Address to the Democracy and The People of the United States - 1860

It was the Presidential Election year just prior to the start of the Civil War, and the North and South were at odds, multiple canditates were seeking the Presidency, and political parties were emerging with various approaches to the slavery problem. The National Democratic Executive Committee tried to put their approach to the election before the public by this Address to the Democracy And The People of the United States by the National Democratic Executive Committee, printed in Washington by M'Gill & Witherow, Printers.

The objectives of the Address are clearly described in the first paragraph of the paper, which reads:
"Fellow-Citizens: The election of the next President and Vice-President of the United States is at hand. Four distinct organizations are in the field. The Republican party, making bold and open war upon the institutions of fifteen soverign States of this Union. The Constitutional Union party, repudiating all platforms and standing simply on the catch-words "Constitution and the Union". Two parties, each calling itself Democratic; one, however, following the fortunes of one man, Mr. Douglas, and differing from the Republicans in making insidious, instead of open, war upon the South. The other, standing inflexibly on the Constitution of the country, makes no concealments as to its interpretation of that instrument, its rallying cry being the equality of the States. We propose, calmly and impartially, to survey the field, and to give the reasons why the latter party should be considered as the Democratic party, and how the dearest interests of country, race, and of human progress, are concerned in its success."

The paper, which measures approximately 5 ½ x 8 ½ inches, contains 16 pages of two-column text. The pages are tanned, with chipping along the edges, and with the first and last pages detached. The overall condition of the paper is fair.

The illustrations accompanying this description show the cover page, the first page of text, and a typical 2-page spread of further text.