The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1852-01-01
THE NEXT PRESIDENCY.

|
! WASHINGTON, Wednesday, Dec. 3, l65
"Wbo IS 10 be- the next President" is .
ready a question .houghtiully. anxious
wandered within the shadow Of the Cnpitt
4 Washington is City Of Politics, and me
are here nothing il not political. AS y
Eli hear only tho names Of Clay, Sco'
i Webster and Fillmore discussed amor
Wings, but Mr.. Clay.is unqunlifiedIy aver
Ito being made candidate, Mr.. F''imol
Understood 10 be indifferent or dIs'ncllnt
10 tempt the chances Of q canvass, 'cav'l
/ General Scott and Mr.. Webster lho on
/ pr aclical competitors. Ofthese, Gener'
Scott seems 10 be the stronger here. lie
warranted in the assertion. that u IN
Wings of Delaware, Maryland, North Ca
olins, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky az
louisa ns-lhe only slave States that c.
reasonably be expected to 60 Wh.g-ar
compelled TO choose their candidate lro'
these two, they will prefer Gen. Scot: IN
would 90 into his support with conEdenc
OF success say this as no partisan OF an,
man likely to be run, but as simple look
er on, DESTROYS Of correctly reading and IN
|terpre,ing the signs Of the times. It's no
impossible that Mr.. Clay, if he lives, wal
vet be made President in defiance OF hl
own protest, nor on the other hand, that a.
entirely new man may be selected.
speak now only OF what is now current u
political circles here.
On the other side, political mining ans
countermining are quite active at pres
ent. Buchanan has considerable Southern
strength, and If he carries bis own STATE
handsomely will stand well in the Balti
more Convention, but not well enough 4
be nominated. Marcy has some intiucn
tial friends, but the decision Of tho Demo
cratic State Committee to select the dele
gates from our State by districts instead Of
a State Convention is very serious damp
er on his prospects.
Gen. Batter has far less strength than
had been led TO suppose he had, and Cass
has none at all, as was already aware.
Political fortunes blossom and fade here
with rare precipitation, and the fact Of TO-
day is no fact of tomorrow. Icannot pre-.
tend to guess what may be the issue OF the
Baltimore Convention, but to-day Douglass
has by far the hest chance OF a nomination
aud think could hardly fail if the Conven,
ton we're to assemble on the S,h Of Janua-
nv. How it may be in May or June, we
shall see in due time.
have said tina, Gen. Butler is weaker
than supposed. In the first place the
fact that Benton. Blair and Preston King.
are understood to lead offn bis behalfpreju-
dices him with many. Then the Barn
burners Of orr State, going os,ensibly for
Marcy, can do very little for Butler. But
| was rather surprised to learn here that
the support Of Kentucky and Tennessee in
Convention from the outset are counted on
for Douglass. II this calculation be well
founded, as am inclined to think il, then
Gen. Butler, like Gen. Cass, land must
add Gen Houston Dis no WHARF. That the
expectation of Douglass friends that Gen
Buffers State will give them delegation
is not unfounded, have several reasons
Tor believing. II. G.
The above arc Horace Greeley's specu
lations upon the Presidency. Ia consider
ing them, due allowance must be made foI
Greeley's we'll known opposition to the
views entertained by Mr.. Clay, Mr. Fill
more and Mr.. Webster on the fugitive slave
bill. Greeley if not an Aboli.ionist, is n
least Free-Soiler Of the most malignant
type. We doubt whether, in any contin
eency, he would support Mr.. Fillmore Of
MIR. Webster, and we are not quite snrt
that he would support Mr.. Clay. HI
doubtless prefers Gen. Scott to either, be
cause, thus far, the General has maintain
ed rather ominious silence on the suhjec
Of the fugitive slave bill. But he need il
dulge ia no fattering hopes as to the nomi
nation Of General Scott or any one else
who fails 10 avow in distinct, unequivoca
terms his adherence to the compromise, .
a final adjustment Of the slavery question
The Wings Of the South and West, and "
hope Of the North too, will require such
pledge from the Wing candidate, whoeve
he may be. The action Of the late VIII
caucus at Washington, leaves no room
doubt on this subject. Il is worse tha
idle for Gen. Scott 10 hope for the noInin'
ton on any other condition. We have n
peatedly said that that we preferred NJ
Fillmore to any other Of the prominer
Wings who have been named for the offic'
Nevertheless il he declines the race, v
will cheerfulIy support my other goc
Compromise Union Wing who may be non
mated by the National Convention. b.
! we will not support any one, however non
mated. who is either hostile to the Con
promise, or ia any shape favorable to r
newed agitation Of the slavery question
St. Louis Intelhgencer,
Our respected contemporary Of the s
Louis Intelligencer scarcely displays h
usual sagacity in the above comment
At least, he does not exhibit that devotie
Ito Wing principles that we should expe
in leader Of the party. Gen. Scott h
not yet been placed in a position that call,
for an avowcd expression Of his views u
on the question Of the fugitive slave la,
His silence cannot, therefore, be conside
h ed ominous. II the Wings then nomina
a man for the Presidency who is hostile
the Compromise the IntelIigencer will n
support him, thus throw its influence in
tyor of the Locofoco candidate, even thou
he be On opponent Of tina. law. 10 the who