The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-06-13

not done until the fifth day of the con
vention, four days having been taken
up by the contests. Two days of
fierce debate followed, and then the
whole question was recommitted to
the committee on resolutions. That
same day the committee reported back
a platform taking the extreme south
ern view of the question of slavery in
the territories. A minority report was
made reaffirming the Cincinnati plat
form of 1856 and pledging the demo
ocratic party to abide by the decisions
of the supreme court of the United
States on questions of constitutional
law. General B. F. Butler of Massa-
chusetts ogered a second minority re-
port which was the Cincinnati plat
form of 1856, verbatim. The Butler
platform was rejected by 1913 to 105
The other minority platform was then
substituted for the majority report by
a vote of 165 to 1873.
The vote was then taken ON the mi
nority platform, and all of it was
adopted except that part pledging the
party to abide by the decisions of the
supreme court, which was defeated.
This was the beginning Of the end.
Robert Toombs of Georgia in an i'm
passioned speech accused the north
ern 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 an
nounced that it had been instructed
not to waive the issue, and, as the
convention had not accepted the south
ern doctrine, they were compelled to
withdraw. Mississippi Florida and
Texas, the majority of the delegations
from Louisiana, South Carolina, and
a part of those from Arkansas, Della
ware and North Carolina followed. On
the next day majority of the Georgia
delegates also withdrew. Forty-five
votes having withdrawn, this left the
convention with only 25S votes in
stead of 303 But the convention was
loyal to the democratic traditions both
of the electoral apportionment and
the two-thirds rule, and it decided that
two-thirds of full convention, which
is 202 votes, should be necessary for
"a choice This precedent was follow.
ed in 1896 at Chicago when the gold
democrats of the east refused to vote.
Then the balloting for president be-
gan. Mr.. Douglas had majority of
the delegates voting, but never even
a simple majority of the full conven.
tion strength, much less the necessary
two-thirds Fifty-seven ballots were
taken, the Douglas vote falling be
tween 145 and 1852. The southerners
supported R. M. T. Hunter of Virginia
James Guthrie of Kentucky, and An
drew Johnson of Tennessee-that
same Johnson who was four years
later to be the republican nominee fol
vice president to become president
on Lincoln's death, On every ballot
General B. f. Butler of Massachusetts
voted for jefferson Davis of Missis
sippi
On May 3. after ten days of fruitless
endeavor, the convention adopted a
resolution to adjourn to meet in Balti
more on June 1S. Many delegates al
the time remarked that this was the
anniversary of Waterloo.
In the meantime the southern dele
gates who had withdrawn from the
convention met in another hall in
Charleston and organized as nationa
convention They adopted as plat
form the majority report that hat
been made by the committee on reso
lutions of the national convention
After four days of speech-making they
adjourned to meet in Richmond or
June II. When they did reassemble
on that day they at once adjourned
until June 2l
The regular convention reassembled
in Baltimore on June Is. The chair
man, Caleb Cushing of Massachusetts
at the very beginning threw the con
vention into confusion by declaring
that the adoption of the platform as
made at Charleston, was subject to re
consideration. Three whole days were
spent in filling the vacancies from the
southern states. In some cases the
continued on last pagel