The New York herald., 1844-09-26
THE MONSTER MASS MEETING OF THE WHIGs,
TO Unite with the Abolitionists, SC
IN CANAL STREET., TONIGHT,


anneratioa, and The extension Of slapoy, is 10 be
held this evening in National Hall, Canal street,
and that neighborhood.
This meeting is to be sort of grand amalga-
nation meeting, for the union of the wings and
abolitonisis, in favor Of MIR. Clay, the approach
ing election. The first great meeting of the kind
was held on Boston Common, ten days ago, when
Daniel Webster delivered his last great speech.
On the success OF this movement in the free States
will hang the fortunes Of Mr.. Clay.
The meeting to night will, therefore, be very inn
portant to the whole country We shall send our
whole unrivalled corps of reporters, and report the
proceedings and speeches, both inside and outside.
We expect great doings. A splendid engraving Of
the scene will be given in the next Weekly Herald.
The Review OF the Elections since 1885,
Perilous Position OF the Whigs.
We give in another column a series OF tables
carefully collected from the best authorities, exhi-
biting the elections in every State in the coniede-
racy from the year 1886 down 10 the present time,
comprehending also Presidential elections
those Of '36 and 40 The collection and arrange
ment Ol lnese tdDltS nave cOSt Us great ucdi oi
care and comparison and labor. From the ncom-
pleteness of many Of the returns from several
States, we have been under the necessity Of bring
ing forward the ascertained result OF one year to
that succeeding, SO as TO present nearly pos
sibe fair view of each year, according to the best
data we could find. Perhaps no better time than
the present could be selected for the publication of
these invaluable statistics We are just now
IF Iele which will he m
closely contested than any one which has pre-
ceded it; and besides, we have yet two or three
State elections come particularly those of Penn
sylvania and New Jersey, which take place the
week after next, and on the result Of which
hangs great deal of the influence that may deter
mine the issue of the present contest
These returns, from 1886 to the present time,
show most extraordinary fiuctuaticn in the vote
ol both parties during that period One year the
wings are victorious, by large majorities too-the
next the locoiocos triumph but generally it will
be found that on every great occasion, when the
excitement pervades the whole Union, and when the
popular mind is agitated by any general influence,
such as pecunlary depression, the wings generally
outnumber the locofocos. But let us come to par
ticulars In the year 1886, Mr. Van Buren was
elected President by triumphant ma aorty over
all his opponents, the chief of whom was General
Harrison. Times then very prosperous, and
the leading men and business men OF both parties
were making money, although the prosperity was
faacious, as was very soon afterwards lamentably
demonstrated. Accordingly, in the spring OF 1887,
when the great revulson in all departments OF bu-
siness took place, change took place in the popu-
lar tide and the foundation was laid for the
of the whig party, which they have more or less
maintained ever since. In the year 81, at the
State elections we have, accordingly, the remark
able revolution presented Of nearly 100000 ma
jority for the wings, in the popular vote through
out the Union. This was the first blow which
the democratic party received to the detriment
of their ascendency in the country for great
many years The pecunary disasters OF the
time still continuing to exist through 1887, the
majority of the wing party increased TO 10000
in '3s, in the same States at the State elec-
tions, whist the aggregate vote throughout the
Union had increased in a corresponding ratio. Be-
ginning with the fall of 3S, and ending with the
fall of 49, some important changes took place IN
the aspect of business. The banks of New York
and New England had resumed specie payments,
whilst the United States Bank and those within
the circle OF its influence had entirely exploded.
Business accordingly experienced certain changes,
growing out Of these events-we are presented
with anOtner HOctuauOn III the popular Votc, anu =
majority OF 10000 to the democratic party, with
an extraordinary dimlnution of the whig vote.
This state Of things, however, did not last long.
As the great presidential election of 40 APPROACH
ed, the business men-the intelligent men-beong-
ing to the whig party began to look anxiously for
ward to the time when they could change the chief
magistrate of the country and alter the general
policy of the government. In the State elections
-f D~as of al N{
that year, we are accordingly presented with an in
crease in favor Of the whigs to an extent of ma
jority of 66 600 and odd: The feeling continued
TO increase in favor of the wings until in the fall
of the same year they elected their candidate,
General Harrison, by the unprecedented majority
Of l45, 900 throughout the country.
Every one remembers the events, financial and
political, that took place after the accession of
General Harriscn--the quarres that were created
between Clay and Tyler, and other prominent In
dividuals, who had united against the democratic
party, and accordingly in the State elections of
lS4l, another extraordinary fuctuation took place,
and the democrats carried the popular vote
throughout the Union, by majority of 2s 600,
whilst the wings exhibited strange falling off at
the polls In 1912, the same feeling prevailed
throughout the country, and the democrats increas-
ed their majority TO 100000, whilst the wings be-
gan TO divide amongst themselves in the Northern
States particularly on the subject Of abolition In
1910, the abolition vote was only few thou
sands; in 1872 il had increased 10 10000, and has
gone on enlargiog to the present day. In 'i3, the
democratic majority again fell back to 80 900, but
the dmnulion in the whg vote continued, occa-
stoned chiefly by the abstraction of from that
party by the abolitionlsts, who had increased to
nearly $1,000.
During the present year, as far as the elections
nave taken place, the fatal lethargy and fatal dsi
sions IN the wing ranks appear to continue to ope-