Year: 1860




great dislike to platforms. They say they have
no platform, and they glsd of it; like the fox
in the fable, that having his tail cut off in trap
tried very hard to persuade the fox family geuer-
ally that they would look much better without
tails. We would like to know when this inveter-
ate hatred to platforms, commenced with the
Opposition party. They have been making plat
forms and running their candidates upon them
for the last thirty years. In 1855 they made the
celebrated "pretermittng'' platform; the follow
ing year they made the platform upon which
Fillmore and Donelson were so badly beaten,-
perhaps this has taught them a salutary lesson,
that they had better never attempt to make an
other National parties were content to make
platforms once in four years, but in 1866 the
Opposition party seemed to be afflicted with a
perfect mania upon the subject of platform
making, and not less than one a year would crafty
their insatiate thirst for constructing them. Now,
forsooth, they are curse to the country, which we
readily admit, SO far as any they have ever maGe
IS concerned But, why have this party departed
from their ancient usages in this respect? Why
have they not declared thu cardinal principles
upon which the government will be administered
if they should, per accident. elect their candi.
dates? The answers to these questions are sim
pie and plain. The Convention that nominated
Bell and Everett wNs composed of every variety
of politicians, from conservative old line, pro-
tective tariff Whig down to the rankest Black Re-
publican in thecountry. TIE Convention was a
heterogeneous conglomeration of political traders
and hucksters a cauldron Of


"Black spirits and white,


Red spirits and grey"


Most of whom had no other object in view than
10 fall upon contrivance to deceive the people
achieve victory, and reap harvest of spoils
and punder, to which, as they thought, the VIC
tors would be entitled. There were some pntri-
otic, national old line Wings in the Convention.
but they were hopelesely in the minority. and
could do nothing in shaping the action of the
Convention One Of these insisted upon de-
elara'ion of the principles with which the par.
ty would go before the people and ask that
their nominees should be sustained He said it
would be an insult to the intelligence of the peo-
pie to ask them to vote for. their candidates with
out letting them know what they were for and
what they were against He said he had princi-
pies and he was not afraid or ashamed to avow
them, and he hoped the Convention would not
shrink from its duty in enunciating to the world
the principles upon which they intended to go into
The Contest. This manly speech was applauded
by fer, but was hiSsed by large majority of the
Convention. member spoke in reply, ami said
he was opposed to making any platform that if
they attempted it. they could not agree, and the
Convention would burst up. This shrinking,
dodging, evading speech was received with i'm.
mense applause, and the Convention acted in
accordance with its suggestions So the real
cause why the Opposition party look with such
holy horror-all hypocritical and affected-upon
platforms, is apparent. We hive said that the
Convention was composed of all sorts of politi-
clans, except sound national Democrats As
proof Of this some Of the delegates were in favor
of nominating soft t-she Democrats, such as
Douglas and Houston. Some were for nomina
ting out and out Black Republicans, such as
Bates and Mclean while others, and they con-
stituted majority, were for nominal ting old line
Wigs, whose political record for the last twenty
years showed that they opposed every thing that
was regarded as favorable TO the South-such as
Bell and Everett. Now, does this not account
&c for the milk in the cocoa nut? Does this not
show why such an iucongruOus mass as the Bal :
limore Convention did not and could not adopt :
any platform of principles? TIE Opposition c
party, if they persevere, may possibly yet hit ,
ipon some expedient by which they NAV get q
nto power They have changed their name as '
'ften as Proteus changed his form, and in the g
accommodating spirit of Gen. McMakn, who |
'ffers his beef stakes 10 his guests with or with
tut onions" they have offered their services to b
he country with platform which, being declined, E
hey now offer themselves without platform, L
md we have no doubt they will be respectfully r
eclined. Fl