view.  General Taylor’s nomination was hailed, not very extensively, but by some enthusiastic and not very far-seeing people in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  There were, even among us, in our own State, Whigs quite early enough, certainly, in manifesting their confidence in this nomination; a little too early, it may be, in uttering notes of exultation for the anticipated triumph.  It would have been better if they had waited.

Now the truth is, Gentlemen,—­and no man can avoid seeing it, unless, as sometimes happens, the object is too near our eyes to be distinctly discerned,—­the truth is, that in these nominations, and also in the nomination at Philadelphia, in these conventions, and also in the convention at Philadelphia, General Taylor was nominated exactly for this reason;—­that, believing him to be a Whig, they thought he could be chosen more easily than any other Whig.  This is the whole of it.  That sagacious, wise, far-seeing doctrine of availability lies at the bottom of the whole matter.  So far, then, from imputing any motive to these conventions over the country, or to the convention in Philadelphia, as operating on a majority of the members, to promote slavery by the nomination of General Taylor, I do not believe a word of it,—­not one word.  I see that one part of what is called the Platform of the Buffalo Convention says that the candidates before the public were nominated under the dictation of the slave power.  I do not believe a word of it.

In the first place, a very great majority of the convention at Philadelphia was composed of members from the Free States.  By a very great majority they might have nominated anybody they chose.  But the Free States did not choose to nominate a Free State man, or a Northern man.  Even our neighbors, the States of New England, with the exception of New Hampshire and a part of Maine, neither proposed nor concurred in the nomination of any Northern man.  Vermont would hear of nothing but the nomination of a Southern and slave-holding candidate.  Connecticut was of the same mind, and so was Rhode Island.  The North made no demand, nor presented any request for a Northern candidate, nor attempted any union among themselves for the purpose of promoting the nomination of such a candidate.  They were content to take their choice among the candidates of the South.  It is preposterous, therefore, to pretend that a candidate from the Slave States has been forced upon the North by Southern dictation.

In the next place, it is true that there were persons from New England who were extremely zealous and active in procuring the nomination of General Taylor, but they were men who would cut off their right hands before they would do any thing to promote slavery in the United States.  I do not admire their policy; indeed I have very little respect for it, understand that; but I acquit them of bad motives.  I know the leading men in that convention.  I think I understand the motives that governed them.  Their