Chapter 108: A Constitutional Unionist Party appears.

Many old guard politicians are concerned by the Democrat’s chaos at Charleston coupled with the prospect of a Republican platform that seems certain to lead to southern secession. Led by John J. Crittenden of Kentucky they gather in Baltimore for a one day tightly run convention.

In addition to Crittenden, attendees include John Bell (Tennessee), John Minor Botts (Virginia), John McLean (Ohio), Sam Houston (Texas) and Edward Everett (Massachusetts). Their two paragraph platform is a hymn to the Constitution and the Union:

Whereas, Experience has demonstrated that Platforms adopted by the partisan
Conventions of the country have…widened the political divisions of the country,
by the creation..of geographical and sectional parties; therefore Resolved, that
it is both the part of patriotism and of duty to recognize no political principle other
than THE CONSTITUTION OF THE COUNTRY, THE UNION OF ITHE STATES, AND THE
ENFORCEMENT OF THE LAWS.

On one ballot they select a ticket of John Bell and Edward Everett.