That the President of the United States, Andrew Johnson, in exercising the powers of his high office in resisting the aggressions of Congress upon the constitutional rights of the States and the people, is entitled to the gratitude of the whole American people, and in behalf of the Democratic party we tender him our thanks for his patriotic efforts in that regard.

Upon this platform the Democratic party appeal to every patriot, including all the conservative element and all who desire to support the Constitution and restore the Union, forgetting all past differences of opinion, to unite with us in the present great struggle for the liberties of the people; and that to all such, to whatever party they may have heretofore belonged, we extend the right hand of fellowship, and hail all such co-operating with us as friends and brethren.

Resolved, That this convention sympathize cordially with the workingmen of the United States in their efforts to protect the rights and interests of the laboring classes of the country.

Resolved, That the thanks of the convention are tendered to Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase for the justice, dignity, and impartiality with which he presided over the court of impeachment on the trial of President Andrew Johnson.

The ballots for President began on Tuesday and ended Thursday. The following table gives the ballots in detail:

BALLOTS.Geo. H. Pendleton, Ohio.Andrew Johnson, Tenn.Winfield S. Hancock, Penn.Sanford E. Church, N. Y.Asa Packer, Penn.Joel Parker, N. J.James E. English, Conn.James R. Doolittle, Wis.Thos. A. Hendricks, Ind.Horatio Seymour, N. Y.Francis P. Blair, Mo.Reverdy Johnson, Md.Scattering.
11056533¹⁄₂33261316132¹⁄₂———10¹⁄₂
21045240¹⁄₂332615¹⁄₂12¹⁄₂12¹⁄₂2—10¹⁄₂8¹⁄₂
3119¹⁄₂34¹⁄₂45¹⁄₂3326137¹⁄₂129¹⁄₂—4¹⁄₂111
4118¹⁄₂3243¹⁄₂3326137¹⁄₂811¹⁄₂92161
5122244633271371519¹⁄₂—9¹⁄₂—1
6122¹⁄₂214733271361230—5——
7137¹⁄₂12¹⁄₂42¹⁄₂——761239¹⁄₂—¹⁄₂——
8156¹⁄₂628——761275—¹⁄₂——
91445¹⁄₂24¹⁄₂——761280¹⁄₂—¹⁄₂——
10147¹⁄₂634——7—1282¹⁄₂—¹⁄₂——
11144¹⁄₂5¹⁄₂32¹⁄₂——7—12¹⁄₂88—¹⁄₂——
12145¹⁄₂4¹⁄₂30——7—12¹⁄₂89—¹⁄₂—1¹⁄₂
13134¹⁄₂4¹⁄₂48¹⁄₂——7—1381—¹⁄₂—1¹⁄₂
14130—50——7—1384¹⁄₂————
15129¹⁄₂5¹⁄₂79¹⁄₂——7—1282¹⁄₂————
16107¹⁄₂5¹⁄₂113¹⁄₂——1—1270¹⁄₂————
1770¹⁄₂6137¹⁄₂——7—1280———3¹⁄₂
1856¹⁄₂10144¹⁄₂——31¹⁄₂—1287———3¹⁄₂
19——135¹⁄₂——2264107¹⁄₂—13¹⁄₂—5
20——142¹⁄₂———1612121213—9
21——135¹⁄₂———1912132———5
22—490¹⁄₂———14140¹⁄₂21———

Before the 22d ballot was announced delegations began to change their votes to Seymour, and the changes were continued amid great enthusiasm until he received the unanimous nomination. The twenty-one votes given him on the last ballot were all cast by Ohio delegates.

It was charged that the nomination of Seymour had been carefully planned by his friends before the meeting of the convention, in imitation of the nominations of Polk and Pierce, but in point of fact the nomination of Seymour was not planned by his friends nor had they any idea of nominating him when the convention met, as his name was not before the convention at all until the 22d ballot and the third day of balloting. He was most earnestly averse to accepting the nomination. His health was impaired, he had had many and very earnest political conflicts, and he felt himself physically and mentally unequal to the exacting duties of a campaign. His nomination was, as I have stated, conceived and executed for the purpose of defeating Chase.

Having failed to nominate a Republican for President, the convention unanimously nominated General Frank P. Blair, of Missouri, for Vice-President without the formality of a ballot. He was one of the most radical and aggressive of Republicans when the Republican party was organized in 1856, and brought the first important victory to that party when, in the early fall of 1856, he was elected to Congress from St. Louis, being the first Republican who ever represented a Southern State in the national Legislature. I remember meeting him in Washington just before the clash of arms began, after the bombardment of Sumter. He was impatient with Lincoln for not precipitating the war, and told me that he would go back to Missouri the next day, and that the country would soon hear of battles fought in that State. He executed his purpose, for it was through him chiefly or wholly that the early and bloody battles of Missouri were fought. He was one of the most brilliant of the corps commanders of the army, but had evidently fallen into disfavor with Grant, and Blair was as tireless a fighter as Grant himself. In a public letter, directed to J. C. Broadhead a short time before the convention met, General Blair denounced Grant as aiming at imperialism, and declared that his election to the Presidency would date the downfall of our Republican institutions.

General Blair spoke frequently during the contest, but his speeches were so violent that they gave offence to many conservative Democrats; and after the October elections, which were disastrous to the Democrats, the New York World, the leading Democratic organ, came out in a leader demanding that he be retired from the ticket; but Blair was not the man to retreat under fire. Seymour took the stump, to present the party in a more conservative attitude, and delivered a number of speeches, which rank among the ablest popular addresses of American politics; but he could not halt the tidal wave that swept Grant into the Presidency. The following table gives the electoral and popular vote: