luence to elect
members of such a convention who will do the same? If the North will
give us such pledges as will secure that kind of action, perhaps we
will go for a General Convention. Without such a pledge, a General
Convention would be worse than useless.

Mr. WICKLIFFE:--I am glad I have obtained the floor for a few minutes.
I feel that it will be very painful for me to address the Conference,
on account of physical debility.

But I came here with the single purpose of accomplishing the
settlement of one or two important questions. Permit me, once for all,
and for the last time, to tell the gentlemen from New Hampshire and
Connecticut, that they wholly misunderstand the import of the action
of the Legislature of Kentucky, and the views of the "Louisville
Journal." I have said, before, that in view of the fact that Congress
could not settle our difficulties, the Legislature of Kentucky asked
for a National Convention, as our only hope of making an adjustment.
After this came the invitation of Virginia, like a bright beam of
hope. Virginia invited you all, New York, New Hampshire, and
Massachusetts, and the other States, to meet and consult for the
public safety. If you did not wish to secure our common safety, you
should not have accepted her invitation.

Mr. BOUTWELL:--Then we are to understand that if we do not favor the
CRITTENDEN resolutions, we should not have come here at all.

Mr. WICKLIFFE:--I say nothing of the kind. But I insist that you
should tell us now, what the conclusion is to which you have arrived.
We want to know what you gentlemen, representing the Northern States,
intend to do. Give us your votes. We have had enough of discussion,
which amounts to nothing. If you will consent to no arrangement, let
us know it now. We have a duty to perform toward our own people. We
wish to relieve them from suspense, so that they may determine what
their future course shall be, in view of the fact that you will do
nothing for them.

Mr. COOK:--If Illinois had understood that she was only to come here
for the purpose of agreeing to the propositions of Virginia as
announced in the resolutions which accompanied her invitation, the
Conference may be assured that Illinois would not have appeared here
at all. She understood that she was invited to a _Conference_, in
which all the States were to meet upon a basis of perfect equality.
The very resolutions of the Legislature of Illinois, under which we
received ou