Show BUTLERS BOOK GENERAL BENJAMIN F BUTLER in his recent work But lets erB book gives a graphic account of the democratic conventions of 1860 he was a delegate from to the charleston convention which w was as presided over by caleb dishing cushing he says ii havi having n g become satisfied sais sala fied fled that there was wa danger of an attempt to sever never the union of the states upon the slavery question I 1 sedulously devoted myself to an endeavor to keep the peace and keep the democratic party together because I 1 looked to that as the only y source of safety to the union upon the slavery question mr douglas vi was as the leader of that part of the convention which advocated the principle known as squatter sovereignty that is the right of a people who settle anany in any part of the territory of the united states to organize themselves under such laws precisely as they choose to enact and then to b be admitted into the union without being subjected by congress to any conditions or any provision as to freedom or slavery in their sfa statehood fe hood 11 gen butler did not fully endorse the squatter idea he believed that the time had come when another slave state could not enter the union under any conditions he also believed that congress should retain power ower of admission over new Sst Seta atef teg the he committee on OD resolutions of the charleston convention consisted of thirty three members of whom gen butler was wag one sixteen of these favored the douglas platform sixteen others were in favor of leaving the question of slavery as a state tion 9 be decided by the supreme court butler did not favor either the decision of the dred scott case illustrated what the result would be should that court be made arbiter it satisfied neither party and was derided by one and tramped upon by the other here butler endeavored to act the part of compromiser he introduced a resolution which was the exact platform of the cincinnati national democratic convention of 1859 and on which buchanan was wall elected the result was that these reports were presented to the convention one a douglas platform another anti douglas and a third the cincinnati platform pure and simple each of the sixteen members on both aides spoke in favor of their respective platforms forms is n and finally the doughty genera general got t the he floor to speak for his minority report of one to his surprise he carried the convention and with the exception of south carolina his bis resolutions were adopted this caused the carolina delegation to secede leaving the hall in body the convention then adjourned for dinner on reassembling balloting began butler voted seven times for douglas and on the eighth ballot voted for jefferson dayis davis and continued to do so on 56 subsequent ballots when the convention resolved to sojourn adjourn and meet again at baltimore on june 18 the squatter Sovereign ity I platform came up again at baltimore then caleb cushing Cu ehing who was presiding vacated the chair and withdrew from the convention several southern thern delegates also withdrew even butler himself left finally dauglas got the nomination and the se ceders organ laed a convention of their own |