Year: 1865

How the New York Republican Plat.


form Was Adopted.


a correspondent of the New York Her
aid, whose letter is published in Saturdays
issue ofthst paper, processes to explain the
way in which conservative, non commit
tai platform was framed and forced upon q
convention which contained, ss Horace
Greedy claimed, a large radical msjority:


The report of the committee was made
70 the Convention st SO late an bour-half-
past ten P. M. when the delegates we're
SO Wearied by their long lsbors, that any
thing which came recommended BY the
Committee On Resolutions would have
gone through in spite of any opposition.
This being the case al depended upon the
character of the committee; and In post
poniDg its appointment until Me-. Dspew
became the presiding officer, the Weed side
had majority which gsve tone TO the res
olutions, and secured the passage of those
which were presented. AS already stated,
there were three sets of resolutions pre-
sented TO the committee by different mem
bers. There were also SIX or seven sets
mora drawn up and in the hands of rad
icSI delegates who expected to be on the
committee; and had that side secured o
msiority, the resolutions on the restoration
of the south and negro suffrage would
have been of 3 different tone. There
might not have been any resolutions di
rectly advocating negro suffrage and other
extreme points in reference TO the South,
but they would have alluded 70 il in SO
direct q way that but one Interpretation
could have been placed upon them. But
the committee was 80 strongly cODservs-
tive that even the resolution presented by
Raymond was toned down on the negro
suffrage question He had q plank point
ing unmistAbIy to this sutjsct and although
he endeAvored to mystify its mc2ning by
the,jumbling Of words, yet the negro struck
out. f,.l


A member of Congress on. the committee
objected to it on the ground that he con-
sidered his sanction Of the resolution in the
committee would commit him TO the negro
suffrage policy. Inasmnch as it would come
up with ether questions on the admission
ofthe Southern representatives in Congress
next winter, on which he would hsve 70 take
rides, he desired 70 avoid any action in this
convention which would commit him one
vav or the other in advance OF his official
confederation of the question then. The
resolutions presented by the two radical
members of the committee being voted
down, their ideas were also chOked of on
thss point The public can see in the reso-
1etions what was substituted in the place
of Rsymond's ideS on negro suffrage.
There wss an evident feeling among the
conservatives that anything looking like
neerc suffrage in the platform was sure 20
bring defeat at the polls. As matter of
policy, and policy merely, the question was
ignored IS much as possible.


THE RADICALS FRIGHTENED OFF.


As slresdy stated, there were several
resolutions Of an extreme character drawn
nm and ready to be presented to the Con-
ventiou. But the Committees report Wss
held back TO so late an hour that general
anxiety to get away became so manifest
that their radical authors were aiIaid TO
submit them, feAsing that they would not
reoeiye consideration, but be summerily
throWn under the table Thus the Con-
vention wAs saved a food Of this kind of
literature, and Andrew johnson Cane of
with an endorsement By the Convention.