Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 1.djvu/318

280 renew such agitation, whenever, wherever or however the attempt may be made.

Unfortunately the national Whig party was rendered powerless by divisions. Greeley condemned the patriotic resolutions as a Southern platform imposed on the convention by the Southern delegates. Mr. Stephens, however, declares it as his memory that &quot;the resolutions were prepared by the Northern friends of Mr. Webster at his house, and met with his full concurrence. The platform was voted for by 227 yeas against 65 nays. New York, Ohio and Michigan voted against it; Maine divided equally upon it thus showing that twenty-seven States agreed to it out of the thirty-one represented. Greeley and his faction having condemned the settle ment were now agitating the slavery question afresh, and saw no virtue in any movement which separated the sectional question from party politics.

In both of these conventions there were delegates who had shown great hostility to slavery. Some were in the Democratic convention who had earnestly supported Van Buren in 1848 against the nominee of their party. Others had been extremists in their antagonism to the settlement of 1850. But the hitherto contestants were now marshaling again into old party affiliations to renew party contests without the obstruction of sectional questions. Marcy men and Wright men harmonized. In the Whig convention were many men who, being opposed to the compromise measures, united in presenting the name of General Winfield Scott, of Virginia, to the convention as their favorite for the presidency. Scott had himself opposed the settlement and was still regarded as being among the dissatisfied members. He was, however, a Southerner, a Whig, an illustrious soldier, and popular in the Northern States. A class of conservatives led by the Massachusetts delegation offered the great name of Webster, claiming his nomination as due to his abilities, his services and his leadership in pacifying the country.