the ways. The south held
that the territories were federal and be-
longed as much to the slave states as to
the free. and that until they became
states the federal Constitution was their
only law. The Constitution permitted
slavery by its silence. and this theory
would make them slave territories. The
north held that Congress could leglslate
slavery out of territory. but could not
legislate il in-that the territories must
be free. Douglas took the middle ground
and declared in favor of popular sover-
eignty"-that is, permitting the people
of territory to decide the slavery ques-
ton for themselves. This the opposition
sneered at as ''squatter sovereignty"
X
clared in favor of a policy of non-inter-
ference on the part of
Charleston Congress. BY 1860 non
-. interference was not
OoNscAIiVA. popular with either side.
The democratic national convention met
at Charleston April 23. 1t was the only
national convention ever held south OF
the Potomac There were full delega-
tons from all the states and contesting
delegations from Illinois and New York.
From Illinois there were Douglas and
anti-Douglas delegations, and from New
York ten hards and softs, the softs be-
ing favorable to Douglas and the hards
to the southern view.
The national committee, following the
precedent established at Cincinnati four
years before, when. for the first time.
national committee attempted to pass on
contested delegations, undertook in ad-
vance of the meeting of the convention
to decide both these contests. The Doug
las men controlled a majority of the COM
mittee, and. as always has been the case.
they settled both contests in favor of
Douglas This probably was right in the
case of Illinois, but in New York the
hard" delegates had been elected in the
districts while the '.softs, who were
seated. had been chosen at a state con-
vention under circumstances of doubtful
regularity. But, being Douglas men.
they were seated. Against this action
the southern delegates protested. and as
soon as the convention was organized, an
question.
angry debate was precipitated on this
1t was evident that Douglas had a
much larger support than any other cam
didate. and. there
Fierce Debate fore. the south
Over Resolutions. e,n.'s ars, TO fix the he
platform to suit themselves Aided py
California and Oregon, the southerners
got control of the committee on resolu-
tions and reported a platform. This was
not done until the fifth day of the con-
vention. four days having been taken up
by the contests. Two days Of fierce de-
bate followed. and then the whole ques-
ton was recommitted to the committee
on resolutions. That same day the COM
mittee reported back a platform taking
the extreme southern view of the question
of slavery in the territories. A minor
ity report was made reaff1rming the Gin
cinnati platform of 1886 and piedglng the
democratic party to abide by the decisions
Of the Supreme Court OF the Inited
States on questions of constitutional law.
Gen. B. F. Butler Of Massachusetts, Of
fered a second minority report. which was
the Cincinnati platform of 1886. verbatim
The Butler platform was reJec-ed by l"s
to lO5 The other minority platform was
then substituted for the majority report
by vote of 165 to 13s.
The vote was then taken on the minor
ity platform, and all of it was adopted
except that part pledging the party to
Court, which was defeated. This was the
beginning of the end. Robert Toombs OF
Georgia in an impassioned speech accused
the northern democrats of temporizing
with the abolitionists, and. under the spur
of his bitter denunciation, several north
ern democrats arose and denounced the
institution of slavery as wicked. Then the
final vote was taken. and the platform
favored by the Douglas men was adopted
almost unanimously.
The Alabama delegation then announc
ed that it had been instructed not to
waive the issue,
Alabama Delegates and. as the con-
-, vention had not
Acdu IAC DUH. acc epteG the
southern doctrine. it was compelled TO
withdraw. Mississippi. Florida ana