Mr. DUGRO, of New York, sent to the Chair the following resolution, which was read, and referred to the Committee on the Platform.

Resolved, That, in our opinion, the public domain belongs to the people of the United States, and that Congress has the power to dispose of it for the benefit of the people.

We therefore believe that it would be conducive to the common welfare of the Union, and to the interest of the government, that limited portions of the public lands should be allotted to every actual settler upon them, to be inalienably enjoyed.

Mr. NABORS, of Mississippi, offered the following resolution :

Resolved, That this convention will not go into the nomination of candidates for President and Vice President until the platform of the party is laid down.

Which, after some debate, was withdrawn by the mover.

Mr. WISE, of Virginia, renewed the resolution of Mr. Nabors.

Mr. THOMPSON, of Mississippi, moved to lay said resolution on the table.

The State of Kentucky demanded the vote by States, which was ordered, and the vote resulted as follows:

Yeas.-Maine, 8; New Hampshire, 5; Vermont, 6; Massachusetts, 13; Rhode Island, 4; Connecticut, 6; New York, 24; New Jersey, 7; Delaware, 3; Maryland, 8; Mississippi, 7; Louisiana, 6, Ohio, 17; Tennessee, 12; Illinois, 12; Michigan, 6; Florida, 3; Iowa, 4; Wisconsin, 5-total, 155.

Nays.-New York, 11; Pennsylvania, 27; Virginia, 15; North Carolina, 10; Alabama, 9; Ohio, 5; Kentucky, 12; Indiana, 13; Missouri, 9; Arkansas, 4; Texas, 4; California, 4-total, 111.

So the motion to lay on the table prevailed

Mr. BURKE, of New Hampshire, chairman of the Committee on Credentials, in behalf of that committee, submitted the following

REPORT.

The Committee on Credentials beg leave to report:

That they have attended to the duty assigned them, and find that all the States of the Union are represented in this convention by delegations duly elected by the several States or districts thereof, with the exception of South Carolina; full lists of which delegations are appended to, and made a part of, this report.

That there were contesting claimants for the seats of the entire delegation from the State of Georgia, from the third district in the State of Maine, from the second district in the State of Massachusetts, and from the first district in the State of Vermont.

That from the State of Georgia the following gentlemen, belonging to the State rights portion of the democracy of that State, appeared and claimed the seats to which that State is entitled in this convention, on the ground that they more fully represented the democratic organization of that State, viz:

Solomon Cohen, R. B. Hilton, W. S. Moore, Joseph Sturgis, Charles J. Mannerlyn, Alexander C. Morton, S. T. Bailey, N. Bass, David J. Bailey, Obadiah Horner, Thomas M. Griffin, A. K. Patton, W. H. Stiles, E. S. Hopping, George Kellogg, Joseph Day, W. W. Higgins, James S. Hook, Herschel V. Johnson, James Gardner, jr., William Schley, jr.

And the following gentlemen, professing to represent that portion of the democracy belonging to the late "Union" party of that State, ap

peared and claimed seats in this convention, on the ground that they were entitled to represent the State of Georgia, viz:

John H. Lumpkin, Richard D. Arnold, John W. Anderson, John E. Wood, Marshall J. Wellborne, William Taylor, William H. Hull, James Jackson, Arthur Hood, Henry H. Jones, James W. Armstrong, Luther J. Glenn, Thomas D. Harris, George D. Rice, Thomas P. Safford, Augustus H. Kenan, Josiah T. Irving. jr, John Milledge, C. B. Wellborne, John W. H. Underwood, John S. Rowland, Lewis Tumlin.

That, after duly hearing the contestants on each side, the committee adopted the following resolutions in relation to the rights of the respective contestants, viz: [Which resolutions, after having been verbally amended by the chairman, upon suggestion of members from both sets of delegates, by general consent read as follows:]

Resolved, That the democratic delegates from Georgia, represented by Mr. Cohen, consisting of twenty-one members, are the organized representatives from the democracy of Georgia, and are therefore admitted to their seats.

Resolved, That the delegates represented by Mr. Jackson, seventeen in number, are democrats in principle, and reflect the sentiment of a portion of the democracy of Georgia, and that they be admitted to seats in the convention, and that said delegation, thus united, cast the vote of the State.

In accordance with which resolutions the committee report the names of both contesting delegations, as entitled to seats under the qualifications set forth in said resolutions.

In relation to the contested seat from the third district in the State of Maine, the committee report that the names of the contestants are J. G. Dickinson and George B. Moore, and that, after hearing the said contesting parties, the committee decided that George B. Moore is entitled to a seat in this convention as the duly elected delegate from said district.

In relation to the contested seat from the second district in the State of Massachusetts, the committee report that N. J. Lord and Robert Rantoul, jr., are the contestants, and that, after hearing the contesting parties, the committee decided that N. J. Lord is entitled to a seat in this convention as the duly elected delegate from said district.

The committee further state that a motion was made to admit George W. Dike, as the substitute of Mr. Rantoul, which was rejected on the ground that the decision of the committee against the principal involved the rejection of the substitute.

In relation to the contested seat from the first district in the State of Vermont, the committee report that the names of the contestants are Merritt Clarke and Mr. Cain, and that, after hearing the contesting parties, the committee decided that Merritt Clarke is entitled to a seat in this convention as the duly elected delegate from said district.

In relation to the State of South Carolina, the committee report that a document was presented to the committee purporting to be the proceedings of certain citizens of said State and members of the democratic party, fifty in number, appointing Gen. James M. Commander a delegate to this convention, and authorizing him to give such vote or votes in the selection of candidates for President and Vice President of the United States as the signers of said paper would be entitled to. As it did not appear that the signers of the document appointing Gen. Commander a delegate to this convention represented any district or State organization of the democratic party of South Carolina, the committee decided that

said paper was not such a document as entitled Gen. Commander to a seat in this convention.

All of which is respectfully submitted.

EDMUND BURKE,

Chairman.

Mr. NYE, of New York, from a minority of the Committee on Credentials, submitted the following report concerning the contested seat of the delegate from district No. 2, Massachusetts. It appears

Óne

1st. That November 20, 1851, the democratic convention for said district met at South Danvers. One hundred and sixty delegates, representing the democracy of the different towns, were present. They voted by ballot. On the first ballot, R. Rantoul, jr., was unanimously chosen delegate.

This fact appears by the proceedings of said convention, attested by the signatures of W. C. Prescott, president, and Charles J. Thorndike and James M. Sargent, secretaries; which document is admitted to be genuine.

2d. The above convention was called as a convention of the democratic party, by the democratic district committee, appointed unanimously, October 8, 1850, at a regular convention of the whole party-admitted to be so by the contesting party, in its printed statement.

The regularity of this convention is admitted in the following extract from the statement presented by Mr. Lord:

"At the district convention in October, 1850, the Hon. Robert Rantoul, jr., was nominated as the candidate of the democratic party, and accepted the nomination. At the same time, according to the usage of the party in this State, a district committee was chosen, whose duty it was to call all future conventions of the party, whenever such conventions should become necessary, during the time of their continuance in office."

3d. N. J. Lord was chosen by a party first organized under a call, in May, 1851, to those democrats "opposed to the election of Robert Rantoul, jr., to Congress," as appears by the following notice, issued at that time for the organization of a party on special principles:

"Democratic convention.-The democratic electors of congressional district No. 2, who are in favor of the compromise measures of the late Congress and opposed to the further agitation of the slavery question, and who are therefore opposed to the election of Robert Rantoul, jr., or Charles W. Upham to Congress, are requested to send delegates to a convention to be held at the town hall, in Salem, on the 19th instant, at 10 o'clock, a. m., for the purpose of nominating a democratic candidate.

"Each town is requested to send three delegates for each representative said town is entitled to send to the legislature."

This call was signed by several gentlemen, but by no committee previously appointed.

4th. Under this call a meeting assembled on the 19th of May, and organized a new party. The relative numbers of the old democratic party and those who thus assumed to organize a new party, as cast at the next

preceding election, on the 7th of April, 1851, in the election for Congress in that district, was as follows, omitting the whig party vote:

The number of democrats, it will be seen, who voted for Mr. Rantoul was 3,151. The number of democrats who voted against him was 200. The democratic delegates to this convention from the State of Massachusetts, whose seats are not disputed, have had this subject under consideration, and acted upon it, as appears from the following record of their proceedings:

"At a meeting of the delegation from Massachusetts, it was voted that Messrs. Whitney and Ackley be a committee to ascertain if there is any contested seat in this delegation; and if so, to confer with the contestors, and propose to them to refer the respective claims to this delegation, to report thereon to the Committee on Credentials, or to receive any other proposition for adjusting said contest. "Attest:

R. FROTHINGHAM, jr.,

"Secretary."

The undersigned committee appointed by the foregoing vote, respectfully submit the following report, to wit: The right to a seat in the convention of the Hon. Robert Rantoul, jr., delegate from district No. 2, will be contested by N. G. Lord, esq. As a committee we waited upon each of the claimants, and make report that we could suggest no arrangement that would satisfy both parties. If we understand the question, the claim of Mr. Lord grows out of the alleged private opinions of Mr. Rantoul, and in our opinion cannot affect the rights of the democratic party in congressional district No. 2, to be represented by the delegate of their own choice at the Baltimore convention. We therefore recommend that the seat in district No. 2 be given to the Hon. Robert Rantoul, jr.

BALTIMORE, June 1, 1852.

JAMES S. WHITNEY,
A. S. ACKLEY,

Committee.

The undersigned consider these facts to be established: 1. That Robert Rantoul, jr., was chosen a delegate by the democratic convention assembled in pursuance of the regular call of the democratic committee of the district, in accordance with the uniform usage of the democratic party in that district.

2. That Ñ. J. Lord was chosen by a body of democrats irregularly organized upon special and personal grounds.

And the undersigned submit as a substitute that the following resolution be adopted by the convention, instead of the proposition recommended by a majority of the committee:

Resolved, That Robert Rantoul, jr., be admitted to a seat in this convention, to represent the 2d congressional district of Massachusetts.

Mr. NYE offered the following resolution:

Resolved, That so much of the report of the majority of the Committee on Credentials as relates to the 2d district of Massachusetts, and the report of the minority thereon, be printed, and the consideration thereof be deferred until morning.

Pending the question on which,

Mr. CAVE JOHNSON, of Tennessee, by unanimous consent, moved that that portion of the report of the Committee on Credentials relating to Tennessee be recommitted. Mr. Johnson stated as his reasons for his motion, that since the delegation of Tennessee have arrived here, and since they have taken their seats in this convention, telegraphic despatches have been forwarded from Nashville apprizing us of the appointment of three other gentlemen, whose votes may control the entire action of the delegation. We knew nothing of this till since the convention met. I therefore move that so much of the majority report as relates to Tennessee be recommitted to the Committee on Credentials for their examination, as I have no doubt all the facts were not before them before.

No objection being made, that portion of the report in relation to Tennessee was recommitted.

The question recurred upon the resolution postponing the further consideration of the contested seat of the second district of Massachusetts, till

to-morrow.

Mr. C. G. GREENE, of Massachusetts, chairman of the delegation from that State, rose to a question of privilege. He said that he was instructed by a majority of the Massachusetts delegation to ask for the correction of a statement in the minority report of the Committee on Credentials, concerning the second district, and the alleged action of the Massachusetts delegation thereon, which statement was not correct. It is asserted in the minority report, that the delegation of Massachusetts appointed a committee from their own number to investigate the claims of the contestors of the seat of the second district, who were to report their decision upon the subject to the Committee on Credentials. Now, no such action was taken by the Massachusetts delegation. It was known that there were two gentlemen here claiming to represent district number two. The delegation from Massachusetts were anxious, if it were possible, to economise the time of this convention by settling their own disputes by themselves. For that purpose they appointed a committee, consisting of two gentlemen, to confer with the two contestants, and inquire of them if they were willing to submit their individual claim to the delegation of Massachusetts, and abide by the decision of that delegation. The committe performed that duty, and reported that one of the contestants refused to submit his claim in that way, and there the matter ended. But by the minority report we find that the committee who were appointed simply to confer with these contestants and report to the Massachusetts delegation, did confer with them, and then made their report to the Committee on Credentials. I believe the motion has been made to print that report. I ask, on behalf of a majority of the Massachusetts delegation, before that motion is carried, that the report be corrected to accord with the facts.

Gen. NYE, of New York. The only evidence I have to offer of the truthfulness of that report is the signatures of the Massachusetts committee. I will state the authority conferred upon that committee by the Massachusetts delegation: "At a meeting of the delegation of Massachu setts it was voted that Messrs. Whitney and Ackley be a committee to ascertain if there is any contested seat in the delegation; and if so, to confer with the contestors, and propose to them to refer their respective claims to the delegation to report thereon to the Committee on Creden- * tials, or receive any other proposition for adjusting said contest. R. Frothingham, jr., secretary."

Attest: