Year: 1859

the Convention which nominated Mr.. Davis and


number of prominent members of the American


party. At eight O'Clock Mr.. Davis made his appear


ance on the stage, escorted BY r. l.. Seth whit


handed him to a seat, during which time deafenin,


cheers were given by the crowd. As soon as ordeI


was restored Mr. Seth stepped forward and said
FelloC- Citizens:-It affords me much pleasure tt


Introduce to you the Hon. Henry Winter Davis


the nominee of the American party for the FourtI


Congressional District [Chters.


Mr.. Davis commerced by saying:-Fellow-ctiz
OF the Fourth Congressional Dstrct:-I am her,


tonight for the purpose of accepting for the thirt


time, at your hands, the nomination for Congress
in the Fourth Congressional District. He wa


there to thank them for the manifestation of thei


confidence, and to pledge himself to so represen


the Fourth Congressional District, that its con


stituents would not be ashamed and the people
would suffer detriment. 1t was a subject o


qualification to be nominated for the third time fol-


it expressed the unbought appreciation of hi


course in Congress- which, after full delberation


is sanctioned.


While he was acting in Congress-favoring OF


opposing misunderstanding his votes, he was sup


ported by the assurance that his conduct wond bC


judged fairly and impartial ally-that he would not bt


hastily condemned, but that he would have hear


ing before the people. And now when his actions


had been thoroughly canvassed, and nothing tha


he had done had been hidden-for his enemies hat


spared no means to give his every act the widest
pubcity,-after thorough knowledge of every


vote he had cast, his district had approved of hi:
| action by re-nominating him.


As in the instance of his first nomination he


again appeared as candidate for Congress, prece


ding presidential election. When first nominated
| he was comparatively stranger in the city. The


confidence of the people had been reposed in him
| then, and this nomination was the assurance that
he still possessed it. When he was first elected


the administration of Franklin Pierce, which had
| come into power by an almost unanimous vote of
| the States of the Union was in existence. 1t had


found the country quiet, happy and prosperous.


But that administration had destroyed the peace,
nMI I11rn onp1f, nf H.
| gurating series of measures which disturbed and


opened fresh questions which the pacific policy of
| patriots had settled. That administration had
aroused the sectional ealouses and animosites of
the Union, and where all was peace and quiet, dis
| cord and ruin soon existed


Now, however, the scene was changed. The
| President who now occupies the chair is minori-
| ty President He was elected to his position by n
| minority vote, and he had conducted his ad-
ministration that to-day there is heavy majority
| against him in the House of Representatives. if
| the Democratic party were to elect every member
lot Congress yet to be elected there would be ma
jOrity against the administration of forty; and if
the Opposition succeeds in electing the same num-
| Der which they have at present, the majority will


be over fifty. This overwhelming defeat is the seal
which the people of this country have set upon the
present administration.


1t was the duty of the American party to
examine into the causes which have produced
these results and to profit by them. 1t would not
do for the American party to sacrifice its success
as it had done when it was crowned with victories
throughout the Union, but they must act so as to
avoid the shoals which have destroyed the present
administration. Let US look at what the American
party has to contend against. First there is the
Democratic party, which is not of much account in
this great commercial metropolis but loud mOuthed
in the country, and clamOrous for the destruction
of the American party of the city. They have
there met in convention and adopted a number of
resolutions, and sent them forth throughout the
State-the English of which proves conclusivelv
that foreign hand had something to do with their
composition. He was glad the resolutions were of
the character which they were. They were tang-
BILE and definite, and could be reached He had
ceased attempting to follow the different shades of
opinions held by Democratic leaders, from Joshua
X. Giddings to Jefferson Davis. He could not follow
them. There were too many windings and turn
ings, too many paths and byways, but no high
ways. The Democrats in their Convention had
suggested means for the remedy of evils, but he
would say it was not for them to do. If good re-
suits are desired and be obtained, it depends on
no independent mOvement-no meeting ofcitiZens-
to insure them. The American party must act
Its members must do their duty now as they have
in the past without fear and above the influences
of seduction.


The Democratic Convention in one of its resolu-
tions approves of the measures of Mr. Buchanan S
administration. Now let us see what the measures
which are thus sanctioned are. The first was one
of high-handed outrage. On election dav in the
city of w ashington, when all was peace and quiet
when there was no fear of disturbance-when
every mans right was safe and being exercised
IS,
who fired upon the innocent crowd, and thirty-fve
American citizens shot to the ground. That
was the first measure of the Democratic President
and he has been washing his hands of the crime
ever since, but the blood will cling to them. The
Democratic party of this State would have done
the same and endeavored to instigate the Governor
to 4 similar course of action, and only ceased in
their efforts when they found that the men of the
American party of this city, were determined to
demonstrate to them the difference between massa-
ere and fight


The second measure of the administration was
the perpetration of an outrage on of the terri
tories of the country. 1t was torn and troubled
and overrun by bloOd-hounds, which had been sent
there by Pierce, and kept there by Buchanan. An
endeavor was made to force upon the people of that
territory constitution which they had repudiated
by a majority of 10 600. What has been the policy
of this administration in regard to The war qucs-
ton? This power has always been lodged in Con-
gress, and yet Democratic Congress passed law
giving the President power, if he was not satisfied
with a settlement of questions in dispute between
this country and Paraguay to declare war on that
insignificant country. This law passed at the
recommendation of the President. The act was a
violation of the constitution.


Mr.-Davis next referred to the policy of the Presi-
dent in regard to the South American republics and
pronounced it reprehensble in the highest degree
He then referred to the course of the administra-
tion relative to the purchase of Cuba. He stigma
tized the action Of the President in recommending
the placing of S30,000000 in his hands unpar-
ralleled in the history of the country. He would
not say that the President would have spent the
money for his own private purposes-nor would he
say that it would have been spent in election pur-
poses, but he would say that it could and would
have been made the great source of corrup-
ton. The money was to be subject to the
Presidents check. 1t could have been drawn
at any time, and would have been. Several years
could have been spent in negotiating with Spain
for the sale of the Island and during that time the
$50, 900, 600 would have been in the hands of the
President, drawing interest to the amount of ST.
100000 annually, which would have been spent in
corrupting the elections Mr.. Florence's district
could have been carried without soliciting the aid
of the oakum pickers. Mr.. Davis then referred to
the veto by Mr. Buchanan, of the bill appropriating
10000 acres of land for each Congressional district
in each State for the endowing of agricultural
colleges, and said that the administration kept the
public lands to feed the thieves and punderers who
hang about it. lie said these some of the
public acts OF the President, but there were some
private doings which were intended should be only
known to the initiated. He here referred to the
facts proven by the different investigating commit
tees eft the last session, and said that it had been
proven that cabinet officers and the President
himself had sanctioned and endorsed the corruption
which pracsed by the different departments, in
feeding the thieves who fattened on the public
treasury.


After commenting upon the developments as
brought out by the investigation of the committees
and the course of the administration upon certain
measures, he asked, what would we have to expect
for the future-the same schemes will be attempted
again; attempt will be made to open the slave
trade under the cry of free trade with Africa and
the purchase of Cuba will also again be attempted,
although Spain has repeatedly refused the offers
made to her to sell.


Mr.. Davis then referred to the complexion of
the parties they would appear in the next Con-
gress, and advanced the proposition that to defeat
the measures of the admins tration necessary
for the members of the American party in Congress
to combine with the great Conservative party of
the North and West. He said that if the Maryland
delegation had made up their minds in 1856 which
they ought TO have done, to unite with the
Conservative men from the North, Henry
NJ. Fuller would have been electd Speaker
of the House of Representatives Men of the
American party must 90 to the House of Represen-
tatives, to meet the Conservative element there,
bury the name of Republican, and, by united vote,
overwhelm the Administration.


He then referred to votes which had been cast by
himself in the House, which, he sad had been COM
mented upon by his enemies and said, if any one
now wished to yep the cry of Repubicanism
against him, let him begin it nOw--this was
the time to raise the issue. If the South
cannot vote with the conservative element of the
North, then the government cannot stand. In
every measure, in which Maryland was interested,
the conservative vote of the North was with her.
What has the Democratic vote done for the city of
Baltimore? They voted against your courthouse
and postofIlce-and the President vetoed the bills
the conservative men of the North stood oy the
three votes of the Maryland delegation, and voted
with them over the veto of the President.


Maryland is slave State, but also free State.
We are a commercial and manufacturing State
and being so, are identified with Northern States
the Conservative element of the North votes with
We find that Maryland is supported by the op-
position of the North and that her throat is cut by
J IL.