The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-04-05
Presidential Manoouyres.


Presidential Manoeuyres.
The science of political strategy is receiving
large accessions from the dozen or 80 of Presi
dental aspirants now before the people. One
of the first overt movements made this season
was the combined attack Of the elderly candi
dates on Judge DOUGLAS. The pretext of this
demonstration was the appearance of an article
in the February No. of the Democratic Reuie,o
against the old, and in favor of the new Demo-
cratic regime. The friends of Judge DOUGLAS
defended him by denying that he was RESPONSE.
BILE for the course of one Of his friends, and they
even produced somewhat audacious attempt
OF his TO intervene against the freedom of the
press, by telegraphng the editor of that periodi-
cal to desist from publishing articles offensive TO
other candidates. Against this defence it was re-
piled that the Democratic Reuiew was National
print and hence was not entitled to the same
freedom of the press which the provincial parti-
Fans enjoyed: as in the case Of the violent at
lacks of Pennsylvania Cass papers against Mr..
BUCHANAN. Well, we profess to be National
organ ourselves, and would like to have this
question Of organship ethics, rights, powers
and prerogatves settled. We shall insist how
ever, that if National organs can be instructed
GEOGRAPHICALLY or otherwise by National candi-
dates, that the obligation is reciprocal, and that
the organs. shall have the right to instruct the
candidates-to telegraph them how to vote and
to speak in the Senate.
One of the next evolutions was letter from
General CAss to some young men announcing
that success in the next Presidential election
was the manifest destiny of the Democracy.
This was pretty distinct intimation that the
events of the last contest, its causes, consequen.
ces and characters, were not to be discouraging.
But this movement seemed to alarm Mr. BUcH-
ANAN, who soon came out with letter to Balt-
more, where Mr.. CAss was strong, advising the
people there that the prospects of the Democ
racy were decidedly cloudy and very uncertain,
and signfying that the programme of the last
contest and its divisions had better be avoided
On the other hand, General ScorT began by
announcing that he would write no letters and
answer no questons-on the ancient and classi-
cal axiom of "ask me no questions and I'll tell
YOU no lies" But the General has found that
in politics, as in war, the plan of the campaign
sometimes has to be modified little by the
movements of the enemy. So, finding that his
Native American letter had left his Northern
wing exposed to total route from an assault of
adopted citizens, he sent them flag of truce
with an overture for admitting them into his
forces.
Mr.. FILLMORE took time by the forelock, and,
instead of writing letters, made regular politi-
cal onset last year upon the States of New
York and Virginia with his Cabinet. But the
result was utterly disastrous. In Syracuse, the
very place designated by the Secretary of State
the people stormed the temple of justice and
rescued the fugitive. And they have since even
indicted the United States marshal ms a kidnap-
per for arresting the slave. And as the marshal
FILLMORE to execute this law, the next step we
may look for will be his indictment as accessory
before the fact and demand will of course be
made on the President TO deliver up one NIL
LARD FILLMORE as fugitive from justice from
the State of New York. There can be no diff
Guilty about jurisdiction in this case, because
the speeches made by Mr.. FILLMORE, when
there can be proved on him, and will no doubt
be considered by New York jury as advising,
counselling, persuading, and seducing the afore-
said marshal into the said kidnapping. And,
perhaps, Mr.. WEBSTER will be included in the
indictment. And when the sheriff comes on
from Syracuse to take them into custody, we
would like to know whether the Wing chivalry
of Virginia will undertake to rescue them.
But the most covert and adroit hoax on the
tactics of candidates has recently been perpe.
trated by Commodore STOCKTON, in his speech
at Trenton, on Mr.. WEBsTER's reception by the
legislature. The Commodore extols Mr. WEE.
srER, and praises the old Federalists and insists
on dragging iron from the mountains of New
Jersey to the sea by tariff, and finally goes fol-
retrenchment and reform. The joke has beer
completely successful All the candidates ant
their friends are down upon the Commodore
The Richmond Enquirer, the evergreen Of
Virginia, is surprised, and says that Mr.. WISE
is surprised for they had all regarded the Com
modore as an orthodox Democrat, and were de
termined to support him with the utmost en-
thusiasm, in case they could not nominate Mr.
BUCHANAN or General CAss, whose Democrat,
was rather more notorious. But now-ah =
the Commodore has como out for tariff, an
admires the old Federalists. Now, is not thi
rather remarkably rich, or at least rifehn, t
come from that portion of the party who pre-
ter Mr.. BUCHANAN, the man that voted for tn
tariff Of 1912, with SILAs WRIGHT, the Free
soiler, against all the rest of the party in tn
Sepate3 And is it not cool for that portion o
the party that supports General CAss, wht
wrote in l8d3 IN the Dem ocretic coryort;or n