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Show 492 NATIONAL CONVENTIONS. and adopted, in substance, tho principles of the compro. mise measures of 1850, as their platform on slavery. Iu 1860, the Constitutional Union party, at Baltimore nominated John Bell for President, and Ed ward Evcrct~ for Vice-President, adopting ''the Constitution and enforcement of the laws" as a platform. The Republican convention, at Chicago, nominated Abraham Lincoln for President, and llannibal IJamlin for Vice-President, and adopted the following resolutions on slavery : 11 Re8olved, That tho new dogma that the Constitution of its own force, canies slavery into any or all the terri~ torics of the U11iLed States, i. a dangerous political heresy, at variance with the explicit provi ions of that in:Lrumcnt itself, with contemporaneous expo iLio n, ancl with lcgi lntive and jnd.ieial precedent, is revolutionary in its tendency, and subverstve of tho peace and harmony of the country. 11Re ·ol~e d, That tl~e normal condition of all tho territory ~f the Umted States IS that of freedom; that as our republiCan fathers, when they had abolished slavery in all our national territory, ordained that no pet·son should be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process ·of law, it becomes our duty, by legislation, whenever such legislation is necessary, to maintain this provi fon of the Constitution against all attempts to violate it; and we deny the authority of Congress, of a territorial legislatu;o, or of any individuals, to give legal existence to slavery in ~ny territory of the United States. ".Re ·olved, That we brand the recent re-openiug of the ~fl'lcan slave tra~e, under the cover of our national flag, fll(lcd by pcrvor. Ions of judicial power, as a crime acrainst hnmanity, a burning shame to our country and age, a~d we caJJ upon Congress to take prompt and efficient measures for the total and final suppression of that execrable traffic." , NATIONAL CONVENTIONS. 493 The Democratic convention met at Charleston on the 18th of April. .After a session of nearly two weeks, toward the close of which most of the delegates from eight southern States left the convention, an adjournment to meet at Baltimore, on the 18th of June, was agreed upon. 'l'he convention met, pursuant to a<1journment, at Baltimore, and on the 23d of June, Stephen A. Douglas, of Illinois, was nominated for President, and Benjamin Fitzpatrick, of Alabama, for Vice-President. The following resolutions were adopted. Excepting the last ono, these resolutions were passed at Charleston : "Resolved, That we, the Democmcy of the Union, in convention assembled, hereby declare our affirmation of the resolutions unanimously adopted and dcchtred as a platform of principles by tho Democratic convention at Cincinnati, in the year 1856, believing that Democratic principles are unchangeable in their nature when applied to the sumo subject matter, and we recommend as our only further resolutions, the following : "Resol-ved, That it is in accordance with the interpretation of tho Cincinnati platform, that during the existence of Tonitorial government, the measure of res triction, whatever it may be, imposed by the federal Constitution, or the power of the rrerritorial legislature, over tho subject of the domestic relations, (as the same has been or shall hereafter be finally determined by the Supreme Court of the United States,) should be respected by all good citizens, ancl enforced with promptness and fidelity by every branch of the ge.ncral government. 11 Resolved, That it is the duty of the United States to afford ample and complete protection to all its citizens, at home or abroad, and whether native or foreign born. "Resol·ved, That one of the necessities of the uge, in a military, commercial and postal point of view, is speedy communication between the Atlantic nnd Pacific States, |