Year: 1860

On Monday evening last the Hiehus oI
BREcKlNRIaDE and LANE in Washington City,
complimented President BUCHANAN with a
serenade, in response to which hesaid


FRIENDS AND FELLow-oITIzENs ] thank you
from my heart for the honor Of this visit
cordially congratulate you on the preference
which YOU have expressed for Major Breckln-
ridge and Gen Lane as candidates for the
Presidency and Vice Presidency of the Uni
ted States over all competitors. Applause
They are men whose names are known to the
Country they need no eulogy from me
They have served their country IN peace and
in war. They are statesmen as well as soldiers,
and in the day and hour of danger they VIII
ever be at their post They are conservative
men andsin the course Of their administra-
tion they will be equally Just TO the North and
TO the South, to the East and to the West
1Applause Above all, and first Of all, they
are friends of the Constitution and of the
Union, Teheers, and they will stand by them
to the death. Renewed cheers But we ought
not to forget that they are also friends to the
equality Of the sovereign States of this Union
in the common Territories of the Country.
Cries of ''Goodir1 They will maintain that
principle, which should receive the cordial ap-
probation of us all Equality is equity Every
citizen of the United States is equal before
the Constitution and the laws and why
shoud not the equality of the sovereign States
composing this Union be held in like rever-
ence ? This is good Democratic doctrine.
Liberty and equality are the birthright OF
every American citizen and just as certain
ly as the day succeeds the night 80 certain
will this principle of Democratic justice even.
tually prevail over all opposition. [Cheers
But, before speak further upon this subject
and shall not detain you very long-l wish
to remove one stumbling block out of the
way


have ever been the friend of regular nom
nations have never struck political tick
ct in nv life. Now, was there anything done
at Baltimore to bind the political conscience
of any sound Democrat, or TO prevent him
from supporting Breckenridge and Lanei
T"No! nor ] was contemporary with the
abandonment ofthe old congressional conyen'
ton or caucus. This occurred long time
ago; very few, if any, of you remember it
| Under the old congressional convention sys
TEN, no person was admitted TO seat except
the Democratic members Of the Senate and
| House of Representatives. This rule render
ed il absolutely certain that the nominee, who
ever he might be, would be sustained at the
| election by the Democratic States OF the
Union BY this means it was rendered impos
sible that those States which could not give
an electoral votes for the candidate wher
nominated should control the nomination and
dictate to the Democratic States who shoulC
be their nominee


| This system was NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. wise
ly or not | shall express no opinion. The Ma
tional Convention was substituted IN Its stead
H.. moi
were equally to send delegates to this Con
yention according to the number of their sen
ators and representatives in Congress.


A difficulty at once arose which never coul'
have arisen under the congressional conven
ton system. If a bare majority of the Ma
tonal Convention thus composed could nomi
nate candidate he might be nominate'
mainly by the anti-Democratic States agans
the will of large majority of the Democrat
ic States. Thus the nominating power woul
be separated from the eleeting power, whic
could not fail to be destructive to the strengt
and harmony of the Democratic party


To obviate this serious difficulty in the o


ganization ofa National Convention and
: the same time to leave all the States the


full vote, the two-thrds rule was adopted


was believed that under this rule no candldaI





within the two-thirds the votes Of decide
. minority of the Democratic States. This wa


the substitute adopted to retain, at least in


great degree, the power to the Democrat
Il States which they would have lostby abandon


ing the congressional convention system


This was main pillar in the edifce Of n


tional conventions Remove il and the who


must become a ruin. This sustaining pill'


was broken to pieces at Baltimore by the Co
:. vention which nominated Mr.. Douglas A
>, ter this the body was no longer nation


convention; and no Democrat, however dey


ted 10 regular nominations was bound TO gi'
a the nominee his support he was left free {.
act according to the dictates of his own jud


ment and conscience And here in passin


/ may observe that the wisdom of the w


thirds rule is justified by the events passiI


around US. Had II been faithfully observe
no candidate could have been nominatl
> against the will and wishes of almost eve
!, certain Democratic State in the Union, again
y nearly all the Democratic senators and mo
a, than three-fourths of the Democratic repI
3 sentatiyes in Congress. [Cheers


u purposely avoid entering upon any d


cussion respecting the exclusion from Il