The bitter estrangement of Douglas and President Buchanan made an impassable gulf between Douglas and the radical Southerners who stood by Buchanan. Douglas had a desperate contest in his State for re-election to the Senate in 1858, when he was opposed by Lincoln as the Republican candidate, and was even more vindictively opposed by all the power of the national administration. Lincoln won the State, as he carried the Republican or Union State ticket, but the legislative districts were so gerrymandered that Douglas won the Legislature and came back in triumph to defy the President. There was no reasonable prospect, therefore, of Democratic unity in the campaign of 1860. Douglas, who was the most astute of all the Democratic politicians of his day, clearly foresaw that the violent attitude of the South must result in the defeat of the slavery party and the early extinction of slavery; but slavery had always been omnipotent since the battle began, and it would not learn that its mastery could be overthrown.

The Democratic National Convention was called for the first time to meet far South, in the city of Charleston, the home of Calhoun, the cradle of nullification, and the one place in the Union where secession ran rampant. It was obviously intended to environ the convention with an army of the ablest Southern leadership. The convention met on the 23d of April, 1860, and every State was fully represented, with double delegations from Illinois and New York. The few administration followers in Illinois had made a rump Democratic organization and sent an anti-Douglas delegation to Charleston, and in New York they had another contest between the “Hards” and the “Softs,” the “Hards” being opposed to Douglas and the “Softs” for him. Caleb Cushing was made permanent president, and it was decided that no ballot should be had for President until a platform was adopted. On the following day the convention did not get beyond the settlement of contested seats, admitting the “Softs” of New York and the Douglas men from Illinois, and the debates on even the most trivial disputes were unusually bitter. On the third day threats of bolting became common among the Southern delegates, as the admission of the Douglas delegates from New York and Illinois clearly indicated that the Douglas people controlled the convention. On the fourth day majority and minority reports were made on the platform, the majority by Mr. Avery, of North Carolina, and the minority by Mr. Payne, of Ohio. General Benjamin F. Butler, who was a prominent delegate in the convention, as he would be anywhere, and who voted for Jefferson Davis for the Presidency right along, presented a minority report of his own, and Senator Bayard, of Delaware, followed with a platform of his invention. On the fifth day Senator Bigler, of Pennsylvania, moved to recommit the platforms to the committee with instructions to report in an hour, and the motion to recommit was carried, 152 to 151, while the motion to instruct was lost by a very large vote. On the same day Mr. Avery, from the majority of the committee on platform, reported a new declaration of principles, and an elaborate discussion followed, and Mr. Samuels, of Iowa, presented a new minority report.

After a protracted and ill-tempered debate, it was finally decided that the vote on the platform should be taken on Monday, the 30th, and on that day the convention proceeded to vote without debate. Butler’s platform was rejected by 198 to 105. Next the minority report of Mr. Samuels, being the Douglas platform, was carried by 165 to 138. The report of the committee as amended was then adopted without a vote by States, upon which the Alabama delegation presented a written protest announcing the purpose of the delegates to withdraw from the convention. The Mississippi, Florida, and Texas delegations gave like notice, and the Louisiana delegation excepting two, the South Carolina delegation excepting three, with three of the Arkansas delegation, two of the Delaware delegation, including Senator Bayard, and one from North Carolina then withdrew from the convention. There were great pomp and ceremony in this proceeding, as formal protests and elaborate speeches were made by the retiring delegates. The convention was thus largely depleted, but a resolution, declaring that two-thirds of a full convention, being 202 votes, shall be necessary to make nominations, was adopted by 141 to 112. The convention then proceeded to ballot for President with the following result:

BALLOTS.Douglas.Guthrie.Hunter.Dickinson.A. Johnson.Lane.Jeff. Davis.Toucey.F. Pierce.
1145¹⁄₂354271261¹⁄₂2¹⁄₂1
214736¹⁄₂41¹⁄₂6¹⁄₂12612¹⁄₂—
3148¹⁄₂42366¹⁄₂1261——
414937¹⁄₂41¹⁄₂51261——
5149¹⁄₂37¹⁄₂4151261——
6149¹⁄₂39¹⁄₂413127———
7150¹⁄₂38¹⁄₂4141161——
8150¹⁄₂38¹⁄₂40¹⁄₂4¹⁄₂1161¹⁄₂——
9150¹⁄₂4139¹⁄₂1—61¹⁄₂——
10150¹⁄₂39¹⁄₂394125¹⁄₂1¹⁄₂——
11150¹⁄₂39¹⁄₂384126¹⁄₂1¹⁄₂——
12150¹⁄₂39¹⁄₂3841261¹⁄₂——
13149¹⁄₂39¹⁄₂28¹⁄₂112201——
141504127¹⁄₂1220¹⁄₂1——
1515041¹⁄₂26¹⁄₂¹⁄₂1220¹⁄₂1——
161504226¹⁄₂1220¹⁄₂1——
171504226¹⁄₂1220¹⁄₂1——
1815041¹⁄₂2611220¹⁄₂1——
1915041¹⁄₂2611220¹⁄₂1——
201504226¹⁄₂1220¹⁄₂1——
21150¹⁄₂41¹⁄₂26¹⁄₂1220¹⁄₂1——
22150¹⁄₂41¹⁄₂26¹⁄₂1220¹⁄₂1——
23152¹⁄₂41¹⁄₂25¹⁄₂1219¹⁄₂1——
24151¹⁄₂41¹⁄₂251¹⁄₂1219¹⁄₂1——
25151¹⁄₂41¹⁄₂251¹⁄₂1219¹⁄₂1——
26151¹⁄₂41¹⁄₂25121291——
27151¹⁄₂42¹⁄₂25121281——
28151¹⁄₂422512¹⁄₂1281——
29151¹⁄₂422513127¹⁄₂1——
30151¹⁄₂452513115¹⁄₂1——
31151¹⁄₂47¹⁄₂32¹⁄₂3115¹⁄₂1——
32152¹⁄₂47¹⁄₂22¹⁄₂3115¹⁄₂1——
33152¹⁄₂47¹⁄₂22¹⁄₂31114¹⁄₂1——
34152¹⁄₂47¹⁄₂22¹⁄₂51112¹⁄₂1——
3515247¹⁄₂224¹⁄₂12131——
36151¹⁄₂48224¹⁄₂12131——
37151¹⁄₂64¹⁄₂165¹⁄₂¹⁄₂12¹⁄₂1¹⁄₂——
38151¹⁄₂66165¹⁄₂—13———
39151¹⁄₂66¹⁄₂165¹⁄₂—12¹⁄₂———
40151¹⁄₂66¹⁄₂165¹⁄₂—12¹⁄₂———
41151¹⁄₂66¹⁄₂165¹⁄₂—12¹⁄₂———
42151¹⁄₂66¹⁄₂165—13———
43151¹⁄₂65¹⁄₂165—131——
44151¹⁄₂65¹⁄₂165—131——
45151¹⁄₂65¹⁄₂165—131——
46151¹⁄₂65¹⁄₂165—131——
47151¹⁄₂65¹⁄₂165—131——
48151¹⁄₂65¹⁄₂165—131——
49151¹⁄₂65¹⁄₂164—141——
50151¹⁄₂65¹⁄₂164—141——
51151¹⁄₂65¹⁄₂164—141——
52151¹⁄₂65¹⁄₂164—141——
53151¹⁄₂65¹⁄₂164—141——
54151¹⁄₂6120¹⁄₂2—161——
55151¹⁄₂65¹⁄₂164—141——
56151¹⁄₂65¹⁄₂164—141——
57151¹⁄₂65¹⁄₂164—141——

Douglas had a large plurality of the votes, but could not obtain even a two-thirds vote of the remaining delegates. After the 57th ballot a motion was made to adjourn the convention to reassemble at Baltimore on the 18th of June. That was adopted by 195 to 55, whereupon President Cushing adjourned the convention to reconvene in Baltimore. The retiring delegates met at St. Andrew’s Hall, in Charleston, elected Senator Bayard, of Delaware, president, and after much discussion adopted a platform of its own. After spending four days wholly devoted to discussion, that body adjourned to reconvene in Richmond on the second Monday in June. This convention reconvened in Richmond on the 11th of June, with delegates from Alabama, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, and Virginia. John Erwin, of Alabama, was made President, when it adjourned to meet again in Richmond on the 21st of June, and reassembled on that day and awaited the action of the Democratic seceders of the Baltimore convention, who nominated Breckenridge and Lane, when it accepted the candidates of the seceders and their platform, and adjourned sine die.

The regular Democratic National Convention reassembled in Baltimore on the 18th of June, and the first three days were devoted to a wrangling discussion on rules, platforms, rights of delegates, etc. The first disturbing questions the convention had to meet were the admission of delegates and the right of partial delegations representing States to cast the full vote of the State. The decision of the convention started another small tidal wave of secession and Virginia retired. North Carolina followed, then Tennessee, and a portion of Maryland. Later California and Delaware withdrew with a part of Kentucky, and President Cushing became so disgusted that he resigned his position and bolted himself. The convention finally proceeded to ballot for President, and two ballots were had, with the following result:

STATES.1st Ballot.2d Ballot.
Douglas.Breckenridge.Guthrie.Douglas.Breckenridge.Guthrie.
Maine5¹⁄₂——7——
New Hampshire5——5——
Vermont5——5——
Massachusetts10——10——
Rhode Island4——4——
Connecticut3¹⁄₂1—3¹⁄₂¹⁄₂—
New York35——35——
New Jersey2¹⁄₂——2¹⁄₂——
Pennsylvania10331072¹⁄₂
Maryland2¹⁄₂——2¹⁄₂——
Virginia1¹⁄₂——3——
North Carolina1——1——
Alabama9——9——
Louisiana6——6——
Arkansas1¹⁄₂—1¹⁄₂——
Missouri4¹⁄₂—1¹⁄₂4¹⁄₂—1¹⁄₂
Tennessee3——3——
Kentucky——4¹⁄₂3—1¹⁄₂
Ohio23——23——
Indiana13——13——
Illinois11——11——
Michigan6——6——
Wisconsin5——5——
Iowa4——4——
Minnesota2¹⁄₂¹⁄₂14——
173¹⁄₂510181¹⁄₂7¹⁄₂5¹⁄₂

As Douglas had received nearly the unanimous vote of the remaining delegates, it was finally resolved that as he had two-thirds of all the votes given in the convention, he was the nominee of the party for President. Benjamin Fitzpatrick, Senator from Alabama, was nominated for Vice-President, receiving 198¹⁄₂ votes to 1 for William C. Alexander, of New Jersey. Senator Fitzpatrick declined the nomination when notified of it, and the National Committee supplied the vacancy by the nomination of Herschel V. Johnson, of Georgia. The platform adopted by this convention was as follows:

1. Resolved, That we, the Democracy of the Union, in convention assembled, hereby declare our affirmance of the resolutions unanimously adopted and declared as a platform of principles by the Democratic convention at Cincinnati in the year 1856, believing that Democratic principles are unchangeable in their nature when applied to the same subject-matters; and we recommend as the only further resolutions the following:

Inasmuch as differences of opinion exist in the Democratic party as to the nature and extent of the powers of a Territorial legislature, and as to the powers and duties of Congress, under the Constitution of the United States, over the institution of slavery within the Territories—