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The Buffalo Convention

The Buffalo Convention image
Parent Issue
Day
30
Month
October
Year
1847
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Tliis Convention, c:illed lo make a nominaron of President and Vice President of the United States, adjourned after n session of two dnys, having compleled its business. We took no notes of the speeches made on the occasion, bjt we shall endeavor to giveour readers a gener;il idea of the convention, its character, spirit,and proceedings, fiom our own recollection, an.i fiom the notes ol ourexchanges. The session werc held at the Couri House, the Oberltn Tent, the Bethel Cliurch and the Thealre. The weather was too clnlly to admit of evening sessions being held in the Tent. The number in attendince at the tent we should judge varied fiom fivehundred to 2500 or 3000. When sessions were held in the buildings, they were filled. Mie numbers, howevêr, were notasgreat s at the Chicago Liberty Con vention. All the F ree Staics were renresented cept lowa. Tho Slaveholding Staies and the District of Coluinbia were called, but no response was ma ie. The convention conlained many of the most alcnied membeis of the Liberty Party. Amongthcm we noticed Gen. IIoit of New Hampshire, Tirus HuTcniNsoN of Vermont, Leavitt and Stanton of Massachusetts, Bootii of Connecticut, Lewis Tappan, Gerritt Smith and Henry Bradley of New York, Dr. Lemoyne and Dr. Elder. of Pennsylvania, S. P. Chase, Samuel Lewis and President Maban, of Ohio, Lovejoy, of Illinois, and Holton, of VVisconsin. Among the Leaguers were William Goodell and G. W.Clarke, tmt they took no part in the discussions. Liberly liditors wero quite numerous. Among thein we noticed the conductor oí the Standard of Maine, Emancipator of Boston, Patrio! and Luminary of Pennsylvar.ia, Uerald of Cincinnati. By the terms of the Cali, t" e Convention was to act as a Mass Meeting, except on matters pertaining to the Presidential nomination, whicli were to be decided solely by the t'elegates. But as other impoilant qustions vitally aifocting the creed of the Liberty party were to come up for decisión, many members wero unwilling that they should be decided by a Mass meeting, when it was xvell known that the rmjority of the Mass meeling mig'nt come to a decisión directly opposed tothat of a majority of the National Delegales. A corapromiss was therefore moved by Mr. Leavitt, and sustained, by which all questions were first to be t;iken in the Mass meeting, and any persou vho pleased could thereafter appeal to the decisión of the delégales. On several occasions this appeal was taken. But the exnenence of the meeting convinced us that in fulure it will be wise to ca!l a National Convention composed of delegites osly, as the other parlies do. The mannerof voting, loo, we think, may be improved. At this meetiug, any Stato having one delégate present, was allowed to throw the whole number of electoral votes of that State. Thus, in makingthe nomination for President, Vew Jersey liad one delégate who ca-t 8 vote?,and Indiana liad one who cast 12 votes. A beller wav would be lo allow no votes to be counted, except of delegales actunlly present. We were uware before we went tothis Convention, that thren principal tupies of disagreement would come up - the Constitutional questinn, the League principies, and the Po:-tponement of the nomination. The Constitucional question was bul mperfectly argued on eilher side, for want of time. Ol'course various shadesof opinión existed,but ihe practical questioo at issue wos - "Has Congress or the Supreme Court the legal right to set fiee the Sluves in the Staies V' All who hold that Slnvery is unconstitutional did not necessarily hold that Slavery in the Slates mightbesoabolished, yetthe tendcncy of iheir views was evidently towards that posilion. S. P. Chase, ofOhio, maden most sensible speech on the subject, denying the e.xistence of any such power in the General government, nnd deprecating its exercise, if it existed. If Congress or the Supreme Csurt can interfere with andsetasidc the dumestic regulalions of one State, they can annul tlie laws of all, the States, which wou!d make an end of all Siate Rights. The majorily of the Convention were indisposed to sanction the ultra views advanced, but were content to assert the nntislavery potrera of the Constilulion asusuallv held, believing them to be sufficient, when fully exerted, to put an er.d to Slavery. The question of the "Other Interests" was debated with much earnestness nnd at considerable length. Gerrit Smith spoke an hour on the subject, and gnined great applause by bis candor and abilityIn tru:h he is a noble man, above the usual size, with n head which n phrenologist vvould delight to analyse, and an eye beaming with intelligence and good wil). lt was evident enough that his views were not pleasing to someoftlie leaders of the party, vet lie maóe a strong improssion on the mass of his hearers. lle asked the Liberty men present whether the Liberty Party was a permanent national party. "Yes, Yes," was unruiiinously responded. Fie Ihcreíbre nrgued that it oughl to takc he attitude of such a party, and bc prcared to nnnonnce iis position, and act nn nll tliose sulijects on whicli a righteous civil government ought to act. He did not ask the cnnvention to adopt llie principies of the League. Nut at all. He did not wish them then to adopt any creed. Rut he wished the Liberty party to say, "We are a permanent party, and we will infnrm our.-selves and caniliilly consuler and discuss tlie great principies of civil government, in all their relations, and when vvo havearrived at conclusions, we wil! a.inounüe them, and be prepared to carry them out as we have oppdrtunity." Mr. Smith e.xplained that he was not a member of the League, and probably never should be : that he had not accepted any nomination from that party, nor should he do so ; and that he did not hold to all tbeir principies, although he was mi:ch in favor of Free Trade and Land Refoim. He wished the Liberty party to go, not only against one form of evil but all ; and advocate and do, as a party, all that a righteous government ought to do, and thus "fulfïll all righteouness." Mr. Lovejoy, of Illinois, took ihe fioor against him, arguing that lm essenti.-.'. difference existed among Liberly men on this question of other interests, only some 1 ad advanced fnrther than others. He held to the "One Idea."yet if a great majfirity of thn convetition were for taking the ground of Mr. Smith, he was not certa in but he shou'd vote wilh them. H. B. Stanton foilowed on ihe saine side, hut asseiting that there was a most essentii'l difFerence of views among Liberty men, and deprecating any attempt to keep it out of sight. On tnking the queslion in the Mausmeeling, the división was so nearly equal that it wasimpossible to decide by the sound of the voices. On taking an ajipenl to the delégales, the proposition of Mr. Smith was lost by a large majonty. On the question of Postponement, the minds of many delegates underwent n change after their nrrival at the convention. It was evident enough that the New England delegation came Ihere u-ith a full dstermination to nominale Mr. líale, wliile a large part of lhe Western members were not nuffioient!y sntisfiod that lie was the man vvho was necJptl. - No other prominent candidato was before the Convention except Gerrit Sinilli ; and lic dcclined being a candidato of (bat or anj' other party. In all the wide range of offices from Palhmaster to P.esident. Mr. Smilh said he had never filled onc ; and we understood him to say that he had never bepn a candidate for any office. - Bin in reply to questions by Mr. Bradley, he said he would not accept the nomination of the Liberty party if t were tencïered to him ; but if elrcted ly thepeople, he would most certainly serve, as heshouid dcsm himself a monster of wickedness were he to refuse to excrcise lhe mightj iind fur-reaching powers of the President for the benefit of t bis great nation. Dr. Lemoyne, in behalf nf the Pennsylvania delegation, took the stand against John P. líale, as not being a berty man : whereupon Levvis Tappan read a correspondence belweer. that gentleman and some eastern Liberty men, by which t appeared that Mr. Male would consent to ihe nominntion at Buffalo, pro vided t should be acquiesced in by the convention of his own State. Tbis had been done. Fïom further statements made by Leavitt, Stanton, T.nppan, and others, it appeared lhat a personal interview liad beon liad with Mr. Male in Boston, in company with Mr. Tuck, member of Congress from New Hampshire, in which the whole matter was discussed, nnd the committee present were fuliy satisfied that Mr. Male was a sound antislavery man - the very man the Liberty party neerled. Mr. Stanton, who had often travelled and lectured with Mr. Male, gave a favorable sketch of his poütical life. Undar these circumstances, the vote on Postponement was taken, and resulted in 37 ailirmalive votes to 128 negative. - The whole Ohio delegation except one, voted for Postponement. For ourself, we adhered to our previously expressed views, and in accordance with the vote of the State and many local meetings, we went with the minority ; but the remainder of the Michigan delegation deemed the circumstances sufficient to warrant an mtnediate nominntion. S. P. Chnse mace a speech in favor of a postponement, bringing out as a reason the prospective views of a general unión of all anti-slavery men which might, perhaps, be efTected in the spring : but it was evident that exclusive of the Ohio delegation, the remarks met with bu' little favr. On the first ballot, John P. Male received 103 votes, and Gerrit Smith 44, besides some scattering. Mr. Male was declared the candidnte ; whereupon Mr. Chase, in behalf of the Ohio delegation, carne forward, and pledged for him the cordial support of that State. In selecting a candidate for Vice President, Lcmoyne, Chase, Lovejoy, anc King, all western men, were named. - The controversy was between the last two ; b'it Mr. Lovejoy partially declining, Judge King was nominated. The great diflïeulty respecting Mr. M;ilc, in the ininds of many western mcmbers, was a want of inlbi-mntion on ihe soundness of his anti-slavery principies ; and nothing but the accumulnted evidenre of man)' eastorn gcnllemen who knew him personally, could salisfy tliem on this point. Kut iheir doubts being removed, a general harmony and good feeling prevailed at the close of the convention, which gie promise of a prosperous and encouraging cnmpaign. On the whole, if Mr. Hale nroves himselftobetlie man he is represented, taking into view all the circumstances of the case, we shall think his nomination advanlageous to ihe Liberty cause ; and shall give him, wilh that mcasureof ability we possess, our cordial and earnest .support. Net week we shall give the official proceodings of the convention, with further remarks of uur own.

Article

Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News