s of a combination. The authors
of this outrage, who are justly and directly chargeable with it, were
the ruling majority of the New York delegation. They held the balance
of power, and madly and selfishly and corruptly used it for the
disruption of the Democratic party in endeavouring to force it to
subserve their infamous schemes. They were charged with high
responsibilities in a crisis of unusual interest in our history, and
in an evil moment their leprous hands held the destinies of a noble
party. They proclaimed personally and through their accredited organs
that the Southern States were entitled to name a candidate, but from
the moment they entered the convention at Charleston until it was
finally broken up at Baltimore by their base conduct and worse faith,
their every act was to oppose any candidate who would be acceptable to
those States.

"Those who controlled the New York delegation through the fraudulent
process of a unit vote--a rule forced upon a large minority to stifle
their sentiments--will hereafter be known as political gamblers. The
Democratic party of New York, founded in the spirit of Jefferson, has,
in the hands of these gamblers, been disgraced by practices which
would dishonour a Peter Funk cast-off clothing resort; cheating the
people of the State, cheating a great and confiding party, cheating
the convention which admitted them to seats, cheating delegations who
trusted them, cheating everybody with whom they came in contact, and
then lamenting from day to day, through their accredited organ, that
the convention had not remained together so that they might finally
have cheated Douglas. Political gamblers! You have perpetrated your
last cheat--consummated your last fraud upon the Democratic party.
Henceforth you will be held and treated as political outlaws. There is
no fox so crafty but his hide finally goes to the hatter."[567]

[Footnote 567: New York _Tribune_, July 19, 1860.]

In his political controversies, Dickinson acted on the principle that
an opponent is necessarily a blockhead or a scoundrel. But there was
little or no truth in his severe arraignment. Richmond's purpose was
plainly to nominate Horatio Seymour if it could be done with the
consent of the Northwestern States, and his sudden affection for a
two-thirds rule came from a determination to prolong the convention
until it yielded consent. At no time did he intend leaving Douglas for
any one other than Seymour. On the other