Official proceedings of the National Democratic convention, held in Cincinnati, June 2-6, 1856. Pub. by order of the Convention:

54 PROOHEDINGS OF THE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
while he has received one hundred and twenty-two votes as a candidate
for the Presidency, before the highest tribunal known to the Democratic
party; the adoption of the great principle embodied in that platform,
which received the assent of every member of the Committee on Reso lutions, and of every member of the Convention, has endorsed the
political opinions of Stephen A. Douglas.A While he has been com plimented by that vote, the factthat the principles for which he has
battled in the Senate and before the whole country, are made by the
Democratic party the leading principles of its political faith, is a still
higher compliment, which might excite sentiments of pride in the
bosom of any man. We have come here, Sir, animated by no sectional
spirit. We have come here in the full belief that the spirit of the
Democratic party resides in its principles more than in its men. We
have come to say to the Democratic party all over this Union that, as
in times past, the Democratic banner has never been torn in Illinois,
so it will not be torn in November next. Illinois joins her voice to
the voices of the delegates of the other States, and casts her eleven
votes for James Buchanan, of Pennsylvania.
Missouri was then called, and Mr. W. A. Harris answered: That
before he cast the vote of his State, he was instructed to offer a few
words of explanation. He said that it was known to the Convention
that although the vote of Missouri had been cast as a unit for Judge
Douglas, that there were on that delegation many friends of President
Pierce, and also a large minority who preferred Mr. Buchanan as their
first choice. Yet, having determined among themselves not to depart
from the list of names before the Convention, they had firom the beginning decided to vote for Mr. Pierce, or Mr. Douglas or Mr. Buchanan,
till the one or the other was nominated. Mr. Douglas has endeared
himself to the State of Missouri and to the whole country, in manfully
standing up for all the great principles of the Constitution, in justly
interpreting and enforcing all its guarantees and powers, with a constancy and fidelity never surpassed by any statesman of the country.
But it was by his authorship of the Kansas-Nebraska bill, and his arguments of transcendent ability and eloquence in its support, and the
moral heroism with which he has constantly met and vanquished the
enemies of our peace, and the enemies of our Union, that he has established himself in the hearts and affections of the people. But, in a spirit
of manly self-denial, he has directed his friends to withdraw his name
from the list of those now before the Convention for nomination. We
surrender him, therefore, to be warmed and cherished in the hearts of
the people, to still further add to his glorious record of sound statesmanship, until his countrymen call upon him for the performance of
still greater duties in higher spheres.
Thus, then, we are firee to cast our united vote for him who, from
the beginning and for many years, was the honored and long-cherished
first choice of a large minority of us-a statesman of the greatest talents and ability, the most enlarged experience, and the most pre-eminent qualifications for the high office of President of the United States.
His record of forty years is but the record of his wisdom and services as
54
PROCEEDINGS OF THE