Year: 1860

GENTLEMEN--In accordance with the yer
bal assurance which | gave yon when you
placed in my hands the authentic evidence
of my nomination for the Presidency, by
the National Con vention of the Democratic
party. ! now send you my formal accep.
tance Upon careful examination of the
platform of Principles adapted at Charles
ton, and reaffirmed at Baltimore, with an
harmony with the Others; find it to be a
faithful embodiment of the time honored
principles of the Democratic party. the
same we're proclaimed and understood by
l54s, 1852, and 1856.


Upon lonkii into the proceedings of
the Convention, also. ind that the nom
ination was made with great unanimity in
the presence and with the conference Of
more than two thirds Of the whole mum
Der of delegates. and in each accordance
with the long established usage of the
party


My infexible purpose not to be a candI-
date, nor accept the nomination under any
/ contingency, except as the regular nom
nee of the National Democratic party, and
! in that case only upon condition that the
usages a. well as the principles of the
party, should he strictly adhered to. bad
been proclaimed for long time, and be-
come well known to the country.


These conditions have all been complied
with 10y the free aud Voluntary


the Democratic masses aud their faithful
representatives., without any agency, in
reference Orp ocurement OIL my part,
feel bouud in honor and duty to accept the
nomination


In taking this step not unmiudful
of the responsibility it imposes, but with
firm reliance upon Divine Providence,
have the faith that The people will com
prehend the true nature of the issues in.
volved, and eventually maintain the right
The peace Of the country and the perpetu
ity of the Union have been put in jeopardy
i
control the domestic affairs of the people
in the Territories, through the agency of
the Federal Government. lfthe power and
the duty of Federal interference is to be
conceded, two hostile sectional parties
must be the inevitable result, the one
ihflaming the passions and ambition of the
North, and the other of the South, and
each struggling to use the Federal power
and authority for the sggrandizemeDt of
its own section, at the expense of the equal
rights Of the other, and in derogation of
those fundamental principles, the princ-
pies of self government which were firmly
established in this country by the Amer
ican Revolution, as the basis of our entire
Republican system.


During the memorable period of our
political history, when the advocates of
+ Federal intervention upon the subject Of
precipitated the country into revolution,
I the Northern Interventionists demanding
the Wilmot Proviso for the prohibition of
/ Slavery, and the Southern intervention
though few in number, and without a sin.
gle Representative in either House or Con
gress, insisting upon Congressional legis
lation for the protection Of slavery, lin op.
position to the wishes of the pecple, in
either case,) it will be remembered that
it required all the wisdom of a Clay, aud
a Webster, and Cass, supported by the
conservative and p atretic men of the Wing
and Democratic parties of that day, to de
wise and carry out line of policy which
would restore peace to the country and
stability TO the Union. The essential,
living principle of that policy, as applied
In the legislation of le45, was and now
is, non Intervention by Congress with slav
cry IN the Territories.


( fhe fair application OF this just and
equitable principle restored harmony and
/ fraternity to distracted country. IL we
now depart from that wise and just policy
which produced these happy results, and
permit the country to be again distracted



and precipitated into revolution by sec
tional contest between pro-slavery and
anti slavery interventionists, where shall
We look for another Clay, another Webster.
or another Cass to pilot the ship of State
over the breakers into a place of peace and
safety


4 Tie Federal Union must be preserved
the Constitution must be maintained in
violate in all its parts; every right guaran
teed By the Constitution must be protected
by law in all cases where legislation is
necessary TO its enjoyment; the judicial
authority in the Constitution must be
sustained and its decisions implicitly


obeyed aud faithfully executed; the laws
must be administered and the constituted
authorities upheld, and all unlawful re
sistance 10 these things must be met with
Grmness. impartiality and fidelity, if We
expect to enjoy aud transmit, unimpaired,
to our posterity, that blessed inheritance
which we have received in trust from the
patriots and sages of the Revolution.


With sincere thanks for the kind and
agreeable manner in which you have
made known to me the action OF the Cou
. vention, | have the honor to be, very re
, spectfully, your friend and fellow citizen
[Signedl SsA DoueLAs.
u A few days before the meeting of thu
Convention at Baltimore. the Sage of Bing
hampton, the veteyau Dem ocrat and states
man, Daniel s. Dickinson, wrote leite
to friend in Baltimore, from which tn
following extract is made:


: BlvGHAMProx, \ Y, June l5, 1860


I greatly fear an un~ise. and If success


ful, fatal effort, TO resist the return of tn
Withdrawing delegations. So far from re


sistng the return Of these delegations
they should be welcomed To the floor G
y the Convention and to their seats amids
J. every demonstration Of applause known {
a popular assembly.


Their rejection would break up the Con
e L. Al a..