Year: 1861

his favor, by promising Committee Chairman
ships, and porters and pages. Rest assured,
gentlemen, am pledged to no man or set OF
men. Applause.


Hon. W. P. Tilden, Democratic member
from Butte, spoke as follows:


Mr.. TILDEN-I had hoped that l should
have passed through this fight without leaving
my seat, and that the only part should have
taken in it might be to give my vote. But
circumstances have arisen which seem to make
it necessary for me to place myself right before
my constituents | have voted for Speaker
to preside over this Assembly, not in a spirit
of man worship, but in support of principle
which believe is fundamental principle oil
our Republic, and the only thing that can pre-.
serve it intact. Now, what is the position oil
parties on this floor? That may be the bet
fer understood in defining the position of par
ties softer me to go back little. 1t is well
known to every member of this body that in
May of last year the Democratic party conven-
ed at Charleston, that they might establish a
platform, and place upon it nominee for the
Presidency who could be presented to the citi-
zens of the United States for their suffrages-
for the important high and responsible office
of President OF the United States. That body
was divided. The platform that was adopted
by majority of that body did not suit GER
tain class of men there in at t'endance And
who were they7 They were men who. since
the time of the Southern Convention in 1858,
in Montgomery, Alabama, had plotted treason
against the Government of the United States.
[Applause] They we're men who knew thar
as long as the time-honored Democratic party
ba yuo NIT fnrIu "
impossible. They went to work early to feel
the pulse Of the people of the South. They
tried it first upon a movement in favor of re-
storing the African slave trade, intending to
go to Congress and demand if the Southern
people would support them in time-a restore-
tion of that trade. But they discovered that
that would not do.


Mr.. Haul rise to point of order. The
discussion of national politics is not in order.


The CLERK-The Clerk is disposed to let it
go on The debate has taken quite general
range so far


Mr.. TILDEN continued-They discovered
that that proposition would not be accepted
by the people of the Southern States. They
had to cast round for some other excuse for the
division of the Democratic party. Early, /
think. in the Fall of 1858, perhaps 1859, some
Southern papers began to throw out the idea
that this doctrine of non-inteIve vention and pOpu-
lar sovereignty. embraced in the platform upon
which James Buchanan had been elected would
not answer the Southern people. They must
have protection for their property in the Ter
ritories. 1t was with this single idea that Mr.
Yancey, of Alabama, went to the Charleston
Convention with an ultimatum, demanding Of
4 ho - to1 in,
vention. the embodiment of that principle in
the platform or, he said they would secede.-
Now were they honest Did they really de-
sire that the doctrine of protection-the power
of Congress to protect slavery in The Terrific
ries-did they desire that that should be en-
bodied in the platform? They did not. Had
they received their demand, had they got what
they asked at that time they would have been
sorely disappointed in their object. What they
desired was dissolution of the Union, and the
of Southern Confederacy; and
they knew, when they made The demand of the
National Democratic party in Convention as
that they would be rejected. and they
would make that pretext for secession from
the Confederation The object was to divide
the Democratic party and put two Presidential
candidates in the field, thus giving the Repub
lican candidate certainty of election. and ma
king that pretext for dissolution of the
Union. What has been the state of things
since the election of Mr.. Lincoln has been
known? 1t has been demonstrated to the world
that the purposes charged by the Douglas men
upon the seceders were true. Their object
from first to last was secession, dissolution of
the Union, the establishment of Southern
Confederacv. What we told the people of
California, when the issue was made in the last
that their purposes and intentions
were-have they not been demonstrated to a
letter? The issue was made in this State. |
went into the field and took humble part in
Butte County. l satisfied myself that the only
way in which the integrity of this Confederacy
of States could be preserved was to take the
position of MIR Douglas, who headed the great
conservative body of the Union. Mr.. Lincoln,
on his side had established the o. trine of an
irrepressible conflict He had sent forth to the
world his opinion that there existed in the
Union opposing and enduring forces. He had
declared that this Government was divided
against itself, and that house divided against


itself could not stand-that all the States in
the Union must become free States, or all must
become slave. Such was the doctrine and





Baltimore Conventions took their position, the
irrepressible conflict was inaugurated and es-
tablshed and the result inevitably must be a
dissolution Of the Union. Nothing can save
the integrity of our Union but q conservative
body rallying under the standard OF Mr.. Doug
las. We went into the fight. We presented
the issue to the people, and what verdict have
we? Thirty six Representatives in this House
against twenty-three of the advocates of seces-
sion and dissolution Thirty six sir, against
what ? Against nineteen advocates of the ir-
repressibe conflict. Such is the verdict of the
people of California, and that verdict proves
lncontestably, clear as a sunbeam, that the
heart of the people of California is for the
Union. and the Union forever. Applause. |
l have sat here and voted for Mr.. Conness, the
honorable gentleman from Ell Dorado, for
Speaker of this House, because l believe it
was necessary to do so in order to preserve our
party, to keep it intact, and that the voice Of
California should go forth to the world that
she will stand by the Union forever. have,
in my life, been engaged in a profession that
required of me, many day, to analyze sub
stances and reduce them to their natural ele
ments. Let me apply the experience have
had in analyzing substances to The analysis of
some of the propositions that have come from
the Breckenridge men. Let US look at the
character of some of the olive branches they
have been pleased to offer to us. 1t is well
known TO every observant mind in California,
it was distinctly understood by every one who
l. L @c Fill