Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1841-11-02

Our friends of the American have been
amusing their readers by an article of CO.
lumn and half, endeavoring to prove,
Notwithstanding their recent defeat, that
the Wings are in reality the majority ofthe
Territory. This, we think, is very un-
profitable way of spending time. The au-
thor who wrote volume on the subject oc
broomstick, was not only proftabIy but
wisely employed, in comparison. When
the people recollect, that the wing press be-
lore the election, called upon the party to
rally TO the support Of their principle, as
the trial would determine whether or not
they were in the ascendant, and when they
have now, the result in pl0in figures before
them, it is worse than idle to endeavor to
supplant palpable facts by vague fancies.
But say our friends, we have learnt not
to estimate the strength Of parties by the
number of votes given for any individual
OF either party" Really, we should like
to know by what process the editors arrive
at their wisdom on this point All previ-
Gus landmarks are overthrow, and some
new profess is discovered, by which the
exact motive Of each individual action is
known. 1t is undoubtedly very convenien,
10 refuse to take the figures of the result
as evidence Of the strength Of party, as
thereby most unboundcd latitude is allow
ed the fancy, and pictures the most favor
able, can be readily drawn. But notwith-
standing the editors consider the vote for
any candidate of no Importance as deter
mining The result, they yet proceed to prove
their majority, by citing the vote of the diff
ierent counties, not for delegate, but for
such other candidates, as best suit If
the vote for any candidate proves nothing,
certainly the conclusion is most lame and
impotent, to which the editors arrive.
|: is by no means our purpose TO follow
the article throughout, to disprove it. We
refer cur readers to the returns published
some time since. But we cannot omit to
notice one point, which will perhaps throw
some light upon the peculiar mode of CAL
cuIcatlon by which the real state of parties
is arrived az. We quote from the article
] in the American as follows: "We wilItake
for instance our own county; the majority
for Dodge is l76, while the average maio-
rty for the Locos on the rest Of the tickle,
is only 3O,this gives Dodge in this county a,
least 40 wing votes" This is certainly
treating Messrs. Daboll, Smith, Adams. as
well as all other learned arithmeticans with
most marked contempt. 1t will puzzle
those who got their knowledge of figures
on the ordinary principles to understand
the matter, as it will no doubt appear tc
them. that lao votes taken from Dodge anf
added to Arnold, instead Of leaving Dodge
withtne loco majority Of thirty, would have
left him entirely in the rear of Arnold
That Gen. Dodge received in the late
canvass many whg votes, we have heard
no one deny, but that the vote, take it upor
what ground you will, indicates the triumpr
OF whiggery, cannot be made fairly TO ap
pear.
All the wing editors in the lerritor,
have endeavored in turn, to explain ava,
the cause of their defeat Some ass;cr
one reason, some another; all concur If