234 W. C. WOODWARD to say in defense of his friend Douglas during- the campaign. It was in reference to this campaign that Delazon Smith, in speaking later of Bush, said he "packed the dumb dog over the state and barked for him because he couldn't bark for himself." 1 Bush had praised the state platform unstintedly, declaring that there was not a word too much or too little in it and that the confidence expressed in the wisdom and integ- rity of Buchanan was fully merited. 2 Lane, alarmed at the prospect of Democratic discord in Oregon and at its probable relations to his political fortunes, made plain what he considered the paramount issue to be. In an open letter to the Statesman^ he said : "Fellow Democrats of Oregon, division in the Democratic party will not do.
- Shall Oregon come into the Union under the aus-
pices of a sectional organization or shall she come in to strengthen the hands of the Constitution and the Union?
- * * All Democrats should bear in mind that the Demo-
cratic party is the Union." He appealed to the Democracy to bury all private animosities and sacrifice ill feelings and heart burnings on the altar of the public good and to unite as one man in support of the regular nominees. On May 21, preceding the June election, the Republican candidates for Congressman, Governor and Secretary of State publicly withdrew from the race, leaving the contest to be settled between the "hard" and "soft" factions of the Demo- crats. The majority of the counties had put out Republican tickets and adopted aggressive platforms. But Holmes, one of the retiring candidates, complained that too many Repub- licans counted their work done when the nominations were made. The candidates, in their withdrawal, said the organiza- tion for the campaign was incomplete and defective and not calculated to inspire success. Hence they thought better to retire than to make a poor showing of Republican strength, i "Delazon harked against Douglas, barked for Buchanan and barked for Lecomptqn and Dred Scott, giving an opportunity at the close of his speech for his 'candidate' to get down, wiggle his tail and whine an endorsement of what had been said, which he always did with relish." Argus, Dec. 27, '62. ^Statesman, March 23. 3Quoted in Oregonian, May i.
