ation had been carried on in Washington by the New Yorkers
with the South, to sell out Douglas, the Southerners and the
Administration offering their whole strength to any man New York might
name, provided that State would slaughter Douglas. On the other hand,
it appeared that Dean Richmond, the principal manager of the New
Yorkers, had pledged himself, as solemnly as a politician could do, to
stand by the cause of Douglas to the last."--M. Halstead, _National
Political Conventions of 1860_, p. 159.]

The apparent breaking point at Charleston was the adoption of a
platform; at Baltimore it was the readmission of seceding delegates.
Florida, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Texas presented their original
delegations, who sought immediate admission; but a resolution,
introduced by Sanford E. Church of New York, referred them to the
committee on credentials, with the understanding that persons
accepting seats were bound in honour to abide the action of the
convention. The Douglas men, greeting this resolution with tremendous
applause, proposed driving it through without debate; but New York
hesitated to order the previous question. Then it asked permission to
withdraw for consultation, and when it finally voted in the negative,
deeming it unwise to stifle debate, it revealed the fact that its
action was decisive on all questions.

An amendment to the Church resolution proposed sending only contested
seats to the credentials committee, without conditions as to loyalty,
and over this joinder of issues some very remarkable speeches
disclosed malignant bitterness rather than choice rhetoric.
Richardson, still the recognised spokesman of Douglas, received marked
attention as he argued boldly that the amendment admitted delegates
not sent there, and decided a controversy without a hearing. "I do not
propose," he said, "to sit side by side with delegates who do not
represent the people; who are not bound by anything, when I am bound
by everything. We are not so hard driven yet as to be compelled to
elect delegates from States that do not choose to send any here."[558]

[Footnote 558: M. Halstead, _National Political Conventions of 1860_,
p. 167.]

Russell of Virginia responded, declaring that his State intended, in
the interest of fair play, to cling to the Democracy of the South. "If
we are to be constrained to silence," he vociferated, "I beg gentlemen
to consider the silence of Virginia ominous. If we are not
gentlemen--if we a