Milford chronicle., 1928-11-02
LITTLE BAND-WAG0N
JOURNEYS IT.. MERRILL RS

JOURNEYS 1T. nShnrL, HH
He1tsx1eStsxasa O rsSssEs p ~ ~
C9. 1928. Western Newspaper Union.)
1.-THE Divided DemOc
fGcy in 1860
MOT till 1924 did the Democratic
l y party in any national cOnven
tion take so many ballots on a nom
inatiOn for President as in it's fate
full convention Of 1860 that was
destined to break up the party ant
destroy its strength for the mex
two decades, as well as having a di
rect effect in Fastening the "irre
pressible conflict" and dividing the
nation in a bloody civil war.
The showdown on the issue Of
slavery in the last prewar Demo
cratic convention probably was in.
evitable. Stephen A. Douglas, the
little giant" of Illinois who had
been reelected senator from his
state in 1858 following his men,
Orable series of joint debates with
Abraham Lincoln, represented the
point of view of the northern wing
of the Democratic party, with de-
mand for popular sovereignty" on
the question of slavery in the ter
ritOries.
The southern wing Of the party
stood stanchly in defense of slavery
and against any measures taken to
curb its asserted rights of eXten-
sion. They succeeded for the first
time in having the convention of the
party held in the heart of the
South, at Charleston, S. c., sur
rounded by the strongest of pro-
slavery influences.
Even in a stronghold of slavery,
South Carolina journals prOfessed
to fear that Douglas claque would
be imported in sufficient numbers
to influence the convention un-
duly. Charleston papers said they
hoped that northern partiSans who
were not actually delegates would
stay away from the gathering, and
in the enterprise of keeping them
away, the Charleston hotel and inn
keepers co-Operated by raising their
rates to almost prOhibitOry figures
eOr those days. The newspapers
exulted when it was noted that few
er than 1,500 outsiders had come to
tine convention under these circum-
stances and gave Hngrudging credit
20 the patriotic bOnifaces.
Enough Douglas supporters were
present, however, to make a demon
StratiOn. But when Yankee dele
gates tried to march through the
streets of the convention city head
ed by a New York military band,
they were forbidden to do so by the
authorities, who asserted such a
demonstration would be contrary to
the municipal law which forbade
band playing after ten o'clock at
night lest the drums be mistaken
for the dread alarm signal Of "a
slave uprising.
Signs Of an ominOus cleavage
along sectional lines, already evil
dent before the convention met,
were fully verified from the first
in its sessions. For ten days the
convention wrangled over nearly
every subject that arose. Threats
of boiling were flung about by the
southerners early in the proceed
ings. These threats actually were
carried out when the northern wing
of the party refused to approve a
platform plank upholding the prin-
ciple Of the Supreme courts famous
Dred Scott decision favorable to
At this a large bloc Of delegates
from Alabama, Mississippi, Florida,
Texas, Louisiana, South Carolina,
Georgia and a few from Arkansas,
Delaware and North. Carolina
stalked out of the convention, not
to return.
The fact that the remaining del
egates insisted upon a nomination
being made by a two-thirds vote of
the original number, in accordance
with the traditional rule Of the
party, augmented difficulties Of try
ing to agree on a nomination after
the boilers had left.
Through 81 ballots, a record num-
Der up to that time, the convention
lattled, with Douglas always in the
cad, but with his greatest strength
IN any ballot only 1924, while 202
we're necessary for a choice. Finally,
N the tenth day, despairing of any
possibility of making nomination,
he convention voted to adjourn
md meet two months later at Bal
imOre.
When the Baltimore convention
assembled a temporary flooring in
he parquet of the theater where
he sessions were held collapsed at
he center, rolling the delegates
own in a scrambling mass. The op-
OsitiOn press commented upon this
Incident as an ominous portent of
he forthcoming dropping out of the
ottOm of the party-nor was such
rOphecy idle
Convention dissensions Of 1860
split the party, resulting
] two Democratic tickets being put
ltO the field, and contributed to the
rst Republican victory that put
braham Lincoln into the White
louise and led to the secession of
he South.